This local business does not support another seasonal, but also local business due to "parking issues", even though they don't own most of the parking lot spots. In addition, Foothills Animal Hospital, who shares the joint lot, is completely ok with this business using some of the additional parking spots. I'm sorry, but there is neighborhood parking for their students/ families, and they are not entitled to the whole lot when they only pay for a few spots. read more

My son has been in attendance at MMAC for more than 5 years now, and changes have certainly taken place within the organization. This dojo is deliberate in creating a balance between kata, kumite (sparring), and basics. It is also set as a traditional Japanese dojo teaching Wado Ryu Karate. This is not a cut-throat plaza mall dojo, like the Cobra Kai in "Karate Kid", that teaches students to harm each other and fight as a primary resource to resolving a physical confrontation. If you are looking for a fight club, look elsewhere. That being said, my son specializes in fighting here and does very well. He has participated in over 30 tournaments in AZ, CA, UT, CO, and NV. He has won several of these, and usually medals at every event. He is part of a competition team that takes extra time to train in fighting and competing. I am confident in his abilities. The dojo is restructuring, and growing, and all for the better. It has the best workshops, training clinics, guest speakers, and REAL tournament training by far. I couldn't be more proud to recommend it to anyone looking for polished and professional, traditional Japanese technique and practical self-defense instruction. read more

I heard they complained about the seasonal Christmas tree's being sold in the PARKING LOT! it's only for one month! Go cry about in your office don't ruin our family plans. read more

My daughter really enjoys karate here and we do like the owner Sensi Rick or I would switch to another martial arts center. The classes are led mostly by brown and black belt teenagers. Add to the frustration that rates were increased this year AND the class times were cut to 40 minutes...which is not even an entire 40 minutes because class ends and the next class starts at the exact same time. There are so many kids in each class, that 40 minutes (realistically 35 minutes, if that) are not sufficient to give anyone any real karate instruction. There are two Saturday classes, but you never known which weekends those are going to fall on until the schedule comes out. After we signed up and were told "no hidden costs," we were charged $100 dojo fee several months later in January - turns out, on top of the monthly tuition, students are also required to pay an annual dojo fee. And you cannot put your "non" membership on hold for the summer, though the dojo regularly schedules weeks of no classes for spring break, fall break and any other break the Sensi Rick so chooses (all while requiring students to pay the full tuition). If you are looking for karate lessons, I would go somewhere that has classes longer than 35 minutes and taught by the dojo owner...or at least taught by a multiple degree black belt. read more

Do research on karate and compare schools. This school puts emphasis on katas and teaches very little sparring. Ranks are questionable at best. If you want to do nice katas and you do not care about learning real karate or practical self defense this school may work for you. This school is also not at many locals tournaments, red flag. Took my child out and put them in another school. He's now having to relearn everything and realizing they could have gotten really hurt becouse they thought they were learning self defense. It's dangerous. But, if you want to exercise and learn Kata dancing and point sparring this could be a good fit, otherwise please do your homework.Teenagers are doing most the teaching. Or adults with new black belts. read more

MMAC is an asset to the Ahwatukee community, providing traditional martial arts training where discipline is learned and advancement is earned. This is a traditional Japanese dojo, where everyone doesn't get a medal and you don't buy your child's blackbelt in 2 years; enablement, entitlement, and excuses are not tolerated. My son has been training with the Sensei's of MMAC since 2006, starting in their program held at the Ahwatukee YMCA at the age of 7. Anyone who has met my son will attest to his maturity, balance, and discipline, and I attribute much of that learned behavior to his dedicated training at MMAC. read more

