Fantastic family-focused karate academy. Encouraging and fun. Don't believe the review which says you can earn a black belt in less than a year. That's nonsense. There is challenge and solid training here for all who commit themselves. read more

I have to agree with Stacy F. I am not sure where Jen L is reviewing but its not Culin. Since I have been going here with my 5 year old step daughter, we have never once experienced "yelling and harsh talk" . We have never been "barked at". Culin karate was recommended to me and I will recommend them to any one. They entourage the parents to get involved and on the floor. What a great way to get involved with your children. read more

After reading these reviews, I know just how some of these folks feel. I am sure others have felt the same way, but you know what we found? We spent about 6 weeks driving around Leander, Cedar Park and North Austin visiting different martial arts schools. We knew nothing about martial arts, so we gave each a fair unbiased opportunity. Some were nightmares and some okay. Some left us standing in the entry with no attention for as much as 15 minutes and others showed instructors seeming to condone a sense of aggression, anger and overall violence with regards to interaction with others, which is exactly what we wanted to avoid. Structure, discipline and an understanding of the responsibility which comes with the power gained by being skilled in fighting styles was our goal. Culin Karate was our very last stop in a line of about 8 or 9 schools visited. Needless to say it was our last based on the attention we received right off the street, down to the personal and positive interaction with the students and immediate results from my kids. My kids were not intimidated, but were drawn in. Myself and both my 4 yr old, and 7 year old signed up and have been taking classes for 11 months. We realize this is a business which has to make money; we feel that if the value of the Service is great enough, the cost of the Service comes secondary, whether that is a standard tuition or an up-sell; no surprises here. My kids are learning positive life skills, discipline, honor, structure, obedience, determination, and martial fighting skills, among other things. My 7 year old is now as comfortable talking and presenting in front of large audiences as he is with me directly and he now practices living by the principles of Master Culin's entire program, as we wanted. For us, martial arts is not just about fighting and physical technique; a monkey can learn to punch and kick - we wanted a program for learning to live based on righteous principles and defending fiercely as a last resort, but with the conscious awareness of what constitutes when it is time to defend fiercely and when it is not. We found exactly that at Culin Karate Black Belt Leadership Academy, which is why we planted roots and committed to becoming Black Belt Leaders, not only on the floor, but at school, work, and everywhere we go. I recommend our approach; stop for a visit and make up your own mind. read more

Tried Culin on a group on and never finished. My grandson did maybe five classes out of the 20 we paid for. First of all it was his first time and he is 6. They basically threw him in the class so there is no beginner etc. You are with all age groups with some one on one during class or an existing student is there to help you. I wanted life lessons for him and discipline but it was more yelling and expectations to follow along. Not something a 6 year old understands. The final straw of why we didn't go back was twice we showed up for class and there was no class because they were doing a "special class" or a special guest or testing. No phone calls that it was cancelled. Not very organized. When we emailed them about our reasons for not continuing we got no response. Culin is only interested in getting your money by moving you up to next belt($$$). read more

Best place to train as family!!! Plus it is so much fun to get trained !! You learn Krav Maga techniques for self defense here which is amazing!! My self confidence has sky rocketed since I started raining here. Highly recommended!!! read more

my 6 year old boy has been at the academy for 2 years now. My kid likes it and I think its very beneficial to him over all. It not only teaches karate to kids, it teaches manors, life skills, confidence, safety... I would recommend this for all boys. I don't have any comment on the Karate techniques they teach because I don't know any to be the judge. read more

although I agree that Mr. Culin does not yell or bark at his students and has a wonderful matside manner this is definitely a "Karate Lite" school I earned my black belt from Mr. Culin after 5 years of hard training leadership classes, tournaments and testing . not to mention broken toes and fingers and ribs then ....Mr Culin dicovered a system of separating money from your wallet ... translation he sold out on the purity of martial arts .. make no mistake this is a business with one goal "making money" what took me 5 years can now be achieved in a year or less " Belt factory" would be appropriate here. This is a good school to keep kids busy .. but definitly not for serious martial artists read more

My kids have been attending Culin Karate for almost 2 years now and they really love the place. The instructors instill a sense of discipline, after all it is a martial art, and a sense of purpose. My oldest son recently made black belt and would not trade the experience of the black belt test for anything. That test pushed him to excel and persevere when he was ready to give up! I see where some others indicate yelling, but in almost 2 years I have never witnessed yelling. The only time voices are raised are when the students are reciting the student creed or are being told to stop a drill. As for those who say it is not a serious martial arts school, well it's not the Cobra Ki school from Karate kid. It is a serious enough school that I trust them with my three kids. In fact we have referred 2 families to the school. Both families also enjoy the school and have, in total, 7 kids there. Finally, this is the third school we've been involved with. My oldest daughter is 21 and my youngest is 8 and we had to move quite a bit for my job. So I make these comments with some experience with different schools. Of the 3 schools we've been involved with, Culin is by far the best school. I'm just a dad with 4 kids 2 biological and 2 adopted. One of whom is special needs. I have total trust Culin Karate with my kids in this discipline. read more

