My son started taking karate at Rock Solid Karate when he was 4 years old. We were looking for an activity that would give him exercise until he was old enough for other sports. It turned out to be so much more! My son is now 12 and has his 2nd degree black belt. He has learned to be a better person through his training...with integrity, self-control, and self-confidence. He is physically fit and continues to enjoy the classes. Because of Rock Solid Karate, friendships have developed that will last a lifetime. It just feels like family. read more

This is such a wonderful karate studio! They focus on teaching kids discipline, confidence, and respect while learning martial arts and having fun. My son is in the after school program and it is amazing. They pick him up from school, train him in martial arts, and then keep a safe/fun environment until I can pick him up after work. I love knowing my kiddo is learning great life skills in a caring, family friendly environment! read more

I would not recommend this to anyone. Yes the training is good. But they will not let you out of your contract unless you move or become disabled. My son was no longer interested in karate anymore and we couldn't afford it anymore due to a job change. But now we are stuck paying for something we no longer use and something we can't afford which screws my family out of out food budget for the month. read more

Excellent and well maintained studio, Very friendly Instructors who are willing to help, and there are times when you learn things you can use over your entire lifetime. Overall, this place is amazing and I would definitely recommend it for both kids and adults. read more

Rock Solid Karate - Martial Arts Near Me - Gainesville, Georgia

Five stars all day every day. We started going to karate 4 yrs ago. Love the friendships we have made over the years. Rock Solid Karate is AMAZING! We joined as a family...our girls have attended the after school program for years. The owners and instructors are wonderful. They truly care about my girls and have been such a positive influence on all of us! Definitely recommend Rock Solid! read more

I've been a student at Rock Solid Karate since the summer of 2011. I chose to go with this particular studio after doing a review of the options available in the Hall county area. I wanted a studio that would truly push me to give my all and then some. I didn't want to end up in a "McDojo" where there isn't quality instruction or standards. For my goals, Rock Solid certainly delivers. I've gotten into the best shape of my life training there and have made great friends in the process. The instructors know their stuff and cross train in other disciplines (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) which results in our receiving really well rounded instruction. Because there's a strong emphasis on physical fitness there's a weekly bootcamp style class that provides a full body workout and compliments the traditional martial arts classes. Overall I can't say enough good things about the school. They've really helped martial arts to become a core part of who I am as a person. My only regret is not starting to train sooner. :-) If your goal is to learn quality martial arts, get into great shape and make friends for life in the process, I can't recommend Rock Solid Karate enough. read more

I've been a student at Rock Solid Karate for over 4 1/2 years and would recommend them wholeheartedly! Originally, I was more interested in introducing my son to karate for the additional benefits of self-control and confidence that it would provide, however, I began to see it as a terrific means of getting/keeping in shape. Who couldn't benefit from that?! Firstly, the instructors are wonderful. They are warm and guiding. Their teaching styles are a little different, so it's very easy to find one who "meshes" with your way of learning. They are also quite patient...believe me, I've tested a few of them over the years as I'm not the swiftest learner. Secondly, the facility is nice and parking is rarely an issue. It's spacious and they keep it clean. They have the workout area walled off so that the students have fewer distractions, yet the viewers can see and hear via a speaker system what is going on in the class. Thirdly, they also offer a fitness class, in addition to MMA. The fitness class is a boot camp-styled workout that varies on the whim of the instructor, which keeps us from getting bored. The workouts are designed to push the students to work hard each week. If MMA is your cup of tea, they offer instruction on that as well. My son and I really enjoy Rock Solid Karate. It's been great for both of us. read more

I want every person out in the general public to know what the owner of this Karate business does that is extremely unethical and disturbing. When you sign yourself or your child up for classes at this martial arts studio located in Gainesville, GA, please BE CAREFUL and READ THE FINE PRINT on the contracts your given to sign. When little Johnny is excited to go for martial arts training, it is easy to get wrapped up in the excitment so much that the parent does not read the fine print that the owner, has written in those contracts. When we signed our child up for karate classes, we chose the one year contract option. The company then makes automatic withdrawls out of your account - no big deal, that is how most businesses do it. HOWEVER, when I informed this owner that our child did not want to return to karate anymore (after being in classes for over two years), he shruggs me off to the company that collects the payments, saying that it was "their decision." WRONG, I subsequently discovered that it was indeed his decision. Mistake number one is that he shrugged me off to someone else. When I called that "someone else" on two different occasions, I left voice mail messages and that "someone" never returned calls either. So owner (Mr. Sandt) shruggs me off, then the "someone else" shruggs me off. The worse part? This is the most important part . . . . I was informed that the contract deadline cutoff date was the second week of July 2011. Since I called the owner to cancel classes on FOURTH WEEK OF JULY, I was told I would have to pay a WHOLE YEAR OF MONTHLY PAYMENTS because I notified them to cancel less than two weeks after the contract expired. So lets get this straight - contract expires second week of July 2011. I call you to cancel at the end of July 2011. Owner tells me I missed the deadline date to cancel the contract, so I must pay a WHOLE YEAR MORE until July 2012 !?!? You got that right folks! My child has not been to this martial arts studio since July 2011 and this owner feels like I notified him too late (by two weeks) to cancel, so he charged me a whole other year of payments. By the way, I am not the only parent that has had this problem with this owner's way of doing business. I have had contact with four other parent families who have expressed disappointments in how this owner does business. I do believe that a contract is a contract, and I ALWAYS honor contracts, but one never knows what tomorrow brings, and to make a parent pay a whole year of payments when their child no longer goes there for the simple fact that you missed the cutoff date by less than two weeks is absurd and unethical, in my humble opinion. Please, please consider going to another martial arts studio. There are a few we've located that DONT MAKE YOU SIGN CONTRACTS that are decent, fun and engaging for children. This martial arts studio is not the only one. Was the training worth it, you ask? In all fairness, the training was good. They are really good at their job, but I cannot predict what tomorrow brings. If we lose our job next month, this martial arts studio will NOT let you out of your contract either. If you fall on hard times, with the exception of moving far away or becoming disabled, this martial arts studio will make you pay out the remainder of your contract, no ands ifs or buts. I will pay this owner what he claims I owe, but please consider attending another martial arts studio that is just as good without ridiculous, lengthy contracts. Thanks for your time in reading this review. I wrote it with nothing but the sincerest intentions to warn other parents out there about the way this martial arts studio does business. read more

First let me say that I've never taken the karate class, I have only done the mma. I started here when the mma class first started. They had a different instructor that wasnt part of the sandt family. He was very judo-centric and although he was a very good coach he had some holes in his game. I was happy with him but it wasn't the best instruction. Kind of like training with a karo Parisian type of trainer. After a while the younger sandt brother took over the class with his older brother Lee helping out. Now this is the shit! These boys are for real. lee is a multi world karate champion and makes his style of striking a lot like lyoto machida. Both brothers are a bit like this, very elusive. The younger brother is a great boxer and has top level BJJ. They teach a style that is like lyoto machida with better jits! Definitely the best MMA instruction in this area. Give them a try! read more

My two children started karate at Rock Solid at ages 3 and 5, and both now have their first degree black belts. SO many rewards... self control, respect, physical fitness, self confidence. Every test, every tournament, brings a huge sense of accomplishment because they really have to work for it. I've found that youth sports can get a little crazy with coaches/parents behaving badly and missing the big picture. What I love about Rock Solid is that the instructors are truly dedicated to each student achieving their best... and there is also a team/family atmosphere among the parents. Everyone encouraging each other to succeed. read more