I was a student at Potomac Kempo (PK) for about 4-5 years, and I was sexually assaulted by one male student and sexually harassed by another from this dojo. These incidents took place before covid. They were not ok then and they're not ok now. But I would not be writing this review if an adult instructor at the PK Kingstowne dojo had not been arrested for multiple counts of "carnal knowledge" of a minor a few years ago. Worse yet, there had been problematic behavior involving another teenager at this dojo and I can draw a direct connection between that and the above incidents. In 2019, an adult instructor and a teenage female student at this dojo began interacting under questionable circumstances in a questionable manner. Both denied any wrongdoing, but the behavior was highly inappropriate regardless. I insisted that PK address the situation. Although management ultimately responded with the requisite seriousness, it took repeated prodding by multiple adult students. Afterwards, I was vilified by a gaggle of paid and volunteer instructors across dojos. It should go without saying that no minor should be spending time alone with his/her adult instructor at odd hours in odd places without parental knowledge. Just as important, even if nothing happens initially, something is very likely to go awry if the adult and teenager continue to put themselves in situations that offer opportunities to slip up. This is basic knowledge you'd expect from anyone in an authority position over minors. Unfortunately, multiple PK instructors betrayed an appalling degree of ignorance, if not outright recklessness. A gossip factory thrived, and the resulting culture fostered an environment hospitable to sexual predators. In late 2021, after multiple PK instructors had vilified me for over two years, the previously mentioned instructor from the Kingstowne dojo was arrested for sexually assaulting a male teenage student. I had moved out of the Northern Virginia area by then due to a family tragedy, and I've not had time to write this review until now. What I'd like to see first and foremost is accountability for reprehensible behavior and changes made to prevent future sexual harassment and assault. In particular, I'd like to see the following written in black and white as PK employee policies AND conveyed as mandatory requirements to every paid and volunteer instructor at formal training sessions. 1. No adult instructor, from any of PK's dojos, should be spending time alone with a teenage student outside of the dojo, under suspicious circumstances, in an inappropriate fashion. PK should not assume that an instructor understands what "inappropriate" means and hence must make sure each instructor is properly educated. 2. No adult instructor and teenage student should LOOK LIKE they're dating, involved with each other romantically, or engaged in inappropriate physical interactions, even if no actual physical contact is taking place. 3. No adult instructor should go out with or have sex with a teenager even after she or he reaches 18. Every parent who sends a child to PK would instinctively know why such behavior is totally unacceptable, even if it's not illegal. I have no evidence that this has occurred at PK, but I did find it disturbing that some of the instructors appeared not to have the slightest understanding of this basic concept. 4. Any instructor who violates the above policies will be suspended or prohibited from teaching. 5. Any instructor who seeks to thwart PK's enforcement of the above policies should be suspended or prohibited from teaching. Instructors who have engaged in such behavior in the past will be required to sit down with a senior member of PK management and will be informed, in no uncertain terms, that their past behavior will no longer be tolerated. If PK were to enact these changes, I will delete this review. read more

I can't comment on the quality of instruction - but given that they don't post anything about the schedule or pricing I thought this may be useful for other people to know. The cost is $240 a month. So if you can only come one or two times a week, this is definitely not the dojo for you. There are no other pricing plans. Just for comparison - if you train at Capital MMA, you pay around $180 and get unlimited crossfit, muay thai, boxing BJJ. Here you get karate. Hope that helps. read more

I've been studying at Potomac Kempo for a couple of months now. I like it so far. The classes are fun and a good workout and the staff is nice. I enjoy interacting with the other students more than I expected, for the most part they are very cool people. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Good workout and keeps me in shape. Knowledgeable instructors with significant experience. Instruction is given at a level I can understand, using analogies that make it entertaining to learn and keep it interesting. The kids that come in after my lesson seem to really enjoy it too. I enjoy hanging out with the community of students outside of kempo as well. read more

