Great place, I ve had my son Roman in this dojo for 5 years and Martial arts gives kids confidence…read moreand discipline it also builds character.. 5 years later and he will be testing for his jr black, very proud of the time and effort he has put into karate and he will be happy to be a little skunk.. :)

Great hands on training place. I have been want it to go back for a long time. I definitely…read morerecommend this location.

My son has been here for a year and I have seen him grow beyond his years! Sensei Ali is not only a…read moretalented karate teacher, but he is so incredibly wise and patient. Aside from training the kids in martial arts, he truly takes care and loves each student individually, and teaches them about respect, resilience, and kindness. On many occasions, I've seen him correct kids for being abrasive, rude, and disrespectful toward others. I really appreciate the love support he's given my son and my son has developed such a love for karate because of him!

My 11 year old daughter has been training for almost 3 years with Sensei (Ali Jafari) and we've had…read morethe best experience. He's amazing with the kids! He's so patient and my daughter has learned so much. Not only does he teach Karate but speaks to them about self confidence, responsibility and respect. She looks up to him and we are very blessed to be a part of this dojo's family. The atmosphere is very positive. If you're considering karate for your kids or yourself we highly recommend this Dojo.

We are happy to have found Olympian TKD center, it has helped my son develop skills that will be…read moreuseful for the rest of his life. Grand Master Carlos is very kind, patient and you can tell he enjoys developing kids to succeed not only in the dojo but outside as well. My kid enjoys his classes SO much!! I also want to mention that I definitely feel like I get more than my money's worth. They won't make you buy anything that you don't want/need.

My nieces and friends along with their children are participants in daily lessons at Olympian Tae…read moreKwon Do Center! There are many classes for kids and adults of all ages! Grandmaster Carlos has been teaching in Bellflower since 2001, I have seen generations of Families come through here, peers I have trained with as a child whom now have brought their own children to study under Grandmaster Carlos and his Son, Master Carlos Junior. We love participating in the current events, such as Belt Promotion Tests, Competition Tournaments, and Friendly Rumbles with other participating Tae Kwon Do schools. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for these great hardworking students! Thank you to Grandmaster Carlos and Master Carlos Junior for everything you do for the kids and students of Olympian Tae Kwon Do Center. Side by side, this is our Olympian Pride!!!

I took a lesson here many years ago but had to leave due to a relocation…read more My schedule has changed since then, allowing me to look for martial arts instruction once more (specifically Karate). Surprisingly, the fees and organizational structure of this school haven't changed in the more than ten years since I first inquired about it. I have prior Karate experience and can distinguish between top-notch and questionable schools based on their lineage and training protocol, and Lakewood Budo Kai is unquestionably a top-notch school. This is not a belt factory, and they are genuinely interested in teaching the arts in their purest form, rather than for financial gain. Russell sensei is the current head instructor, and when I spoke with him recently, he was very nice and knowledgeable about the classes. I've spoken with other Karate schools that charge three times as much for half as many lessons and hours, which made me reconsider attending and lead me to consider other options. Lakewood Budo Kai is a rare find if you live near Long Beach and are looking for reputable martial arts instruction. I strongly advise you to contact them.

I've taken Jujitsu and Karate classes for a few years here and it was an amazing time that helped…read moreme with learning self defense moves that are useful out in the world. I also learned various lessons like patience, control, and various techniques to use in life. I would highly recommend others to check out Lakewood Budo Kai because they have a great set of instructors who care about every student and want the best for them so they try to help them every way they can. If you want to learn self defense techniques that will last a while and help you then you should definitely check out these classes!!

This post is in response to Christina P's 11/2025 review…read more I am a studio parent who was present for this "final incident" referenced by Christina P. and whose child was directly involved, I felt it was important to add some context because I feel this parent's comments are retaliatory. The initial poster failed to include details of what happened. The children had been participating in a relay race followed by a pizza party. This poster's child was frustrated because my son, who is still developing his gross motor skills, was not fast enough for her and she felt he caused their relay team to lose. In response, she had a meltdown and threw pizza at my child's face. She is a sweet girl and I understand that children have big feelings at this age, but it's also true that actions have consequences. She did not apologize to him afterward, and in Taekwondo, integrity and respect are core values we take very seriously. This academy is first and foremost a discipline-based martial arts center, not a daycare, play gym, or therapy environment. The expectations for behavior, emotional regulation, and respect are part of the reason many of us choose this school. We want our children to learn structure, resilience, responsibility, and how to manage disappointments in safe and appropriate ways. Master Cynthia handled the situation exactly the way an experienced martial arts instructor should. She calmly removed the child from the group, asked her to sit with her parent, and invited her to return when calm. Poster's child was never left to cry alone. This is simply not true. With 10-15 young children in the room and food being served, this was the safest and most reasonable response. It is not the instructor's job to provide emotional counseling during class, and in a martial arts environment, stepping out to reset is a normal, age-appropriate boundary. I also want to speak to the comment about the school not being a "safe place." I have never once felt unsafe bringing my child here -- actually, the opposite is true. This academy has been one of the most positive, consistent, and community-oriented places in my son's life. We have students at the studio who began at age 3 or 4 and are now teenagers with black belts. I am incredibly proud to watch these kids grow into disciplined leaders in their schools and communities. Children are raised here. Families stay for years. That doesn't happen in a place that is unsafe or neglectful. Master Cynthia is a fifth-degree black belt who has spent over 30 years teaching children. She is firm, fair, and exceptional with young students. She sets boundaries with love, holds kids accountable, and teaches them values that matter: integrity, respect, self-control, and responsibility for their actions. These are qualities I want in the person teaching my child martial arts. The children absolutely love her and she has been an incredible influence in my young child's life as well as many of the other kids at our studio. I am sorry this family had a difficult moment. But from a fellow parent who witnessed the incident and whose child was affected, I feel strongly that this review does not reflect the reality of what happened, nor does it reflect the culture, safety, or professionalism of this school. Our experience here has been overwhelmingly positive, and I would recommend this academy without hesitation.