Enrolling our son here three years ago is one of the best decisions my husband & I have made. Our then seven year old boy was having difficulties behaviorally in school & we did not know what to do to help him. Sensei Rick has been in the community for over 35 years & his guidance along with the other Senseis', parents' & families' there has been invaluable. There is a sense of community, family, discipline, self confidence & pride. I'm not going to tell you that we enrolled our son & everything has been perfect ever since because, if you have kids, you know that is not realistic. However, we have been able to turn to the Senseis (similar I think to turning to a trusted coach on a sports team) when situations arise & the support & insight Sensei Rick has from over 35 years of training kids is wonderful. As far as sparring & katas go, there are dedicated classes during the week to each, in addition to monthly competition training & competition team (extra but worth it!) training. It is of note that as kids get older the katas are explained more & more as to how they translate to self defense & practical terms. If you do your research on Wado Ryu karate, the katas are extremely disciplined, as is sparring. The movements are concise & to the point. There is definitely an emphasis on technique, but I have only seen positive effects from that. The school has been increasing it's presence at competitions but we were not overly concerned with that as we did not enroll our son for showmanship, we enrolled him for discipline, self confidence & self defense. The rates are reasonable to us when we factor in that they are flat monthly rates with no test/belt fees, no rate increases for utilizing more class time, etc. There is an additional annual fee that is explained up front. I don't feel that it is any more expensive than any other extra curricular activities or sports. This is an investment in our child's future, self confidence, self discipline, & safety. read more

My son started at MMA just over a year ago. He was having trouble with "bullies" at school and issues with self esteem. I had tried other karate schools, however the classes were so large and overwhelming that we didn't stay long. There was no individual attention, just instructors going through the motions. Sensei Rick, Sensei Ian and Sensei Zack have had such positive influences on my son. All of the instructors at MMA are excellent regardless of their age and their rank, As a parent, I could not be happier with the level of professionalism and instruction my son is receiving. Every single instructor knows my son by name and they each go out of their way to interact with him. This is a critical component of what makes MMA such an outstanding school. The focus on discipline and traditional karate is exceptional; the kids are taught self discipline, self control, motivation, respect for others and teamwork. I've seen some reviews that imply that there is a lack of "fighting" at MMA, this is a misrepresentation of what karate is and should be. Learning how to avoid a fight is every bit as important as being able to have the self confidence to stand up for yourself when the need arises. Fighting and self defense are one aspect of what MMA teaches and one aspect of martial arts in general; it should not be the only focus. This school is well rounded; fighting is taught yet not overemphasized. I have no doubt that my son could hold his own during any confrontation that came his way; he would also have the discipline to walk away as well. MMA teaches this balance, which to me, is critically important. MMA focuses on the skills kids will need to achieve higher goals in life as well as a black belt that actually carries weight and has meaning; to achieve a black belt at MMA is not easy; and nothing in life that is worth doing should ever come easy. If you are looking for a well rounded dojo, a family environment, skilled teaching as well as a disciplined instruction this is the place to go. read more

As a parent and also a student of this dojo for the past four years, I have found MMAC to be a rigorous and challenging dojo while simultaneously being an environment of support and encouragement. Here, belts are earned, not given - and every achievement is purely based off of hard work and persistence. The upper belts are committed to helping out any student and they provide extra assistance when needed. Overall, this dojo has become part of my extended family. read more

It makes me laugh when I see a mixed review of Mountainside Martial Arts because some parents are clueless in their understanding of what karate truly is. These are the same people who blame school teachers for their child's poor grades and who yell at the coach for benching their unruly son. If you want your kid to fight in a cage match on TNT someday this is not the place for you. If you feel that constructive criticism is detrimental to your child's self-esteem, this is not the place for you. If you expect your kid to show up on occasion and get a black belt in a year or two, this is definitely not the place for you. However, if you want your child to embrace the principles of honesty, discipline, commitment, and honor - this is where you want to be. My son has been attending MMA for almost a year and his transformation from a shy, timid little boy into a strong, confident young man is unmistakable. At this point, karate has found its place in the center of everything that he does and his experience here has surpassed my wildest expectations. If you would like to know the essence of what MMA represents, come in and ask about some of the students who have earned their black belts here. These are the class valedictorians, the scholarship recipients, and the student leaders who have EARNED everything they have achieved in life. They are everything you would want your child to aspire to - and the superior character of these young men and women is not a coincidence. read more

My son and I have attended Mountainside Martial Arts for almost two years and love it! If you are looking for in-depth instruction on all aspects of martial arts, including sparring and self-defense, then this is the place for you. The staff is top-notch, extremely professional and are always there to help. The owner makes you feel like you belong to an extended family! Unlike other fly-by-night schools, belts are earned, not given. If you achieve a black belt then believe me, it means something. I would recommend Mountainside Martial Arts to everyone! read more