2 kids, completely different personalities. Our oldest loves to try new sports, the youngest not so…read moremuch. Our oldest is a purple belt and has competed in a tournament in Tacoma and got first place in his form in his age. He continues to excel and learn. We set up 2 intro classes for our youngest, one on one with her and Sensei. She was excited after them, then we got to the group classes and she was scared and didn't want to do it. We kept at it and every time Sensei would ask her for help getting things to keep her active. FINALLY he got her to play a game and she fell in line right after with the rest of the kids!! She didn't even realize she was now doing things with the class but she did it!! I can't tel you how proud of herself she was when she got home and so were we (Mom, Dad, and big brother) but the way Sensei works with these kids is just mind blowing! I suggest Aspire Karate for anyone looking for another option to sports for their kids, or themselves. OSS

Sensei Trace is very skilled, has top notch pedagogy, and a great attitude towards all his students…read moreboth young and old. I recently got back into training since stopping 15 years ago and chose to join Aspire, and I look forward to learning more. Great Shotokan school.

I have great respect for Soke Thomas and the master teachers at the dojo. My children, particularly…read moremy son, have grown tremendously in the year they've been studying there. Not only does he have a chance to focus his energy physically, but he is learning self discipline and respect, and as a parent, I have gained an additional support system.

I've enjoyed this karate school ever since we joined. My kids started in May 2025. I sat through…read moreevery practice I could and saw the love and consideration they had for their students. I also witnessed how they stay true to the tradition of Okinawain Karate. My kids were taught every skill needed for every task. Every practice they contained so much knowledge. I was blown away. I had surgery on my ankle in July 2025 and at the end of August 2025 they welcomed me into class and it was one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. I've learned so much and just continue to learn over and over again. The focus they've given me and the understanding they've given me of Okinawain Karate is mind blowing. This school has brought so much to my family and they have all became part of our family. Words can't even describe the gratitude I have for them. They are so compassionate, meet you where your at, and bring you up from there. I would highly recommend this school. It would be one of the best decisions you could ever make. Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful day and may God bless you and your families!

My daughter has the privilege of attending this incredible Dojo. The Sensei's are so attentive to…read moreevery child's needs and bring a variety of teachings that are focused on balancing both the body and the mind, which was really important to us. Rising Tide Karate has given my daughter tools to be more disciplined, boost more confidence and the ability to face social challenges that may arise in school. It was such a great experience for my daughter and we can't thank them enough for all that they do for my child. We are so grateful that the winds have brought us to Rising Tide Karate.

Great family atmosphere! I wanted to find something for my son and I to do together. Couldn't be…read morehappier. Everyone at Rising Tide Karate has been very welcoming and helpful.

1) Yellowbot.com "Buyer Beware"…read more I was a member of this gym for almost 2 years. I took all of the different types of classes that were offered here- muay thai kickboxing, karate, and juijitsu. I even enrolled my two young children into their children's martial arts classes. For a long time I was very happy with this place, and can concur with the quality of the classes offered...however, the reason I definitely do not recommend this place to anyone, at least not to any women, is because of one of the owner's- Brian Johnson, who runs this business with his wife, Dani Johnson. Almost from the beginning of my membership here, I experienced what I felt was excessive and inappropriate attention from Brian Johnson. He made some advances towards me that made me uncomfortable and that were not reciprocated. He attempted to interfere with any interactions I had with other male members and/or instructors. He very loudly made false accusations towards me in an apparent effort to alienate me from other members. He openly spoke about other members private lives. When I did not reciprocate his apparent extramarital interest in me, he made up a false accusation against me and prematurely terminated my membership. When I attempted to speak with him about things, he threatened me with what he called a "dossier" that he had been apparently compiling against me. Brian Johnson is a former part-time, Tumwater, WA. police officer. Personally, I think it behooves anyone who encounters (former) law enforcement people to tread very carefully with them. Throughout my membership here, I almost always felt as though I were being avidly watched. While I truly learned a great deal of different martial arts, altogether, it was ultimately a very negative experience for me because of Brian Johnson's inappropriate behavior towards me. I strongly suggest whomever goes here to never leave any of their personal electronic devices unattended and to always lock up their belongings, which few if any members actually do, that I observed. Posted on February 25, 2025 & Last Modified March 06, 2025 Brian Johnson's Academy of Karate & Kickboxing Reviews 1) Yellowbot.com "Buyer Beware" Academy of Brian Johnson Karate & Fitness "Too bad I can't give you ZERO stars. Your customer service is crap. Your 6-month contract is a bullshit 7 month contract. You have inadequate facilities for women. You let people not in classes interrupt ongoing classes. You have no respect for the people who PAY you to go there. Your ignorance is unsurpassed. The fact that your unclean equipment gives people skin rashes is disgusting. It's..." -Ed McCormack 7/17/15. Yellowbot. "This is a very bad business. They are very unprofessional and not good with kids. They even have temper tantrums. You will be stuck paying on the contract for a year no matter how unhappy you are." -Yellowbot "Warning, do not sign the contract, they tell you false lies to get you to sign. This is a dirty business." -rateitall 5/30/2008 "Poor customer service, poor quality instruction, this business is in it for the money, it won't last long. It is a very negative environment. I would never recommend anyone signing your kids up here. What a waste of money. Prices are low, but you get even less of what you pay for." -rateitall. "Buyer Beware. This is a bad place for kids. There are a lot of scary people in there. It is a money hungry business." -Yellowpages. 4/7/2008 "Negative professionalism" -Natalie Martinez "This guy is completely unprofessional and likes to threaten people after assuming that they hang up on him." -James Dillman "My girlfriend attended the Academy of Brian Johnson and after the free week we decided to enroll her. It wasn't long before the older gray-haired instructors started staring at her and it made her extremely uncomfortable. Like licking their lis and putting out their tongues sort of thing. I've heard negative things about instructors there abusing their power to get with the people who go there so we decided to have her quit. On top of that the floors were very dirty with body hair on the ground and it smelled like stale socks. If you are a man maybe it's for you, they seemed to have a lot of people sparring and stuff, buit I'm not sure if the coaches are even qualified instructors in any shape or form. For a 7 time karate black belt master the owner didn't have any trophies, medals or belts of his own to speak of. Or any schooling or paperwork behind his credited instructors. Very suspect and a school that has a very sexual innuendo type thing going on. Very suspect. " -VerView, AntiPopThought, 1/16/2018

