This place is amazing! The instructors are really helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. They walked…read moreme through the katas, sparring, and proper form/technique. Sensei Davis was kind enough to offer me two free classes. You can really tell he knows what he's doing. It's a really encouraging and welcoming community, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn karate

My kids have been part of this dojo for nearly a decade. My son has greatly benefited from learning…read morekarate, gaining discipline, and improving his fitness, which has also helped him excel in his studies and boosted his self-confidence. When my daughter was preparing to head out of state for college, she took self-defense lessons at Kyoshin-Ryu Karate Dojo under the guidance of Sensei Alden Mather. These lessons were invaluable in boosting her self-confidence and enhancing her awareness. The classes were tailored to her schedule, teaching her not only practical self-defense techniques but also fostering a deeper sense of self-assurance. The lessons at Kyoshin-Ryu are always structured yet personalized, catering to both beginners and those looking to refine their skills. Each session is filled with enthusiasm and a genuine commitment to teaching martial arts as a means of self-improvement. I highly recommend the dojo whether you're interested in getting fit, learning martial arts, or improving your self-awareness and self-defense techniques. Beyond physical techniques, Kyoshin-Ryu instructors emphasize the importance of mental resilience and situational awareness, skills that are crucial both on and off the mat. I believe, these lessons not only better prepared my kids but also instilled a sense of discipline and focus that they carry with them today. I highly recommend Kyoshin-Ryu Karate Dojo and Sensei Alden Mather to anyone seeking to learn self-defense in a supportive and empowering environment. Whether you're a beginner or looking to advance your skills, this dojo offers a welcoming community and expert instruction that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact.

Excellent instructor and program. They always care for their students and look for ways to expose…read morethe potential each student has. Students attend 3x per week, two days for technique and 1 for sparring.

A very fun experience and perfect for the younger kids who are looking to have some fun while…read moredeveloping disciplinary skills. Instructors are experienced, especially my instructor Cecil Moreno who just received a scholarship for his time in taekwondo. Master/owner is very strict and impatient, but that motivates the students to train harder and think faster which is good for the younger children as they will be challenged to straighten themselves up into a true martial artist and become successful in the future. The environment is very small but also very friendly and family orientated. Smaller classes mean a closer bond to the fellow classmates which can be good for those who are shy. Outgoing students will enjoy ceremonies and parties as more people will attend and will surely have a great time. You can see the black belts have developed a really close relationship/bond as you would want the black belts to have. Students themselves are very skilled at what they do thanks to the harsh but excellent training they revieve. They will cry, bleed, whine, etc., but that's where the sport of taekwondo will take you. No pain no gain. Former students have become successful as some are now currently on the Team USA roster (James Howe II, Alvin/Albert Jong, etc.). With the motivation that your child will get, their future can be anywhere. If you are looking for a very good taekwondo dojang that is very affordable and fun for the kids, give this place a shot! They have a 2 week FREE training!!!