I've been very very hesitant to say this, but after being asked about it by yet another friend, I realize that it's a moral obligation of mine to speak this thought: Potomac Kempo doesn't seem to do a great job teaching martial arts. That's not something I say flippantly or in passing. In fact, I don't think I've ever spoken poorly of a school's instruction ever before. I've got a couple of very serious concerns that were demonstrated both in my original trial classes and more recent return trials. 1.) The group classes are wildly overcrowded. The last couple classes I went to had around 35 students and only one instructor. Because of this, students can go the entire lesson doing things wrong and no one's got time to correct their form. 2.) While working with other students I noticed a disturbing trend: Many of the students (of even the mid-rankings) were aiming practice strikes that would not hit their opponents, even if they weren't blocked or stopped short. This bad habit is something that usually gets fixed very early in training because it's deeply detrimental to the training of both the student throwing the strikes and the student who should be blocking them... but for some reason, the problem ran high here. 3.) Sloppy form seemed standard. Details below. I believe that all of the above problems stem from Potomac Kempo's unusual deviation from standard martial arts training methodologies. They offer a large group class that is supplemented by private lessons. The instructors claim to have method to their madness, but I don't think that their explanations are apparent within their prefecture. I would expect poorly-supervised students of low rank to learn incorrect behaviors, and then because they're practicing incorrectly they learn incorrectly and carry those bad behaviors further into their training. To me, that's looks like what is happening at Potomac Kempo. In a more traditional school, part of the training of mid and upper belts would include learning to instruct the lower belts. This builds in a level of communal responsibility to make sure everyone is doing every motion as correctly as possible. Potomac Kempo offers separate, even more expensive, instructor training. I think that this is removing much of the downstream student instruction that would help to offset the very poor student to instructor ratio and the apparent problems that it's causing. There are a number of schools in the area, and I've been to many of them. Potomac Kempo students where the only ones that struck me as a body that I might not be proud to be a part of. I still stand by the opinions I listed in my original review. In spite of all this, Potomac Kempo doesn't seem to have much trouble finding exceptionally wealthy people willing to fork over thousands of dollars a year for classes. They're overfull, after all... so someone's gotta like what they're getting. I just don't get it, but then I don't get why people go to Applebee's, either. Maybe the problem is mine. read more

I was at my company's health fair last November and amongst all the fitness booths, a nice guy named Mark had asked me if I knew anything about martial arts. Really, I didn't because I had never thought about it. My typical M.O. was to push around weights at the gym, with which I had become extremely bored. I spoke with Mark and decided to give it a try because I wasn't happy with my current routine. I went in for the free trial and met with Mark and was taught a few basic Kempo moves. He took great care and interest in what I was doing even during the free session; something I've seen all the Sensei's doing with their clients regardless of whether free trial or someone who's three steps away from their black belt. I felt embarrassed at not being coordinated or being able to remember basic moves within a couple weeks but Mark reassured me that I'd grow into it with practice and focus. I decided to join and with it I get a weekly private lesson with the Sensei dedicated to my specific development and also unlimited trips in to participate in group lessons that range from focus on conditioning, specific moves, and Kempo cardio. I've been doing this for 8 months now and really enjoy it much more than just the gym. I've recommended it to many friends and although it is more expensive than a gym, I feel the workouts are much more dynamic and I'm conditioning my body in a way that works much better for me all the while building usable skills in martial arts. Another reviewer commented that in 2011 the classes were overcrowded. There are now 5 Potomac Kempos in the area. While I can't comment on classes in 2011, the largest class I had been in was 15, and we all had plenty of room to practice and plenty of attention from Sensei Mark. read more

A great place to work out and learn Kempo. Chris is a great guy and wonderful to practice with. Everyone should check this place out!

I've been going to Potomac Kempo for a little over 2 years and it's made a wonderful difference in my life. I love it--love the group classes, love the private instruction and instructors, and love the friends I've made there. Sensei Mike goes a great job of creating a culture focused on working hard and having fun. You'll work up a sweat, but it'll be with a smile on your face. I am much more physically fit (lost 15 lbs so far) and much more balanced, physically as well as psychologically. And I'm looking forward to becoming a black belt one day. Watch out world! read more

As the previous reviewer mentioned, this is a place where you gotta drop money on a regular basis. Also be prepared for billing woes. They preach honor, ethics and usual BS but do not practice it. A lot of unfit people go there and get belts aka promotion based on money they spend: on BS seminars, tests and other items. If you dont know what a hard sell is, you have not been to Potomac Kempo. Be careful and ensure that you have everything in writing. I had a death in the family and was also lost my job. I called and told them about my situation. They were all good on the phone and even acted sympathetic, but they continued billing me. When I went and confronted them, they denied everything. Overall, if you have money to throw and want to do minimal workouts and get lot of colored belts...and this is how you define yourself...this is the right place for you. Otherwise stay away. Zeus read more

