Great space, amazing teachers, fun & engaging classes. We enjoyed our two week trial very much! And look forward to returning with a monthly membership. The only challenge we have: we'd love morning or early afternoon classes during the week. read more

This dojo definitely deserves a recent review. My 5 year old daughter has been going to Emerald City Karate for a little over a month now and she can't get enough if it. She loves it. She's taken many lessons in other sports and activities and I've never seen her so excited and willing to go any other class, ever. The Sensei, Sensei Tobey I believe, is amazing with kids. Parents are welcome to hang out and watch the classes and it's great to see someone who can command attention, keep kids focused and still allow them to have fun at the same time. All the while, learning self defense and valuable life lessons. The Sensei's assistants are amazing and so is the woman who greets us when we come in and checks the kids in. I'm so happy we found this dojo and we'll be sticking with it for a long time to come. read more

I highly recommend this place for karate. Both my children are incredibly shy, they have really opened up since beginning their karate journey. The team is professional, patient and great both kids and adults. read more

I have trained in martial arts for many years but have never seen a Karate Sensei as good with young children as Sensei Tobey Stansbury. His Little Dragon classes are truly amazing. My niece and nephew both train with him and even in large classes with some fidgety little kids, he is able to hold their attention, keep them on point, teach them some martial arts basics, self defense and life skills all while having fun at the same time - which, as my husband put it, is nearly miraculous! The kids love and respect him. I have started training with him myself in the adult class and I love it and have learned a lot from Sensei Tobey. I plan to continue for a long time. read more

See all

Amazing karate school! Sensai Toby is a very dedicated instructor who teaches the students not only the strong basics of the Karate techniques, but also the importance of having wisdom, generosity, and compassion through his daily stories and lessons. My son had a very low self-esteem before he started his lessons and now he is beginning to show signs of a confident and happy boy who wants to go to class everyday! I highly recommend this school. read more

See all

Sensei Tobey and his team are amazing to work with. I just completed the 2 week trial (adult program) and I couldn't be more thrilled. I think the most amazing aspect was the sense of community built from day 1. The other students were as warm and welcoming as the instructors. I have NO prior karate experience and I was NEVER made to feel out of place or behind. I was encouraged at every turn and provided gentle and instructive feedback. And boy did I laugh. Sensei Tobey is a very funny man. I also greatly enjoyed learning about Japanese culture during every class. I am also proud to say I can now count to 10 in Japanese. :) Thank you Sensei Tobey and Emerald City Karate! read more

Great for birthday party's! My son has never taken karate classes nor have we ever set foot inside Emerald City Karate before today. The children attending our party were 4 to 12 years of age, and were an even mix of boys and girls. Here's the quick breakdown: -90min party -birthday child gets to wear a black belt, cut the cake with a sword, and karate chop a board -break in the middle of party for cake and water (it was suggested that this is all we bring and it worked out perfectly) -great for any age -physically active party, the kids used up lots of energy! I would definitely host a party here again. read more

My son was reluctant at first but Sensei Tobey really has the right approach and he now loves it! He just passed his first belt test and he is so proud of himself and loves coming to classes! Cannot recommend this place enough! read more

My son started karate at Emerald City about 8 months ago. We have found sensei Toby and his crew to have a great mix of discipline, motivation, challenge, fun and silliness that keeps our son hooked. Getting his stripes and belts really helps him measure his progress and motivates him to practice and work hard. It has been a fantastic experience! read more

Sensei Toby and the staff at this dojo have had such a positive impact on my son. I can't recommend it enough. They learn not just karate, but great life lessons as well. read more

I have so many good things to say about Sensei Tobey! We came to Emerald City Karate after having a pretty awful experience at another dojo. The difference between that and our experience with Tobey has been like night and day. It's obvious that he cares about his students and puts effort into varying his lesson plans to keep class interesting and fun. My son is 6yo and attends the Lil Dragons class 3x/week. Before coming to our first class, I emailed Tobey regarding concerns I had about my son's shyness and social anxiety. Tobey was so warm and responsive. He shared some of his own childhood insecurities and wrote about how karate helped build his confidence as a kid. He invited us to a one-on-one session so my son could familiarize himself with the environment and my son was instantly won over by Tobey's sense of humor and attentive manner. Parents are allowed to join their children in the Lil Dragons class at no extra charge. This was a huge selling point for my nervous kid who was afraid to take the plunge alone. But after only a week, my son was ready to enter the mat with out me. My 6yo is not an athlete and finding once weekly extracurricular activities that we didn't have to drag him out the door for had been a HUGE challenge. I never dreamed he'd be begging to attend a class 3x a week! I fully credit this to Tobey's teaching style, which is imbued with silliness, caring, and just the right amount of discipline. Every two weeks, the class focuses on a specific topic (focus, fitness, strength, etc) allowing the students to gain a sense of mastery over the lessons being taught. But it never feels repetitive or boring because of the dynamic obstacle courses and engaging moves being taught. Tobey always explains, in a very non-scary way, how each move can help the kids defend themselves in a sticky situation. He also incorporates time for silent meditation and a "Mat Chat" into each class. These Mat Chats usually begin with a proverb or bite of wisdom that corresponds to the skill the children are currently working on. He asks great questions that allow the kids to participate in the discussion and reflect on how their new skills apply to their own lives. With the amount of fun and wisdom in each session, Tobey's classes are an incredible value. My son has gained a positive male role model, better self-esteem, resilience, and the ability to laugh at himself. Honestly, I could go on and on about this place and still have more good things to say! read more

I love just about everything Japanese and I finally decided to take karate which was what I have wanted to do for a long time. Unfortunately due to time constraints I was not able to go here for longer than the 2 week trial, however I got a pretty good idea of what kind of place this is. The first thing I noticed was that tobey sensei is great with kids. He lets them have fun but he takes teaching them karate very seriously. In General he gives a lot of encouragement and it's obvious he knows what he is doing. The trial period was only 30 dollars and came with a shirt and belt. Definitely recommend this place. read more