Oh where do I start? Hang in there with me, this is sure to be a long one. My family of 5 all…read moreattended classes at Long's Shotokan for nearly 5 years. I took every adult class available; my kids took every kid's class available. 3/5 of us obtained shodan black belts under Mark Long over the course of the 5 years. All of that said, we had never been at another dojo so we were just rolling with the blows, not knowing that dojo life could be any better. Now that I have left, I know it can be infinitely better. Firstly, before testing for my shodan black belt, we each had "interviews" with Mark Long where he asked us one thing we liked and didn't like about either the testing process or the dojo in general. I told him that my dislike would be the many inconsistencies; i used his schedule as an example because it changes, unannounced, at least twice a year. The last schedule change cut classes down to 30 minutes, half of which is spent listening to sermon-like lectures and not working out. I was well aware of the dojo's Christian stance from the day I joined, as there are crosses and bible quotes hanging in the lobby, so that is not the issue here. The issue is that I was paying nearly $300 a month to learn self defense, not go to church. And okay, his rants aren't always religious themed, sometimes they are so far off in left field that I truly can't follow. Onto more inconsistencies though, to obtain your shodan black belt there is a grocery list of requirements you must meet to be eligible for testing. Some of these include: must have a yellow belt in aikido, must have an orange belt in judo, must have attended 4 tournaments, must pass the physical endurance part of the test (50 pushups, 50 situps in 3 minutes, followed by 50 jumping jacks and 50 burpees). I have witnessed many tests where the testers did not have these requirements met and were still allowed to test and pass. Just this past summer, I watched a man test for his Nidan (2nd degree) and pass without knowing the nidan kata or his self defense. I started to realize that he is running a belt factory. When I came to this realization I feared that perhaps I had been a product of the belt factory too, but I put those fears to rest when I remembered that on my own Shodan test, I was pulled into the office by the black belt board and told that I was "out-performing the rest of the students" and to "share some of my enthusiasm with the other students." sorry/not sorry, I took my training and testing very seriously because my entire reason for training in martial arts was to learn self defense to protect myself and daughters. It is VERY serious. But onward, my family is a mixed (caucasian and mexican). Over the years, Mark Long made multiple underhand racist comments towards my daughter and my husband. Another former black belt of his went on to work on the Border Patrol. He came to visit family and came into the dojo to train. Mark Long put him and my husband to spar one another and thought it was hilarious to announce that the Border Patrol Agent could beat my Mexican husband & send him back home. Let me add here that my husband was born in the states, this is his home. This exact same sparring match happened the next time that black belt visited too. (I am good friends with that black belt and even he has expressed the distaste that left him with; he felt extremely uncomfortable with it and considered walking out each time.) He would often make "Mexican hat dance" jokes to my daughter's footwork. He once did the Hitler hand salute while talking about Trump, in the dojo, during business hours. One of his other black belts told him that was inappropriate and he laughed it off. At a different time, he was talking about rolling a magazine on an airplane with the intent to beat a Muslim man because he feared he was a terrorist... he made a joke about terrorists yelling "aloha snack bar" before committing terrorist acts. He also called my very dark skinned daughter "Brown Bug" for years, when she repeatedly told him that she didn't like that name. He played it off as a term of endearment, but now I truly question that. When I went into the office to cancel our payments and leave the dojo, he had the audacity to question my husband's citizenship and say that perhaps he was here on a work visa. Again, I add that he was born in the states and we have been a member of the dojo for 5 years... he knew my husband was American. In the same conversation he listed off HIS black belts, "I have Mexican black belt; black belt who is a black guy, I have black belts that are gay, trans, etc." Which really threw me back because who keeps track like that? And portrays them as HIS? It's extremely disturbing. He told me 6x in an hour, "if you don't agree with me, get out and never come back." this is proof that you are not welcome there if you do not share his ideologies. The list goes on but it appears I have met the max character amount for a review and I cannot continue.

I started taking my oldest son here 7 years ago. He just passed his jr black belt test. I hope to…read moresee him be a leader and help teach others. My younger son just passed his brown belt test. I am looking forward to him hopefully getting his black belt in a year. I am very happy with this school. Besides karate they do kick boxing, sparing, judo, aikido, and weapons. I would recommend coming in for a free class.

