Bill Stevens Karate is an excellent place for kids and adults to learn martial arts. My daughter…read moreand son have been coming here for quite some time. I also attend BJJ classes here. This family/community-oriented place teaches martial arts while reinforcing life lessons (ex., confidence, positive attitude, humility, etc.). There are many reasons why my wife and I chose this place. We chose this place primarily because Master Bill Stevens and his staff are great. They keep kids continuously engaged throughout each lesson. Another big plus is that his schedule is flexible, and he offers a wide variety of class times, which makes it easier for my wife and me to schedule lessons, given our busy schedules. Aside from this, I like the location, the app, and the place is clean. He periodically hosts Game Night on Friday, allowing my wife and me to grab dinner without the kids. Lastly, Bill is easy to work with and talk to if something unexpected arises. I recommend you check it out.

Bill the owner and Sensei is an amazing teacher and human being! He is very honest with his…read moreteaching and works with everyone on a personal level. If I could give more than 5 starts, I would. By far, the best Karate school in the area.

Master Cha is truly a fantastic teacher and great with the children in his classes. I have seen my…read moresons develop not only their Taekwondo skills but also his mental training has significantly improved my sons focus and behavior.

About 25 years ago I started my martial arts training with Master Cha at his original location in…read moreRidgewood. During that time I strained my back working outside as a young student-in explaining this to Master Cha, he encouraged me to learn how to breathe...So, I would spend classes sitting in a corner focusing only on breathing; those lessons served me very well for the rest of my life and allowed me to progress as a competition fighter with other instructors that focused purely on physical training. If you want thoughtful, wise instruction for your kids or for yourself as an adult new to martial arts look no further, Master Cha is a first class human being. And make no mistake, his lessons carry over to the street in case you find yourself in a corner and must fight your way out which is handy. To me, this has happened very rarely as his first lesson was to cross the street if I saw trouble in front of me. Smart man.

Our 2 kids went here and enjoyed every class. The facility…read moreis clean and climate controlled. The instruction is top notch and there's enough parking. Rates are very reasonable for what you're getting. Don't hesitate to check this place out!

Holmgren's Black Belt Academy is truly a special place. I drive from Ridgewood to Allendale two…read moredays per week, passing many other studios on my way. The owner, Marty Holmgren, has a real gift for working with children of all abilities. He is firm with the children and offers an abundance of praise at the same time. I would recommend this karate studio to anyone.

I trained at Malandra's Martial Arts Center for about a decade in the 90s working my way to a 1st…read moredegree black belt there. Let me start off by saying that my experiences at this dojo have defined my life in so many ways and made me a better person. I cannot stress highly enough how valuable of an experience the martial arts is and how good the instruction is at this dojo. The dojo is run by a father and son pair (Shihan Don and Sensei Mike). Shihan learned the martial arts while serving in Korea and founded the dojo along with his son and Shihan Lester (a friend). I trained with one of the head instructors, Sensei Jason, for many years and he is a man of upstanding character (and outstanding martial arts ability). Some thoughts: 1. The instructors are friendly, understanding, tolerant, and will work with you as a child or as an adult. I had bad asthma as a kid and got bullied a lot. They worked with me and slowly over time, my flexibility improved, and I gained self-confidence. They foster an environment that is conducive to learning and improvement. What's really funny is, I ended up not being bullied because Sensei Mike taught me how to stand properly so that I wouldn't easily fall down when bullies pushed me. I never had to lift a finger or do anything. I just wasn't an easy target anymore and so they left me alone. The philosophy there is really about having self-confidence and treating others with respect rather than "learning how to fight". In my opinion, this is a really strong philosophical base upon which to train people. 2. They don't lock you in with long-term contracts (ie you don't enter a program where you get a black belt after X dollars have been shelled out). They really focus on helping you to become a better person and to make sure you're ready to move up. When I last trained there, the contracts were as short as 4 months at a time. 3. They are strongly involved with the community through the Suffern Board of Commerce and the Suffern Police Department as well as the local school system. These are good people who are not in it solely for the money. 4. They have classes for both adults and children and their style is called Mushin Do. It's basically a mixture of judo, jiu jutsu, tae kwon do, and karate. This means that you learn all-around self-defense, which nowadays amounts to Mixed Martial Arts. You'll learn how to grapple, throw, block, punch, and kick as well as how to do joint locks. The self-discipline and physical fitness I got from training here has shaped my life and I owe much of my success to these guys. I wouldn't think twice about sending my kids here or training at the dojo again if I ever move back to the area. I cannot emphasize enough how great a place this dojo is.