Professionally ethically, as I understand it, I am required to own up to my mistakes and correct…read morethem when possible. I believe it is appropriate to extend such ethical behavior into my personal life. I originally gave this place five stars. Part of that was because I was coming off a horrible experience with the predecessor organization of this place, part of it was because David Diep does in fact have some good knowledge with respect to shao lin training. Some of what he states is not correct, or at least debatable at best, but no one can be perfect and I think I could have easily overlooked most of his short comings. To start with, like their predecessor organization, they lied. Before I started training there, I asked a very simple question and was outright lied to. That question was do they hit the floor or do ground work. I even elaborated and stated that their predecessor organization claimed to do ground work but during sparring, the minute two people hit the ground, it was stopped. Further, they considered ground work rolling and drop kicking and a half day seminar annually on the same. Chuan Wu even has mats, so I thought they were telling the truth. But alas, they were in fact lying. They do not do ground work. On this same light, I believe their understanding of Chin Na is missing the spirit of Chin Na. Like their predecessor organization, their Chin Na is more akin to what Kajukenbo calls quick responses. Chin Na, as I understand it, translates to "sieze and hold," not move out of the way while punching and kicking. It became clear to me that joint locking was foreign to most at this location. Then the problems started to arise about six weeks after I started to train there. A third degree violently verbally projected his lack of understanding of the subtle emptiness inherent in tai qi sparring. How he rose to the rank of third degree without this understanding baffles me. But this issue would more than likely have resolved itself, except others did not want it to. David's wife, second in command as I understand it, overheard part of the subsequent conversation between the third degree and myself. Taking the part of the conversation out of context and blowing it up to a mountain resulting in further drama culminating in both public and private meetings. During the private meeting, I was required to become much more than humble merely to save the face of David even though it clearly showed in his face that he knew very well he was not speaking the truth and was taking credit where it did not belong. From this incident, I started to see that although David does have some good knowledge, he doles it out as his whimsical heart determines. Unfortunately this means if you are not in his good graces, irrespective of the underlying reason, the information is withheld. To me, one of the primary functions of a teacher is to provide information to the students, not withhold it. The incident with the third degree and the subsequent wife issue, were just the start. The drama and psychological costs kept occurring to the extent that I realized I had been through this before. For five years I trained at a place that had decent kung fu and training. Four or five days per week for about five years, I motivated myself to take the 45 minute drive, and train for three plus hours. At this place, the training was top notch, but just about every week, one of the upper echelon would behave in such a way as to demotivate the class. The same thing was happening at Chuan Wu. The only difference is at the other place, the very top guy was not involved; at Chuan Wu the top guy is involved and often treats adults like children. He requires people to be perfect yet he is far from it. On numerous occasions I answered a question only to be told I was wrong and then listened to him reiterate my correct answer. The final straw for me was when David's son, a second degree who's shen is not developed enough for him to hold such status, apparently became bothered because he and many other upper echelon of this place believe respect is a one way street, and that lower ranked persons should be in a perpetual bow to bolster the empty egos. In my opinion, this is completely wrong. If an upper belt is on the floor during a lower belt class, the upper belt, being the guest at the moment, should yield to the lower belts since it is their class time, but the empty egos simply would not allow this. If you are willing to pay the psychological costs, and if you are willing to accept teachers that take much effort to demotivate, as opposed to motivating students, and dole out information sparingly based on whimsical emotions, you might be able to get some decent training here. I think it is sad, because the majority of the people I trained with had good hearts, I was learning and changing, but like the other place of many years ago, the upper echelon leave a lot to be desired and exact a price that I am not willing to pay.

Martial arts is a broad concept, which is one of the reasons I took a while to commit to a system…read moreof the art. I finally had the opportunity to engage in Kung Fu after years of thinking about what to get into, what my objectives were and finding the appropriate school to suit what I was looking for: 1. Balance of my mind, my emotions (positive/negative) with my phsycial being; 2. A skill that I can use for self-defense; 3. Improvement in mobility, endurance and my overall health; 4. A traditional Kung Fu school that focuses more on the art of Kung Fu comprehensively without the competition. After visiting, observing and meeing with owners of various Kung Fu schools, I learned that CHUAN WU KUNG FU INSTITUTE would be able to provide the guidance, the skills and the knowledge to help me meet my objectives. It has been five months attending CWKF and I have already started the process in obtaining my personal goals and have even received more than I what I wanted. The sifus and masters - Master David, Master Oanh, Master Katherine, Sifu Noel, Robert and the other instructors are very patient and have years of experience. They make this experience a successful one.

I went to this school 10 years ago. I miss it. This is a traditional martial arts school with an…read moreingrained background in Chinese culture. While never like a military/gung-ho jock regiment, they do instill a sense of discipline in their lessons as a way to focus on every detail. Anyways going here really helped my fitness, agility, and confidence despite my health-related shortcomings. One time I broke my arm in an accident outside of class - I actually rehabilitated it right away going through the various forms I learned in school. And although I never got a chance to use my gungfu outside of class, I felt prepared. I wish they had a class up here in the North Bay although they do have a sister school in San Francisco.

I stay with this school for 5 years now and it's not a surprise I am giving it 5 stars. There are…read moreenough kungfu schools in Bay Area to choose from, many of them are very good, but I choose to stay at this one. I came from tai-chi practice in a very traditional way - follow your master under a tree in a park, try to copy, ask questions respectfully, practice often. So I liked the way this school is organized. The main idea here is very simple - everybody has it's own way and speed of learning. Your body and mind need to take time and to pay in sweat to process a new stuff. Once you absorebed enough of it, you can move to the next level of complexity. Then repeat the cycle. If you want to learn some flashy wushu forms then it's probably a wrong place for you. But if you are willing to invest time in understanding and learning traditional kungfu then you are welcome here.