This is a great place to study the martial arts. The instruction is top rate, the hours incredibly convenient, and the staff are truly dedicated. I can tell that they are there to not only teach an extraordinary art form, but also the philosophy and dedication that goes behind it. I have tried several different dojos and art forms. This is by far the best that I have found. After eight years in the Marine Corps I am lucky (?) enough to see a martial art that is useful. This is. And, again, the instructors "get it." I would, and have, recommend Potomac Kempo to anyone who's interested in studying martial arts, or a fascinating way to get in shape. read more

I grew up during the 70's and 80's in NY City and I hung out in Red Hook Brooklyn, Washington Heights, Bed Stuy, St. Albans (Queens) and on the Deuce in Manhattan (42nd St). I took Tae Kwon Do at the YMCA when I was 10 and was instructed in Southern Style Shaolin Kung Fu for years after that. I am a married attorney with two wonderful children under the age of 7: day in and day out I argue with attorneys. My stress level was high, my martial arts knowledge was at the intermediate level (at best), and I had very few consistent outlets to assist in reducing my clinically diagnosed high blood pressure. And then I was approached about a free lesson with what would become Potomac Kempo. They asked me what I needed. I had recently seen a commercial for NIKE that said, "Be Your Own Cause". I took that to heart, so I said I needed a stress reducing, health improving, and mind-settling activity. They said they thought they could help me with that. It's now been about 2 1/2 years since that sit-down conversation about my goals and I no longer have medication-thwarting high blood pressure, I am usually too tired to even BEGIN to be annoyed when driving (uh . . . except during election season), and I have knowledge in the martial arts that (as I found out recently) makes me so confident in my physical abilities that when I visit the old haunts in NYC, I actually walk with a stress-free, worry-free step. You do not join a Dojo because you're looking to hurt others; you should not join a Dojo with the expectation that you will learn some devastating moves on your first or fifth day. Anything worth doing is worth doing correctly; any knowledge that is to be retained is to be absorbed with care. If you have great knowledge in other disciplines, then the early classes offered by Potomac Kempo will help you acclimate to the new sets of knowledge, but you will progress quickly to the more advanced levels; if you do NOT have great knowledge in other disciplines, then the early classes will do EXACTLY what you want them to do: condition your body and your mind. No Dojo worth its "salt" is going to teach an advanced move to a person walking in off the street; no dojo is going to have you advance if you are not conditioned; no dojo is going to ask you to apply knowledge for which your body and mind are not ready. That's like giving a weapon to a person who has no idea what they are touching: yeah, they may use it properly, but more likely they are just going to hurt themselves . . . pull a muscle . . . hyper-extend a joint . . . pass out from low oxygen. You have to learn how to properly throw a punch so as not to injure yourself, and how to take or avoid a punch so as not to be injured; you have to learn how to stand and move so that stopping an opponent doesn't result in you throwing out your back; you have to condition your body so you don't get so tired in the first few seconds of an altercation that all the other person really needs to do is let you wear yourself out; you have to be so used to combat that you are not afraid and don't mentally retreat from a situation that absolutely requires you to be fully engaged therein. That all takes time and adjustment and patience and dedication and planning and thoughtfulness and everything that Potomac Kempo offers to its students and teaches its students to apply in their own lives. If you have decided to "Be Your Own Cause", Potomac Kempo will help you get in shape, it will help you become more flexible, it will help you move through life in a different and (dare I say) positive manner. And . . . if you stay long enough and pay attention and practice and give it your all, then you will learn those moves that strike fear into others while simultaneously learning how to not be in fear of those very same moves and, ultimately, the confidence and sense of self not to worry about any of that anyway. read more

I have been attending instruction at Potomac Kempo for over a year now and I have found it to be a very worthwhile experience on multiple levels for myself. Not only is Sensei Mike, the head instructor at the Old Towne location a very motivational teacher and a talented martial artist but the other students are great people to know. Since the time I began taking instruction at the Dojo I have found myself in better physical condition and more relaxed on a day-to-day level. I would find myself looking forward to my classes. Potomac Kempo mixes private instruction with regular group classes so that you get the best of both worlds in your training. The group classes are great physical fitness courses in addition to helping you work on your basics and in the private instruction you're able to get the one-on-one time with the instructors that really brings your technique forward. What can I say, I'm a big fan. read more