I've been training Muay Thai/ kickboxing here for a little while now and I love every minute of it…read more Knowledgeable coaching staff and friendly people.

We did a birthday party for my daughters here and it was awesome. Zach was great and made sure all…read morethe kids had a blast. In fact, they had such a good time that some of them cried when it was time to go. From our side, it couldn't have gone better. Paramount took care of everything but the cake so we didn't have to worry about setup or clean up. Zach also cut the cake with a katana which was pretty cool.

This is our story. We joined Paramount in mid Feb. The…read morelocation was perfect, it was literally 1 minute from our home and we were already on a tight schedule so the 4:30 class was manageable. When we signed up with Lee she was awesome! My little was comfortable with her from the start! So I was sold. We, like most families are on a tight budget but my little needed something like Karate to grow, learn, and socialize with other littles. So I put it on my CC and set up payments. Now for the down slide... Not long after we joined we found out that the lease was up and that they would be moving. So we hung in there worried and awaiting to see where the new location would be. My husband and I had to request to leave work early from our employers to attend class (and were still late). He commutes from Lakewood to Lacey (in JBLM traffic) to preschool which was 2 minutes from where Paramount was, and I commute from Tumwater to Lacey to preschool. My point is with the new location at Black hills Gymnastics does not work for our family. Although it is not far our commute went from 1 minute to 15-25 one way. We specifically picked Paramount because of its location and 4:30 class. We don't have the luxury of changing our work schedules to accommodate this new location. We have never been able to make the 6 o'clock class due to our tight schedule. So, I read the contract and saw that it was with ASF and that I should contact them. So I did. They advised me that if I got a letter from Paramount stating that they moved and not us that we could get out of the contract. It was new belt week and I literally had knots in my stomach. I was terrified to talk to Lee. So my husband said he would talk to her. During their conversation Elizabeth was listening in and interrupted my husband. He said that she was pretty rude and disrespectful and stated absolutely not. We will not give you a letter or let you out of the contract. This baffles me... he came to our celebratory dinner for my little getting a new belt very upset. Needless to say the celebration wasn't all that it should have been. We signed up for the other location... we were not made aware that they would be moving and somehow now we have to pay for classes that we cannot attend?? I'm literally in tears. So my little will not get to attend Karate anywhere because we can't afford to pay two places and were barely able to pay one. I just want to make all the families aware that when you sign with them it's seems to be all about the $$$$ and not my little or family. I will be telling our story on Yelp with ASF and Paramount and any other site that will allow us to inform others of what feels like a scam.

Scammy. Try to convince you to sign up and buy extra in front of the kids- THEN show no support at…read morechampionships? Hang you out to dry, you're on your own? That's not Karate. Clearly in it for the scheme. Disappointed. Check yourself, Washington Karate.

The Washington Karate Lakewood Dojo and Sensei Sweigart have positively impacted my grandson's…read morelife. They have supported him both in and out of the dojo. He is no longer shy and unsure of himself; he has developed confidence, has become a leader, and is more willing to try new things. I highly recommend the Lakewood Dojo.

Doing karate with my kids has been such a bonding experience for me and my kids…read more Spirit Force Karate has been an awesome way to get back into shape and learn self defense at the same time. I'm 34 years old and overweight and have never been made to feel bad about that. They work with all skill levels, they are good with my kids, and are knowledgeable about what they are teaching.

This has been a great dojo for our kid - Sensei Eric is amazing with the kids…read more Definitely recommend.

We've been training for about a year now and have nothing but great things to say about Karate…read moreWest. Staff is amazing, scheduling is easy with multiple classes and the ability to switch between class times if needed to accommodate life's challenges. Recommend this to anyone who asks