Sensei is great and works well with both adults and kids in the class!!! My son loves it!!!read more

I started practicing karate at this dojo about 3 years ago, and the time has gone by so quickly I…read morecan hardly believe it. I have made some great friends here and I think it really speaks to the quality of Sensei Tomiyama-- not just as an instructor, but as a guy who lives the philosophy that he teaches-- that really talented and compassionate people come to practice here. I can also probably say that I'm in the best shape of my life since joining, and that no two classes are ever the same. I could go on and on, but let me just end by saying that if you are considering learning an authentic martial art taught by a dedicated practitioner, you could do yourself no harm dropping by the dojo to try out a class and see what its all about.

There was a time when the instructor, Shihan Wayne Shockness, was a generous, understanding, and…read morealso physically skilled martial artist. I quit this April because he became very unprofessional, was fooling around a lot instead of actually teaching, was verbally abusing and cursing at me to give him money for his personal expenses such as food, medical bills, etc. after I already paid the $250 a month dojo fee, was abusing me because I did not meet all his expectations for personal favors such as helping him move and set up furniture at his apartment, and throwing insults me with baseless allegations and projections of what he is doing, because I didn't meet all his selfish requests for money and personal favors that have nothing to do with Karate. He verbally abuses people for selfish gain and returns favors with disrespect, cursing, false accusations, and verbal abuse. When I gave an example of a time when I was always available for him, by buying him medicine and masks when he was sick, he said: "No you did not. I called you to buy me medicine and set up my chair. After you brought me the food and medicine, and did the bedsheets, and I needed you to set up the chair you left and I am standing there. You went and did whatever. It took me three hours to put that chair together." Shihan continued, "I said I will never ask you for help again. That shows your bad attitude." On December 21, 2025, Shockness asked me, "Can I have $20?" I said I could not and needed to take care of myself. He persisted in asking and insulting me. "Can I have $20? You need to stop being cheap." As he persisted, I would just respond to him in the same way and he would disrespect in the same way. After a pause, Shockness continued. "I have big problems. God. You are disgusting. You know that? You bitch about spending $20. I have people who actually care about me. They spend hundreds of dollars on me for a new TV. Unlike you, I actually do have students that care about me." I said his type of humor does not get old on me. "You need to stop being so cheap and selfish. People are going to hate you and resent you. Seriously? You think this is a joke? You just want to take." By saying the following, he is trying to propagate an upside down reality that I am somehow the "selfish" one. He curses and uses insults that are projections of what he is doing onto me, which mental health experts describe as narcissistic, emotional manipulation, and deflecting of the offender's character defects to the victim. "Your heart is void, It is not about the money, you dumb piece of ****. I am showing you how to be a good person. You are rude. You are disrespectful. Change your attitude. You bitched to me once that you spent $30 on food. Neriah and Helen spent hundreds. They never once came up to me with the same disrespect." Shihan Shockness's inappropriate behaviors include abusive speech, cursing, raising voice aggressively, abusing people for for selfish gain (money and personal expenses), repeatedly making unwanted requests for money and personal expenses even after answering some requests, lying, falsely accusing, distorting events to project "selfishness" onto me when he is clearly the one who is self-centered, refusing to make things right with people who were victimized, and stealing (refusing to give back $250 for cancelled classes). Shihan Shockness's inappropriate and blatantly abusive behaviors are completely contradictory to the core values of Shotokan Karate, which include respect, discipline, and integrity. I encourage him to take this opportunity for reflection and growth. Care for Shihan, but do not invest in his self-indulgence. He takes no responsibility for his immoral and abusive actions, and refuses to reconcile despite me reaching out to his friend and him. Instead, he pressures his dojo members to disassociate with me through unfriending me online. I wrote this review as a last resort.

