1. West Wind Schools

    1. West Wind Schools

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    Alameda, CA

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    Updated 3 weeks ago

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    When I joined West Wind two years ago, I was an angry mess going through some really tough things in my life. I would walk past the school on Park Street for a year with my son as he gazed on through the windows. Mr. Baker would come out often and encourage him to look inside or try a class, but he was very shy and afraid he might get hurt, so he would always refuse. My son has an impairment in his legs and a learning disability, and the hours that we had put into physical therapy were not giving us any results. I had received a suggestion for him to try gymnastics or martial arts, and after walking by the dojo for over a year, I was determined to convince my son to join. But he refused, initially. So I decided to march in and sign myself up. It was the best decision I have ever made. Personally, I have grown in ways that I had never thought possible. My anger was channeled into a honed passion, I became strong and flexible, and I had finally found a family. My son was there with me, every practice until he grew confident enough to try for himself. He was very shy and scared, and his legs would hurt from the stances and the stretching, but he kept at it. After six months at the dojo, he achieved what years of physical therapy could not, and he is walking normally for the first time in his short ten years on the earth. Many people say that it is expensive, and honestly, it is. But you get what you pay for, and West Wind has the best teachers I have seen. They are incredibly devoted to their students and very hardworking. I have had the privilege of seeing some of the younger teachers blossom and earn their degree black belts. My teacher Mr. Michel and my son's teacher Ms. Amato have always made time to make sure that we are healthy in body, mind, and spirit. West Wind is very inclusive to those with special needs. My son had been turned away from other martial arts schools in the past when they learned that he would need specialized instruction. That did not stop the West Wind teachers at all. Ms. Amato jumped in and learned right away what my son needed to be successful. There are different packages and you can choose the one that works for you and your needs. They have a flexible payment plan, or you can pay upfront for a discount. If you want, you can sign up for additional classes like the black belt board formatting if you feel you need some extra training before your belt test or the summer boot camp program. They try to do their best to help those who are financially limited, and as a single mom, I could choose the package that worked for me. The belt tests really test your endurance, skill, and commitment to learning the material. You need to test in front of the entire black belt board with all the other students, and for some younger kids, that can be intimidating. Not everyone passes their belt tests, though, even with extra training or classes. The bar is set very high, but that's because they want to make sure each belt is genuinely earned and fought for. It can be a hard lesson for younger kids when they don't pass, but it teaches them to persevere and that nothing comes easy in life. These are the life lessons that West Wind has taught my son. How can you put a price on that? I came here to put a review on Yelp because I wanted to share my experience at the school honestly. In a world with so many half-rate dojos or teachers to claim to the be best to only suck money out of you, this school is the real deal. They have been around for 50 years and are not going anywhere! I hope that my teacher will guide me to complete my training and earn the black belt.

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    4 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    Helping the world and changing Lives one Student at a time!

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    13 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    Thanks so much Alfredo

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    11 years ago

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    Hope to see you in this year's Tournament

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    Join the Parents that love us!

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    Krizten D.

    Thanks so much Celia!!!

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    Ask the Community - West Wind Schools

    Review Highlights - West Wind Schools

    The instructors are extremely knowledge with the history and the techniques of Bok Fu and my sifu, Mr.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    my daughter LOVES her karate class every saturday morning, she looks forward to it all week. The…read moreinstructors are so welcoming and make sure to include all the kids. They practice outside and all wear masks to be covid safe. I love that it is ran by women!!!!!!

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    West Wind Schools - karate - Updated September 2026

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