This is my first time bringing my children to this karate class, and I was surprised to learn that…read morethe lesson takes place in a separate room where parents are not allowed to watch. My children are only 4 years old and are still learning English. I do not understand why I am not allowed to see what is happening during the class. As a parent, I believe I should be able to observe my young children, especially when they are in a new environment. If space is limited, the facility should find a way to accommodate parents rather than completely preventing them from watching. I find this policy unreasonable and disappointing.

Okaigan Karate has been one of the best things we could have done for our daughter…read more Before we began there, our daughter, still 4 at the time, would struggle to be in activities on her own without one of us there by her side at all times. When we began Okaigan, we were hesitant about the policy where no parents are allowed inside the dojo during class times but the instructors explained to us very clearly that doing so would not only be a distraction to our daughter and other students but would also prevent her from developing confidence and independence. They were very helpful and clear in explaining what happens in class, what we could expect as far as the challenge for our daughter in being on her own, and ways they work with the kids to help comfort them. Within a few classes, our daughter was not only comfortable in her karate classes but to our surprise, in ALL of her other activities. We no longer had to sit by her side and watched over the next few months as her confidence and independence grew. It's been a year now and she loves her karate classes. She works hard for every belt and they're not definitely not bought or given to them. It's clear they have to be earned. She loves the instructors there, we're amazed by how much she has developed over this time, and it tells us a lot that out of all of her activities, karate is the only one that she has wanted to keep pursuing consistently.

Our son has been going to Kimoo Martial Arts for several years now (he's now a purple belt) and we…read moreall highly recommend! He has tae kwon do classes three days per week and really enjoys it. Master Huang and Master Louie really care for the students and we appreciate the family/community feel.

our children went to taekwondo twice a week. Professional approach to children, they really liked…read moreattending and looked forward to night classes. I recommend!

From the moment we stepped into the United Bay Area Karate Club, Sensei Joane greeted us with a…read morewarm smile and introduced us to the other families, making us feel right at home. This dojo is a hidden gem, especially for first-timers. The instructors are exceptional--with class sizes, they give every student personalized attention, ensuring they master proper techniques while building confidence and life skills like discipline and respect. What truly stands out is how Sensei Joane and her coaches connect with each child. My kids were shy at first, but their patience and encouragement helped them come out of their shells. Now, they're more confident than ever and really look forward to class! They strike a perfect balance of discipline and support, meeting kids where they are--whether they're quiet or full of energy--and helping them grow at their own pace. Sensei Joane teaches Goju-Ryu, a style that focuses on close combat, making it an excellent choice for self-defense. As a world-class competitor, she's led UBAKC students to become USA Karate national champions and earn spots on the National Team pool. She instills a strong work ethic and a drive to excel, all within a safe and structured environment. If you're thinking about martial arts for your kids, UBAKC is the perfect place to start. The welcoming community and top-notch instruction have made such a difference for my children--I know yours will thrive here too!

Sensai Joane and the UBAKC community have been amazing. We have 2 kids that are part of the dojo…read moreand we can see the growth they have achieved in the last 4 years under her training. Our children are more confident in themselves and have become close to their fellow athletes. We feel it is a welcoming community of parents and athletes alike.

This school was exactly what I was searching for! There's finally a place in my area that will…read moreteach the art of authentic Japanese swordsmanship. This is not a school of kendo, although there will be sparring days. The main focus of this school is to achieve self-discipline by learning to master the sword. You'll also get a workout while having fun. (I seriously feel my upper body toning up!) Adrian Sensei is my instructor and he is very friendly and also very knowledgeable, with like 20years of Japanese swordsmanship experience. I'm very visual and tactile so it really helps that he can break down the steps of each move for me to learn. I'm a total beginner and he has a lot patience with me. I highly recommend this school if you want to learn and honor the Japanese swordsmanship tradition, get a good workout, while gaining a great Samurai Sword family. I see myself in this school for many more years to come.

It is extremely hard to find a school in the Bay Area that teaches one of the traditional Ryu…read moreschools of Japanese Sword. From the basic elements of footwork to position of hands when preparing for, and then executing the cut, the school is a modern execution on the most traditional of Martial Arts. Starting with wooden bokken, students progress to alloy iaito, and finally when they show the safety and control to Sensei's standards, actual live blades and tameshigiri cutting. I can't recommend this school highly enough if you are interested in the actual study of Japanese-Style swordsmanship.