The sensei is Wayne Shockness, a practitioner under Shotokan Karatedo for more than 35 years, and…read morehe's currently one of the few 6th degree blackbelt instructor, under the SKIF association, in the west coast. The program offers 7 classes a week, on Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sats. I've been a long term student of this Dojo for 10 years. All I can say is that Sensei Shockness had helped me to grow and become a strong individual through the philosophy of Budo. This is a traditional Japanese Shotokan style karate dojo. The classes are designed to really push you to the limit. The trainings are tough, but you get a great sense of reward afterwards. If you want to have a strong focus, build your mental, physical, and spiritual strength, this is the place to be. Quitting will come up to your mind many times during the training, but not to quit is what pushes you forward. The Dojo welcomes people in all ages! The dojo is new at this location and it's truly for everyone: students in all age group are welcome with the youngest student just 6 years old. Everyone, of course, has to sign a waiver form for liability matters, but that's standard protocol.

My niece has been taking karate classes here for over 5 years. This school, the instructors and the…read moreentire community that revolves them are amazing. The lessons they teach students goes beyond self-defense. Here, you child will learn service to others, self-discipline, commitment to excellence, pushing beyond your limits and more. SUPER CLEAN too.

I went down two jean sizes from in a 2-month time frame…read more That should be enough to convince you to train with ryan right? If not here are some more awesome things about ryan gonzalez's personal training and bootcamps and manuel's renshikan. Personal Training- Ryan's workouts are intense. It is very challenging and he will make you work. The hour goes by really fast because it is non-stop. I came to him to prepare for my wedding and When I started my joints were clicking and my knees were messed up. the best part is not only will he tell you how to work out, he will also teach you a lot of stuff on how to correct yourself to be better and stop having pains and aches. I train 2x a week and do cardio on my own. Ryan has secrets on the best cardio workouts you can do on your own as well. Bootcamp- saturdays are 1 hour circuits. 9-10am. Also intense. Barely any rest but thats why its called a workout and not sleeping in. Be warned: this is no joke. But if you are a beginner he will actually give you alternatives to ease you into them. And at $10 its a very good deal. Sundays- boxing/kickboxing. They're long 9-10:30ish. I recommend Bringing your own gloves. If you wanna jumpstart your weight-loss or just to change up your workout routines, i highly recommend boxing. And if you just wanna punch people and stuff this will also be fun for you. Karate- I personally did tae kwon do at Lawler's but as far as I can see from the classes this school is great for kids or anyone to learn karate. The teachers are very nice and you can tell that this is their passion just by watching them teach. I believe they compete a lot so that can be great for you or your child. The End

Master Evans is a great role model. My daughter looks up to her so much. She's become an icon in…read moreour household. The skills and values that kids learn here will get them ahead in life.

Seems I'm right there with everyone else who has reviewed this place. I did not send my kids here…read morewhen they were kids. Just because I had no idea it existed. If you have a kid, don't hesitate for a nanosecond, just bring them. If you're older, like 61 and feeling able bodied, dont hesitate for a nanosecond! This space and place is welcoming and inviting and really sort of defies definition. So. Check it out. See for yourself.

I'm surprised to see so many glowing reviews for this place because from when I was a student here…read moreyears ago I was bullied beyond belief along with other students Shihan Saito did not "favorite". He would insult us in front of others and especially liked picking on certain students, including me. It was more than tough love to me, it was just plain mean. I also had several friends quit because of the treatment. I should've spoken up long ago but I was too young. I stuck around till I barely got my black belt and left, at that point Shihan barely bothered to talk to me anymore. The only saving grace was Sensei Jill, I still remember her after all these years. If you're not a paying parent, cute kid, or respected adult, don't bother.

I spent my last semester there before heading back home in 2010. It's a place that made me fall in…read morelove with martial art. Saito sensei is extremely knowledgeable and he trained along with students . No BS. Just sweat a ton !

We love Lama's Kenpo Karate. Our 6yo has been going to classes there for the last (almost) three…read moreyears and our 3yo just started classes - They both love it. The head instructors, Sifu Thompson and Sifu Fernandez, are amazing ladies. They have an incredible capacity to be both nurturing and demanding. Before and after classes there are lots of hugs but when the kids are on the matt, we are always impressed with how disciplined they are.The kids are serious and focused in class, but there are always smiles and moments of humor. The whole vibe at Lama's is about community: the kids from all the different classes mingle, older more advanced students assist with the little ones, they have pizza and movie nights. All in all, we can't say enough good things about Lama's and the ladies.

