Following the introductory classes, the company was not upfront about a '12 month membership agreement.' They did not review this 'agreement' with us prior to signing anything. When we asked for more information regarding this 'membership agreement,' they gave us the runaround. We explained to them many times we would have not signed this 'agreement' if had known the terms and that we need to cancel due to a change in our financial situation. When the charges continued on our card, we stopped payment and then they charged another card on file without contacting us or authorization. We feel like we were swindled into a 'membership agreement.' It's disappointing to experience this lack of transparency and deceptive business practice. read more

My now 9 year old daughter and I started training at Dojo Karate - Elk River in the summer of 2015. My daughter is now an advanced red belt and I am a brown belt. We have thoroughly enjoyed our training and will be continuing to our black belt. The instructors are excellent and truly care about helping you succeed even if you are not very athletic. I also enjoy the fact that there are many different classes offered so it is not just karate. They have weapons class, sparring and kickboxing to name a few. My daughter and I attend at least three times per week. For the reviewer who complained about the cost, martial arts are a lifelong training. What other sport can you participate in for life? Dojo Karate offers classes for ages 3 through adult. The fact that you can train everyday if you want for many years is well worth the price. Add up the costs of all the fees for your child's sports career through elementary and high school and I'm sure the cost will be comparable or more. I did not feel pressured when we signed up and they sat down with our whole family to explain everything and addressed our questions and concerns. We have also made many new friends. I would highly recommend Dojo Karate to anyone looking for the self-discipline to learn the martial arts. read more

I believe the best written review has already been posted by a Seth N. on the Dojo Karate - Waconia location. Be sure to read that one too! We had the exact same experience from start to finish at Dojo Karate - Elk River. We learned about Dojo Karate - Elk River at a local business expo. The staff was wonderful and gave us a great introductory rate of $14.95 per child for 1 month of lessons, uniform included, and even a free t-shirt. We signed up 3 very excited kids for their first experience with a new sport. The Dojo is nice, clean, but quite small. Many classes seemed far overcrowded and the lobby area is many times standing room only, but my kids enjoyed themselves immensely during their promised 30-minute lessons twice a week. Yet when we asked the staff for their free t-shirts, they were told "we'll have to look into that," and my kids never got their free t-shirts. The staff could not have been nicer during our 1-month trial. I loved watching my kids enjoy their lessons with constant smiles on their faces! What came at the end is reason for a low star rating. At the end of our 1-month trial period, we were brought into the office, door closed behind us, to talk about future steps at Dojo Karate. We were shown an 18-month contract to get my 2 older children through all of the elementary belts of karate (if they worked hard enough to earn them). The cost of this program came to over $3700.00! Payment options were: pay in full and receive a measly 5% off or pay it off in 3 installments which were more than my home mortgage payment. The last option was to pay in monthly installments at 8% interest. At any time, should the child become injured, sick or unable to attend karate, family moves away, etc. there is no refund. During that meeting, I was also told that if I signed the contract at that very moment in the office, my kids would receive free protective hand and foot gear for upcoming lessons. I explained that even if we could afford such a venture, such extravagant expenditures are always discussed with my spouse before signing any contract. While I do know that my concern was heard, I was pressured multiple times to sign at that moment without speaking to my spouse. After shown the financials (which are not printed anywhere online or in the dojo itself until they corner you in their office), even my oldest children knew what an extremely insane price that was. They knew it was unaffordable for our family. They were hurt, mislead, teased and left in tears knowing their time in karate was done. I wanted to give this business a 2-star rating only because of the quality of instruction and the amount of fun my children had. Yet I prefer to give it a 1-star rating due to the misleading teaser rates. If you have thousands of dollars and years to invest in a sport, then this is likely a great place for you. But if you are looking for affordable sports for your children or family, there are far better places with more affordable prices out there. Don't be mislead by Dojo Karate. read more

Classic McDojo. The "instructors" here know FAR more about making money than any legitimate martial art. Their business model is the same as the USA Karate schools they broke away from; first offering new students a cheap month, usually 15-20 bucks, throwing in a free uniform, but with no mention of costs afterward, usually saying something like "we'll use the month to assess you and recommend a program at the end". Only after your trial month will you be told about the costs of continuing. You'll be summoned into an office and the door will close behind you. You'll be told about your "options for continuing on" but really there are no options. The next step will be their "Starter's Program", which contractually locks you into an 18 month program and costs about $1,700. They'll give you 3 payment options. 1: pay in full and receive a 5% discount, 2: pay in three equal payments or 3: automatic bank transfers usually for 18 months, with some interest. They'll usually demand a few hundred bucks at signing, which is also precisely when they'll tell you about equipment requirements and belt testing fees. You'll need new hand and foot guards which cost about $80/set, and every new colored belt will run you $35. This manner of doing business is wrong. Hiding your standardized prices is anti-consumer, but they've convinced themselves it's okay to do business this way. You're cut off if you hit red belt, regardless of how much time or payments you have left on your Starter's contract. If you move, get sick, get injured, lose your employment, etc, there is no stopping the contract. There are other programs beyond Starter's, they are longer and more expensive. Much more expensive. Think five digits expensive. Of course you won't be told about these programs or costs until you're further along. Far enough along to be in a habit of attendance, made a few friends, already given your bank account details, etc. As for instruction... Well it's a mixed bag. Some of the teachers are people you could respect (were it not for their business practices) , some of them are very rude, sarcastic and arrogant. The primary problem with instruction really isn't the teachers' methods or attitudes, it's what they're teaching. They're called Dojo Karate (those are Japanese words), and they claim to be teaching Taekwondo (a Korean art, and obviously NOT Karate) and they teach neither. Instead they end up running sort of low-intensity kickboxing classes. Using the word "Karate" is literally an advertising holdover from the 1980's when the Karate Kid was popularizing marital arts in the USA, and the McDojos started popping up. These people do not know Karate. They largely do not understand Taekwondo, but can at least show enough skill so as to appear knowledgeable to a layman. Some of their "self defense" methods involve attempting to KICK a knife out of an attacker's hand (obviously don't do that). I'm not saying they've got nothing to offer. Learning very basic techniques like punching and kicking are extremely important to any martial artist and physically learning about your center of gravity is key to controlling your body. Fortunately you learn those things at almost any other martial art. I will say that if you like what they do, you would probably be better served at a kickboxing studio. If you're looking for a legitimate martial art, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a really expensive babysitter, they're perfect. Scummy anti-consumer business practices and fake Karate make this an easy 0 star. read more

All the instructors are awesome, friendly, helpful, understanding and truly love what they do. Everyone is treated like family they've known forever. I was and still am so incredibly shy but all the staff and students are so warm and inviting it makes me so glad I started this journey. read more