I quit this April after training regularly with the instructor Shihan Shockness beginning in…read moreNovember of 2024. I was here before the 2020 pandemic and am commenting on my second round here. There are many classes where the instructor does very little actual teaching and just jokes around with a personal friend he has in the dojo. There are many days where the dojo is more like a playground with the little kids laughing, fooling around, and hardly learning anything. At every class, the instructor spent 30-45 minutes on talking about how to get more people into the school and irrelevant personal things, or pressuring people to buy him food or give him cash for personal expenses. He 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. When he told me to give him $100 after class for his personal expenses, and I said I would pray about it, he called me back to his dojo floor and began cursing and abusing me: "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." A good example of him projecting what he is doing onto me is when he asked me for $65, and when I asked him what he was going to do with it, he said: "It is none of your business. You need to respect people's social boundaries." He violates people's social boundaries and falsely accuses those people of "violating" his boundaries. 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 Shockness continued, "I said I will never ask you for help again. That shows your bad attitude." On December 21, 2024, 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." 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.

I am a kid who goes to this karate school and the sensei's are kind and strict.Also,our…read moresensei,Shihan Manuel is one of a kind and he is still teaching me every I need to know and the lesson is to teach students goes beyond self-defense. . Here, you will learn service to others, self-discipline, commitment to excellence, pushing beyond your limits and more just like me and I hope more kids go.

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.

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 !

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

My two great grandsons love Lama's Kenpo Karate: They really enjoy going to practice and wish they…read morecould go everyday. It's so nice to see them asking to go to class: They say it's the best thing ever!

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.

I wasn't sure about trying Karate, but Jason made it totally approachable. We had a 2 hour session…read morewhere we spent part of the time learning, and part of the time doing. And it was quite a workout! If you're looking for an authentic experience from someone who has trained with some karate masters that few get to train from, definitely check Toryukai out.

From the owner: Toryukai Karate-do is a traditional Shotokan Karate style and a member of both the Shotokan…read moreKarate-Do International Federation - USA and the Shotokan Karate International Federation Japan. Beginners welcome. First lesson if free!

My son has been with USSD for at least the past four years, which has included all of his middle…read moreschool years. We started off at our local USSD dojo location in San Anselmo, which closed shortly after the start of the pandemic, and it led us to the SF location. I've seen my son grow confident, dedicated, and disciplined, by being a part of USSD. USSD SF has adapted to the pandemic by offering a combination of zoom classes and in-person classes, which works for us, since my son attends class virtually during the week, and goes in-person on Saturdays. A testament to Sensei and the bond between the team is seeing students grow up, go off the college, and come back to visit on school breaks. USSD SF also offers additional activities, such as ninja nights, summer camps, and competitions in southern CA. The location on Fillmore offers plenty for parents to do while kids are in class - there are a variety of eateries and shops within walking distance, and Japantown is only a couple of blocks away. Parking is metered right in front of the dojo, though you can drive a block or two to try to find non-metered parking.

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 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 enrolled our kids here because of the amazing energy, positivity, and fun that the instructors…read moreand Master Chow brought to every class. They truly made this place special. Our kids looked forward to coming, not just to learn, but because they felt encouraged, seen, and inspired. But lately, everything feels so different. There's now only one instructor, and we were never given any farewell notice about the changes. It was honestly heartbreaking not to have any communication. And Sara at the front desk -- she was the best. She made everyone feel welcome and cared for. The vibe that once made this place feel like a second home is just not the same anymore. We're really sad and disappointed. We're now questioning whether we should keep our kids enrolled or move on. It's hard when something that meant so much suddenly changes without any explanation. We truly hope things improve, because this place once meant a lot to our family.

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