Amazing, sweet neighborhood staple for kids starting to learn karate. Lama Kenpo is so kind!read more

My 6 yo daughter had been wanting to start karate for a while now so I went with the top rated…read moreplace near me. It's no wonder why they have the rating they do. We both LOVE One Martial Arts. The entire welcome experience could not be more perfect. You book a free trial class easily online and show up to find your kids name on a big sign with a free t-shirt waiting. They are super supportive in the class and let the first-timers do a board breaking at the end so they get absolutely hooked from the jump. The joy in their faces after that board breaks and they feel so powerful is priceless! Arrive for your first real class their uniform is at the ready on the front desk. Seriously, so organized! We love the instructors. They break the kids into smaller groups so she's gotten to work with Shīfu Bender and Shīfu Fidler and Shīfu Lucas Dela Cruz who are all wonderful. They have an app that makes everything super easy. Including instructional videos kids can use to practice. When you arrive you just check your kiddo in on the ipad (they are located right next to the after class lollipops). The class itself is the perfect blend of skill-training and fun. They learn respect, discipline and hard work, then they get to play a fun game at the end like freeze tag to get all their energy out. They also earn sticker stripes leading up to the different color belts. My kiddo is highly motivated by this and always looks forward to the "earn" days. The support staff is super responsive and helpful with inquiries and questions. There are plenty of benches to sit and watch but it's in a great neighborhood so always fun to run out and grab a snack or bubbletea.

I went there for summer camp and still have the trophy thingie for the"best camper for the week"…read more The stuff they do are really fun and convenient for me. Even though that was 5 years ago my memories of there never fade.

Our family has been studying with Master Collins for 3.5 years and we love it! I signed both my…read morekids up, and my wife started taking lessons as well. We love the physical and mental concentration karate requires, and all of us have advanced tremendously at this dojo. It's wonderful for the kids, and they've gained not only physical self defence skills, but confidence and concentration as well. Master Collins is a great teacher with a wide range and decades of experience. I couldn't recommend this dojo more, for kids and adults!

I've been studying with Master Collins for many years and can definitively say that he is an…read moreexceptional instructor and genuinely good human being. He cares about his students so much, and the level of effort and dedication he puts into each class is astounding. With Master Collins you really get the impression that his dojo is not just a business for him but is his life's work and purpose. This has been incredibly inspiring for me, making me a better martial artist and more confident in my ability to defend myself, but also able to face life's general challenges in a more balanced and skillful way.

I would like to start off by saying that this school has been here since 1983 and has a lot of…read morehistory. The owner Master Mar is very friendly and welcoming. They both make the class very entertaining for the kids. Master Mar has a different way of teaching compared to a lot of martial art schools out there, which makes his method of training by far the best I've ever trained in. If you are in search of a tae kwon do school, I highly recommend giving this place a shot, I promise you won't be disappointed. Thank you for letting me be part of the KMAC family.

I just started learning hapkido and tae kwon do here at KMAC and I'm so thrilled to be able to…read moretrain with all these grandmasters. They are all very knowledgeable and patient to ensure you meet your full potential. I'm coming from a amateur boxing background with some limitations due to a previous back injury. However the grandmasters and fellow classmates have been very considerate and caring of this. I'm very excited to see how far I can go here and for each class to see what I learn next. I researched so many gyms in SF, Berkeley, and Oakland. But i can safely say this is the best one i have found and I'm so glad to learn and train here around such amazing and talented people.

We been there for 9 years. My son love this place and this is best activity ever for a boy!read more

Bonkers. We've been taking class for 11 months. In December they announced they were closing for…read moreall of Jan. Followed by several longish crazy emails. New management, remove all the teachers the kids know and replace them with a single teacher and fewer classes, several crazy emails, demand we buy 30 gloves for our 6 year old who never uses them. Come August, they are shutting down, the day before school starts. These people do not know how to serve kids and don't give a crap about their clients. Sadly there aren't many options in the Richmond, but I would avoid.