When I learned that Penn Academies had a Yelp entry, I had to write a review to help guide others looking for a good self-defense school. There are so many self-defense schools out there and finding a good one is largely a matter of luck. We first met Grand Master Kirby four years ago when we stumbled into the Tae Kwon Do class that he teaches at the JCC. My son felt that my seven year old granddaughter needed to learn to defend herself and she needed to learn self-discipline. Sophia took to TKD like a duck takes to water! Master Kirby has a gift for teaching: he demands that his students respect him and work hard, but he cares about them and the kids know it. Almost five years later, Sophia is a second degree black belt and she has completed Master Kirby's air-gun, basic pistol, and use of force classes. Sophia can defend herself. She knows how to treat people with respect and she knows when she should switch from respect to defense mode. Because we chose to add gun training, she also knows how to handle a gun safely. Our whole family has attended Grand Master Kirby's NRA classes, we all know how to handle guns safely and now we all belong to a gun range. We live in the country where police response might be a bit slower than we'd like, but thanks to Grand Master Kirby, I'm pretty sure that we can take care of ourselves.
Every month or so, Grand Master Kirby turns to the parents (and grandparents) and asks them why they are sitting there instead of learning beside their children. During Sophia's third year I finally realized that I was always complaining about not having time to go to the health club - but I was faithfully driving Sophia to Tae Kwon Do three times a week. Once again,Grand Master Kirby was right - I am now a blue belt AND I AM NO LONGER TAKING BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE. For a chubby granny who had a stroke ten years ago, this is amazing.
My grandchildren are not growing up in the world that I grew up in. I believe that in today's world, children need to understand self-defense. If you want your children to learn to be safe, or if you want to learn to become safe - Penn Academies is the best choice because of the wide range of training that they offer and the depth of the instructors' expertise. read more