It is hard for me to take the time to write reviews but when I read a review that was a complete injustice to Master Instructor, Culin, I had to set the record staight. Mr. Culin strikes the perfect balance of firmness and humor. As a teacher, I have been able to observe an outstanding teacher and professional model with great teaching nuggets to share with any parent. Mr. Culin truely partners with the parent for your child's greatest success. The amount of confidence my son has gain has been a tremendous gift. It has helped him become more successful in other sports and social situations. I could go on and on but if you take the time to allow your child or yourself a trial visit, it will speak for itself. read more

I am completely disagreeing with Jen L. Have no idea what studio she is referring to but it is not Culin Karate center. My daughter is now 11 and is currently a 1st degree black belt. She has been attending this studio since she was 4. She is also on demo team and competiton team. My son and I now also practice here. I would never allow my kids to attend a studio that did not reinforce respect and values. I picked this studio for the family atmosphere, positive reinforcement, and encouragement to succeed in life. I couldn't be more proud for my family to be a part of this studio. read more

I guess in my heart I wanted to love Culin Karate. Joseph looks like a great guy all around easy going and the like. When you walk inside though you're immediately greeted with a sign of what's to come, his book "The Winning Way" blatantly advertised hanging above a pile of hastily stacked pads. The rest of my experience at Culin Karate was very similar. Every class I'd be met with urges to sign up to the new great master class or whatever money making scheme they were pitching that week. If you've read other reviews you understand the gist of this locale. It exists as a time wasting device. You look at other more serious academies in this city and you understand their seriousness and commitments while Culin Karate feels like playtime. It was downright tragic how seriously they took themselves. I was a student here. I became a black belt here. The only sort of emotion I felt at the closure of my time at this academy was guilt for wasting my parents hard earned money on a belt machine. Yes it is true, Joseph Culin does in fact have experience in martial arts but he never truly unleashed it to his students in full potential. What he does is use it as a carrot on a stick making you inch forward grasping for anything a decent nugget of real martial arts information when in reality there is none. Joseph Culin isn't even at most of the classes either instead his inexperienced C.I.T Teachers are present. Recently most of his actually decent staff parted. Through the years this academy has gone through some excellent instructors who left after seeing the academy turn into a money making machine. What's left is dull and inexperienced instructors regurgitating the same information day in and day out without any substance. This is an academy you want to love but you soon come to realize that it's appearance wasn't deceiving at all. It's a low quality street mall dojo and it's owner is only in it for money. Don't waste your time here. It's overpriced and frankly not worth it whatsoever. Joseph Culin or whatever random teenager will try to entice you with these deals but don't be fooled you're not special he does that to everyone. A black belt here is useless in the real world find a different academy in the Austin area if you want to become genuinely involved in martial arts. Joseph Culin fails where his fraud of an academy feels less like a family but more of a money milking machine. It's a miracle that it hasn't shut down yet. Also if you do somehow find yourself at this excuse of an academy don't sign up to the tournaments they're a complete and utter overpriced waste of time. Flimsy trophies, flimsy events and no competitors from outside the academy. The tournament is the academy's biggest fraud it is a fraudulent event at its core it is terrible. As much as I wanted to love Culin Karate I couldn't, go ahead and try to prove me wrong you'll only waste years of you or your child's life realizing that the truth was something you knew all along. Good Luck. read more

I completely agree with the review written by ki d. The instructors are kind, but this is not a serious martial arts academy. If you want a fun activity, Culin Karate is a great place to go. But, if you want martial arts instruction, look elsewhere. Students are quickly moved through the program by paying the $40 graduation fee for each new belt. Be prepared for frequent sales pitches as well. read more

Master Culin and the other instructors at Culin Karate are fantastic. I was tired of taking my son to activities and just sitting on the sidelines. Lucky for me, I found this family friendly karate center. We both have been moving up the ranks over the past 3 years and will be testing or our black belt soon. :) It's a great place for kids to develop confidence in themselves and learn leadership skills. I definitely recommend Culin Karate! read more

My 6 yr old grandson had his birthday party at Culin Karate and the kids loved it! Master Culin kept the kids engaged, active, and having fun for the entire time, it was a great time for all. The staff is very respectful and obviously enjoys working with kids. read more