this review is long overdue as we have been EVOMAA members since early 2015. full disclosure: my husband went to college with Mr. Brandon, one of the co-owners, who invited us to bring our then four-year-old son in for a free lesson. our son took to it quite naturally and we signed up! he's moved through the tiny tigers program and is now on his way to the black belt club as part of the hapkido jrs program. our youngest son started the mini cubs program over the summer; my husband takes adult hapkido when his work schedule allows.
in the last three years, our lives have been enriched in several ways. i have made more than a few close friends, which as a full-time stay-at-home mom, can sometimes be difficult, lol. it's been nice to have other parents to lean on and commiserate with during the hour-long classes 2-4x a week, you know? to watch our oldest son gain both skill and confidence has been an ongoing joy - the instructors, especially Mr. Jason, have high expectations, are firm but warm in their teaching style, and know how to balance the strict standards with fun activities. His style in particular is well-suited to how our son learns best - we also find it to complement our own parenting style at home, so the consistency is appreciated.
EVOMAA goes beyond martial arts instruction and spends some time during each class talking about important values, character traits, and lifestyle changes with the kids. they talk about how to be a good student, how to act responsibly and respectfully at home, and how to take care of their bodies (our youngest son loves to say, "no vegetables, no class!") so they can perform to their best abilities. the connections between what the kids do on the mat and at school and at home is definitely something we haven't seen at the boys' other extracurricular activities.
beyond classes, another aspect of EVOMAA we really like is how they celebrate the students' achievements. belt tests and ceremonies take place every couple of months. I cry at every single one! when the students pass their exam, they take part in a ceremony the next day where they receive their new belts. Mr. Jason and Mr. Brandon always give a speech commending the students' progress and effort and often give special recognition to those who showed exemplary work. Sometimes the demo team puts on a performance of skills and tricks, which they choreograph themselves. It's really something you have to see for yourself. They also give us parents regular updates and relevant information - in fact, EVOMAA provides everything we need to know via email, text notifications, and on its website, which is super helpful for busy families! They also respond timely if you have additional concerns.
most recently, we threw our youngest son's 4th birthday party at the studio. to say it was a huge success would be an understatement! the entire EVOMAA team made the whole party so easy for us. there were three instructors on the mat and they led the kids through an obstacle course, warm ups, agility/balance/speed relays, basic hapkido forms (six positions, punches, stances, rolls, kicks, etc.), and games. to witness 28 kids of all ages be fully engaged and actively participating for more than an hour was extremely impressive. Mr. Jason shows a command over both children and adults that I have only seen in past life as an elementary school teacher: the children listen intently and respond with the same respect he shows them. the parents of our son's classmates at the party were extremely impressed with the quality of the entertainment/activity and with the ease in which the party handled serving pizza and birthday donuts to a table full of hungry, excited children. an added bonus is the certificate for six free classes so that each child that participated at the party can come back for a real class!
TL;DR - joining EVOMAA is one of the best things we've done for our children and we are grateful for their continuing influence on our sons' health, self-esteem, and positive attitude. read more