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.

Update: We have now been part of this community for 2.5 years!…read moreReviews written by my kids who attend USMAC: 7th grader: USMAC is such an amazing community to learn discipline, self defense, respect, and self- confidence. It's a great place to find community and all the instructors are helpful and kind. I especially love the Tumwater dojang because of the size and you feel like you are cared for. 6th grader: USMAC is a great place and TKD teaches you skills that are important and will help you become more self confident. The instructors are great teachers and they will teach you discipline. 2nd grader: USMAC is very good and teaches me self- confidence and how to defend myself. _____ Our family is so proud to be a part of USMAC. My husband and three children (ages 11,10,6) all train together. It's incredible that it is so family oriented that each class caters to every age. Doing TKD together has brought our family closer together. Since coming to USMAC, over a year and half ago, I have seen an increase in my children's confidence, skills, and flexibility. In addition, this school not only teaches the physical aspects of taekwondo but the culture and values. They instill values by having "Home Rules" of respect and encourage them to become leaders. This is evident by the leadership of every instructor and master. They are absolutely incredible! You can sense their care, great skills, and training. When you enter the dojang, you will be greeted with a positive atmosphere and be part of a family! Highly, highly recommend!

At this exceptional taekwondo academy, my kids discover new skills, build confidence, and have a…read moreblast, making it an integral part of their weekly routine.

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.

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.

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!

Originally opened as "Skyward Karate" ,the first official Karate Studio in Yelm by Steve Handlan, a…read more2nd generation, Ed Parker Black Belt. Mr. Handlan acheived 4th Degree Black Belt under Sr. Master Joe Palanzo. After teaching in Yelm for over 10 yrs. Mr. Handlan and wishing to seek a different path, sold the dojo to Wayne & Rhonda Steinman of Yelm. School teaches original Ed Parker Kenpo Karate under the tutelage of 4th Degree Black Belt Wayne Steinman. Excellent environment for learning, and caters to children. Instructors are charismatic and entice students to want to learn more. Best School in town. Building is owned by Yelm Kenpo Karate, so they won't be closing any time soon. Highly Recommended, can trace heritage back to founder of art, Ed Parker.

Instructor is very patient and gets down to my kids level. Highly recommend.read more

My boy is 7 years old, and he was asking for months to do "karate." I finally relented, and WOW! He…read moreloves it. Goes twice weekly, and I am so happy for him. Master Charnley is firm, but humble and so kind. Even in the family class, he takes the time to work on each person's technique. He cares about the child's behavior at home, too. Even has them memorize home rules before they can advance. Highly recommend.

I am a mother of 5, grandmother of 6.When the kids all moved out, rather than being sad about my…read moreempty nest, I decided to do something good for myself. My close childhood friend gently encouraged me to start a class with her that initially I thought was an exercise class... There IS exercise involved, but so so much more. I began taking taekwondo here at Korean Martial Arts Family Centers in July of 2012. It keeps me off the couch and My husband doesn't have to carry my laundry baskets anymore. I love my dojang and can hardly wait for the days I get to go. My instructors are all amazing and very patient with me and the other class members are kind to me and it has actually turned out to be very fun.

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.

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.