Our family had a deeply disappointing experience at this Taekwondo academy, particularly under…read moreMaster Cynthia, whose approach is not suited for working with young children. The instruction our 6 year received relied on threats, exaggerated consequences, and punitive language that caused unnecessary distress. We went here for over a year. We encouraged being reprimanded for inappropriate behavior for our child, hoping for it to be a good learning environment. We were wrong. During our last and final incident, our daughter was told to "get out" of class and that she was going to be "fired", an alarming choice of words for a six-year-old. She cried alone on the mat until the Grandmaster stepped in and we left, and there was no follow-up from her instructor to check on her wellbeing or help her learn from the situation. The written response we later received after we terminated our contract only reinforced the lack of child-development understanding and professionalism. As a family, we do not feel safe with our young children being instructed by Master Cynthia. She is dismissive at best. Additionally, the facility is worn down, the bathrooms are consistently smell and dirty, and the overall environment feels neglected--concerning for a children's athletic space. We can't recommend this academy. Families looking for a supportive, developmentally appropriate martial arts program should look elsewhere.

It's been such a great experience training here at DMBJJ. I've been training here for about a year…read moreand half...it's been awesome to see the progress my wife and I have both made. My wife and I train here as well as help with the kids classes. The kids classes: Professor Dimitrios keeps the kids attention by keeping it fun but engaging. Our kids have progressed so much in the time they have trained here I recommend this academy to all my friends and coworkers with children. Self defense as well as antibullying is taught here. Kids confidence grows and we are so happy with the kids progress. THE ADULT CLASS Has been a life changing experience for my wife and I. There's so much to learn it's like chess for the body. All the movements and how they connect into a very practical art that can be utilized for self defense and sport. Health and self defense benefits aside the academy has been a place where we have gained many friendships with those who train here. Professor Dimitrios and the other coaches are very knowledgeable in the art. I have done open mat sparring at other gyms since starting here at DMBJJ and always get complimented on techniques i use or how I hold up to higher belts from other gyms... that is a testament to the knowledge Professor disperses to us and the kids.. This is a great academy! Come on in a try a class!

What can I say about this place, my daughter wanted to train in jiujitsu for a while, we checked…read moreout a few places and she did not liked them, we came to DM and she was hooked the owner Professor Dimitrios is amazing he teaching style is is so easy to understand, we started with kid wanted to join and now we have 3 of my 4 kids training here, including my self, I highly recommend this place to anyone that wants to learn self defense and get a good workout in.

Hands down the BEST Jiu Jitsu gym. My girls trained here for a year, and we miss it so much after…read moremoving. The coaches truly care about the kids and their growth. Professor Marne and Coach Marcus are fantastic. Absolute gem.

So happy we found this gym! We have been trying to find the right place to get our kids in…read morejiu-jitsu and after visiting a couple of places stumbled upon this gem. At this point, we were feeling a little defeated, but they were willing to let us come in and watch a class before letting them do their free trial. The person that is in charge of their Instagram was also very responsive and helpful with all the questions that I had. The gym has a small parking lot, but I have never had an issue finding a place to park. The gym is clean and straightforward and the staff is all very kind. I really appreciate how the staff manages to instruct children with an approach that allows them to learn the technical skills and still have fun. I won't mention the name of the other gym we visited, but it just seemed like a free-for-all with no direct instruction. The staff managed to successfully split their attention and instruction to all the kids that are in the class, which I think is great. The vibes of the gym are also much more welcoming than the other places that we had visited and their hours work very well for parents and children. Five stars all around, we're very happy here!

Coach Chung is awesome. I've stopped by amjj a few times for some of their wrestling practices and…read moreevery time I left knowing something I didn't know before and every time the thing I learned was something that was actually usually in the future.

Great place to train with excellent instructors. Coach Harry is super knowledgeable about jiu jitsu…read moreand wrestling. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who's serious about getting started in BJJ.