AKKA Blue Springs is one of the best martial arts dojo's in the area. Mr Busker is the schools…read moreowner and has a rank of 5th degree black belt. He has such a wonderful passion for the art. He has many assistant instructor that carry that same passion. My grandson started 41/2 years ago at the age of 61/2 and earned his junior black belt at age 11. He has learned many skills and wonderful attributes to carry with him through his life's journey. To earn a black belt he had to be discipline, patience and persistent. Learning to defend yourself during a confrontation is a wonderful skill but learning to walk away with confidence is a great skill to have in life. Blue Springs Akka and Mr. Busker will teach and cultivate these skills in a martial arts student. Many Thanks to a wonderful school.

AKKA is a fantastic karate school for kids and adults. The instructors keep the kids engaged while…read moreinstilling honesty, courtesy, respect and discipline. This isn't a one year and your a black belt type of school. You earn your respective rank through retention of katas and techniques....not how fast you can become a black belt. Give Blue Springs AKKA a try! You will NOT be disappointed!!

AKKA Independence is beyond awesome. My 10 year old daughter tried it out. On the way to the first…read moreclass (which is free) she was in tears because she was so nervous. At the end of class that night she was smiling ear to ear. She is now a white belt and loves going to class. We have been going 2-3 nights a week for 2 months and from day one to now, she's more confident in her self, she's confident in her abilities, and loves showing big sis the moves she's learning with the AKKA team. My only regret is that we didn't start classes way sooner. It's never too late though! Thank you, AKKA!

A great place to learn martial arts, self-confidence and self-respect. The people are friendly. The…read moreinstructors are personable and helpful. This studio is very family and kid friendly. I'd recommend anyone looking for martial arts training to give the studio a call to get more information.

My son started taekwondo when he was 5 years old, in the Little Tigers program. We had tried other…read moremartial arts studios before and Master Henrich was by far the best instructor we had seen. He ran the entire class of 7-9 5 year olds all by himself. Other places had barely been able to contain smaller classes with more adults helping. He is able to keep the kids entertained and engaged while still having them learn the fundamentals and basics of taekwondo. All of the black belts/instructors have immense patience with all the students. They take time with each person to make sure they understand the techniques and skills they need to learn. My son and I now both take classes together and it has been an amazing experience to be able to learn side by side with him and watch him grow. I couldn't imagine a better place that I could have started this journey with my son, and we will continue for many years to come.

Can't say enough about this place. My daughter has been going there for a little over a year now…read moreand Master Henrich has taught her so much and helped her grow. I've seen other, similar places that focus on fun and games. Henrich's emphasizes discipline, focus and integrity, but he also clearly cares for everyone who walks through his doors.

We absolutely LOVE Tamashii Black Belt Academy!!! They have a fabulous adaptive needs martial arts…read moreprogram that children of ALL abilities can succeed in!!! Best part however is that everyone there is like family. :)

What is the definition of "budō"? It is a modern term in today's martial arts, however historically…read moreit refers to a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual, and moral dimensions with a focus of self-improvement, fulfillment, or personal growth. "Bugei" refers to the adaptation or refinement of those tactics and techniques to facilitate systematic instruction and dissemination within a formal learning environment. My son (Matthew) began his martial arts education at 6 years of age. After about a year and a half, we realized that the dojo he trained at was only looking for name recognition, and not to instill values and knowledge taught in true martial arts. My son was sad to take this temporary leave from the karate world, but the owner was not the type of person we wanted as a mentor to our son. Approximately a year later, we were introduced to Tamashii Black Belt Academy, aka Tamashii Karate. Here we met the most amazing group of people. Everyone, from the students, to their families, to the instructors and most importantly the owner, Linda Hanson. The lessons taught come from the top, and trickle down from there. Daily I am thankful for this organization! Many people have come and gone, as happens with all organizations, but Kyoshi Linda has continued to maintain the integrity of the Japanese art of Shotokan karate while also providing knowledge in other martial arts to her students. She has the most amazing Senseis who happily come in daily to support her, the art, and the students they teach. My husband and I get many compliments from people regarding the amazing children we are raising. We believe one of the reasons our son is so amazing is due to the knowledge of the art of karate combined with the gentle discipline, criticism he has received from the most ethical owner and dojo in the Kansas City/Lee's Summit area. At the tender age of 13, my son is now a 2nd degree black belt. I encourage everyone to come in and visit this dojo. Here your children will be taught "budō" and "bugei". For those with busy schedules, they also offer after school karate that includes picking your child up from school, a snack, homework time, and a karate class.

what a great place! awesome instructors and wonderful staff who want you to feel welcome in their…read morehouse. you can't ask for any better than what you get from these folks!

From the owner: Here at Dragons Gate Family Martial Arts, we offer a wide variety of excellent Independence, MO…read moreMartial-Arts classes. Our certified instructors will ensure that you receive the individual training and guidance you want.