Sadly, I was never able to experience an actual class at American Martial Arts, and it was a…read moretremendous disappointment to say the least. I was so excited about attending my first class, as my life is so incredibly busy and I was thrilled to think that I had potentially found a wonderful place to relax. My first class was setup by Kerri, who was an employee at American Martial Arts. We had been in contact for months, but my schedule was so busy that I simply didn't have time to connect. When I realized that there was finally an opening in my otherwise hectic schedule, I immediately reached out to Kerri. We were able to schedule a class, and I was beyond excited. On the day of the class, I nervously entered their facility and was immediately impressed by the size. There was a lot of activity all around, but I found what I thought to be the Reception desk and waited while the woman behind the desk finished with a group that was there. I observed a upbeat and friendly conversation amongst them, and waited patiently for them to finish. Once done, I stepped up to a smiling woman who, upon seeing me, suddenly looked surprised, if not shocked. I was a bit thrown off by her sudden change in demeanor, with her smile completely leaving her face and that smile becoming what could best be described as a scowl. The energy in that space and in that moment became negative and unbalanced, in a way that was uncomfortable. What came next should not have surprised me as the woman's facial expressions were absolutely leading up to it. The now "smile-less" woman looked at me and said "do you need something"? No hello, no niceties, just "do you need something"? I barely knew how to respond, but one thing was abundantly clear, this wasn't a place where I was welcome and I felt an overwhelming need to leave immediately. I attempted to respond with a full sentence, but I was too taken aback to even think, I asked the woman if she could please let Kerri know that I had stopped by, as I had absolutely no intention of spending even another minute there. I then began to leave, but of course this exchange would not be complete without the requisite sarcasm that is to be expected from someone who greets a potential customer in such a manner. No surprise here. When I went home and told my husband what happened, he calmly and quietly explained that I did the right thing by leaving immediately. He said "babe, that wasn't a place for you, and that woman at the front desk was making sure you understood that you were not welcome.". Of course I understood exactly what he meant, but it still saddens me to my very core that people of color are not always welcome. I never, ever, ever pull the race card, but something went very wrong at this place of business, and that woman seeing my face in person ignited it. There was no hiding her contempt and obvious disdain for me, she didn't even try, and I am guessing that she behaves this way because someone has set the tone for that behavior within this place of business.

Excellent Martial Arts school. My son loves it. We were…read morereferred by a school friend and never looked back. It is a family run business and all classes are run by family members . Each instructor excels in teaching techniques and also respect and values.They show dedication and passion. There are varied class times to fit most schedules. The school manages to maintains very reasonable tuition costs. Also worth mentioning they are very active in the community and annually put together Thanksgiving dinners for those in need once again teaching kids the importance of helping people.

Let me start by saying I'm not one to write reviews. However, Mastery of Smithfield deserves one…read more We joined a year and half ago with a kid who was shy and quite. We were not sure if he would like it, so we attended the free week and we quickly saw him wanting to go to class thanks to Mr. Bolte, Ms. Sjostedt and Mr. West. They made him feel welcome every time he was there. He is now part of the leader ship program and loves participating. We recently had a parent teacher meeting at school and every teacher express how he is always working hard, always the 1st one to do what is require in class. Mastery Martial Arts, has help assure the things that we as parents encourage him. Thank you for running an incredible program, creating future leaders.

I cannot say enough good things about Mastery Martial Arts, not only as a whole but the team at…read moreSmithfield has been awesome with my boys. Mr. West takes the time to help my boys with not only the struggles during class but if there are struggles on the home front as well. Ms. Sjostedt holds the kids accountable for their actions on and off the mat. The amount of self esteem and confidence and maturity that has been seen in both the boys over the last few years has been wonderful to see. I am astounded and dumbstruck at points in conversations or when we are doing things around the house. I find myself constantly thinking "who is this person and when did they get so smart and mature" or I watch them take it upon themselves to do chores without me asking. I could go on and on, the bottom line is that I owe a lot to Mr. West and Ms Sjostead for helping my kids and the Mastery program.

We have been here more than a year now and both of my kids, ages 4 & 6, are in the Little Tigers &…read moreLittle Dragons class. This is a great dojo and Senseis Raffi & Susan truly care about their students and their families. We still LOVE it here and I'm impressed with how my children have been enriched by DAMA. Definitely try them out if you're looking for a high-quality martial arts studio.

I did a lot of research for a couple weeks for the best martial arts Academy and I'm happy to say I…read morefound it ! Raffi and Susan are very nice,caring,respectful, I can go on and on. My son has been going twice a week for a half hour each class for about 4 months and he loves it so much! Everytime I take him it's still like the first day we went full of excitement and happiness !

My son goes to Rising Sun Jiu Jitsu. - It has made such a difference in his listen, following…read moredirections, and self confidence.. It is amazing how a fun and empowering classes can change a child's view of themselves and how they treat others. The owner, Sensei Dean, is always positive and upbeat. Dean is a good example to his students and encourages others - not only his students- to stand up to challenges, to focus on the positive and fully engage in their school work, home life, the community and Jiu Jitsu. At Rising Sun they do not just have Jiu Jitsu classes, they have other activities such as movie nights for their students. I would highly recommend this school to anyone looking to participate in martial arts. It isn't like that big "chain" school - LOL

My son thoroughly enjoys going to this martial arts achool. This school works on self defense,…read moreethics and discipline. They care more about their students well being than their wallets (unlike other "schools").

Best BJJ gym in the state. Walking through the doors for the first time I was shocked by how much…read morethere was to learn. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and absolutely love being there. They go out of their way to teach you and improve you personally. On top of that, it's cheap compared to others.

Mastery has really mastered developing kids confidence, communication, and discipline. My daughter…read morehas been going for 2 years now and the difference in her communication and responsibility at home can't be understated. She actively tries to contribute around the house to try and get yellow stripes and is always so proud of herself when she gets one. She has also gotten much better at having a strong heart when things don't go her way The staff is phenomenal and very welcoming. The community is super supportive and kind. Can't recommend it enough, if you have kiddos definitely check it out!

This place is nothing but a money grab. They lock you into a 6-months contract. It's noting but…read morebelt testing after belts testing. Classes are overcrowded kids get no personal attention or dedication from teachers at all. My child did not learn anything new in those 6 months .