Quality lessons by capable instructors
Friendly yet…read moredisciplined environment
Good for a range of ages, skill levels
There's a lot to love about martial arts in general, so I've been happy to attend classes and learn Tae Kwon Do with my children over the past 2 years.
My sons and I transferred to this location, which is now the sole and "flagship" school for World Martial Arts, in September of 2015. We had been thrilled with our experience at the former West Warwick location, but had also had exposure to this school over time through combined events. Our transition was made easy by the instructors, as well as the great group of Black Belts who are generous with their own time and insights to help lower belts learn, advance, and succeed.
Leading the school, Master Adam & Master Babits are energetic, enthusiastic, skilled, and probably most important, quality teachers. They're great at balancing instruction, fitness, discipline, and fun. While we do have fun, make no mistake - training/learning here means business. Perseverance is the key - and the lesson, which I appreciate. Every session is about effort, technique, and giving your best - always taking the next step to better yourself.
Instruction & curriculum:
Do you want to come to a structured class? The schedule is mostly of the post-workday sort, and varies across weekday evenings to give people a chance to select the right time for them, depending on what skill/belt level you're operating at. Saturday mornings are a chance for everyone to get a weekend work session in. The instruction rotates: "A" day is for learning, practicing, and perfecting your combinations and forms, while "B" day is for sparring and extra physical fitness concentration. These alternate throughout the month, usually punctuated twice by board-breaking days, held to work on the techniques to make controlled, high-impact contact. All of the classes have their own dynamic and help you add something new to your repertoire, even when practicing a standard element of your martial artistry. The emphasis is on making the basics second nature (cognitive, then emotional, then physical learning), so that you can add on more creative moves to expand your arsenal.
Want to add more variety? WMA offers its "B.O.S.S." program to students in which, above and beyond normal instruction, students learn leadership skills and can introduce weapons training as an added skill to hone. These frequently take place mid-day on Saturday and can augment the usual class sessions.
Looking for even more customization? Students are encouraged to set up time with instructors for individualized sessions, where you can get one-on-one coaching, ask questions, practice something more difficult for you, try new techniques, and fill in your tool kit. Here, you can unlock more defined ways to use your own unique qualities to your advantage.
Beyond the mat, when it comes to creating a community, WMA excels. In class, I'm cheering on my fellow students as we all learn, train, sweat, and evolve together. Tournaments give an opportunity to demonstrate the skills honed during the hours we've put in. During Black Belt graduations, we have a chance to observe how high our fellow students can take the craft, and how admirably they've pushed themselves to achieve. Beyond that, special occasions like WMA's summer cook-outs and winter holiday celebrations are yet another way the collective group enjoys coming together. Even once-monthly Parents Night Out events give kids an opportunity to be with the same group of friends, but goof off with some fun activities to get the energy out (and as a parent, I can appreciate that). Various give-back-to-the-community collections take place to help out the less fortunate, too.
Bottom line is that if you want a martial arts program with amenable schedule, quality structure, all-family-friendly atmosphere, and capable instructors, you can look pretty far without equaling World Martial Arts. I look forward to every session, and my kids do too. Highly recommended.