I started at Malandra's Martial Arts Center when I was about 4 years old. I continued on till I was…read moreabout 21 years old. I received my Black Belt at about the age of 19 Years. They are not given away at this school which I find to be for the best. I had to earn mine. I went through about 4 different tests until they felt I was ready to receive it. They teach you not only about how to defend yourself but about Mind, Body and Soul as well. All of the knowledge learned over my years became of GREAT use to me in the future. Discipline was my greatest assets and I would not be where i am today with out and where i learned it from. Mike and Jay are the greatest instructors i ever had the pleasure training under and then working with in my later martial arts career. To this day I can say that I have used every skill from Mental to Physical throughout my life and I cannot thank them more for this skill-set. I believe in this school and everyone that is a part of it and would strongly suggest sending anyone you know to at least try out this school to see what they are all about and I promise you will not be disappointed. I look forward to extending my Martial Arts career now and I will be joining back up to learn more.

Elite Martial Arts is a rare and wonderful Taekwondo school that will change your life for the…read morebetter. The people here are family to me, and starting classes here and sticking with it has been one of the best things I've done. Master Lee, Master Sim, Instructor Shin, and Master Cathy are superb and dedicated instructors, who skillfully guided my sons through reaching high color belts and have mentored me through achieving my 1st and 2nd Dan black belts, in challenging and rewarding training that showed me a path to a strong, healthy, better life. The instruction is first-rate, with an excellent balance of group exercises and individual attention tailored to each student's present skills and rough spots, such that we are constantly challenged at an appropriate level and guided to improve and achieve. I attended family classes with my sons, and we each also attended age- and level-appropriate class of our own, which makes a great combination. Taekwondo offers an engaging range of skills to practice, from choreographed "forms", sparring moves, and self-defenses that coordinate mental and physical discipline and focus, to stretching, kicking and punching drills, board breaking, obstacle courses, and warm-up jogging and calisthenics. This makes it easy to find both activities you like and new skills to master. Sparring classes bring it all together with the opportunity to "get in the ring" and build perception, reflexes, and endurance in friendly competition. I love the continual challenge and always look forward to each session. The class environment is genial and supportive of all students, and seeing others around you give their best is fantastic motivation to stretch yourself to advance beyond your own limits. The instructors organize additional activities that greatly enrich the experience, including a summer camp, movie nights for the kids (a.k.a. date nights for parents!), hikes, bringing in competition-level student instructors, and opportunities to compete in state and national tournaments. Having competed in six NJ tournaments at various belt levels, I highly recommend the experience, as it offers expanded challenges and opens up a whole new world of Taekwondo. This program enriches lives and brings wonderful people together and is well worth checking out. I highly recommend this excellent Taekwondo school! -- Come train with us!

My journey with Elite Martial Arts started with me bringing my son to the school to train , I…read moremyself had been in martial arts for years and wanted to find the kinda of school that felt like home when you walked in. A school that would teach values like respect, discipline and the value of hard work and dedication. I not only found a school for my son but also a place for myself. Fast forward and few years , my son got his black belt and now I'm proud to say that I'm not only a student but I'm part of the fantastic staff. Master Lee and Master Taek. and all the Instructors are dedicated, sincere and do an absolute fantastic job at teaching the art of Taekwondo and make you feel that your part of a family