I originally met Sensei Gagne 31 years ago. I have been privileged to be taught by him and his…read moreinstructor Sensei Coffman. There are no harder working traditional karate instructors anywhere I have ever seen. Believe me, I have looked. But it is more than that. They are also decent, compassionate and most importantly humble men. I have the highest respect for both of them. With all that said, this is REAL karate. The strikes are true and effective. You will actually learn to defend yourself if you ever find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance. Interestingly I learned that I did not really know how to fight as well as I had thought when I first started. Something you don't come to understand until you meet someone like Sensei Gagne and his years of expertise and dedication to the art and craft of Karate. I highly recommend that if you are interested in learning martial arts that you take a look at the Okinawan Temple. I would also suggest that you take a look at other schools in the area and watch really carefully too. You'll see that was is being taught at the Okinawan Temple is much much much more effective, even to the untrained eye. We, all of who have taken Karate with Sensei Gagne, are honored and privileged to be taught by one of todays greats in martial arts. I can not recommend the school enough. One last thing. I, myself, have never had to use what I have been taught to any other degree but as to diffuse a situation. Much of that I attribute to the confidence gained from Sensei Gagne. I have, on occasion, had to use some force. But it was minimal as the opposition quickly learned that I actually had some knowledge of fighting. That I can only credit to Sensei Gagne and Sensei Coffman.

I first started training at the Okinawan Temple Karate Studio in 2003 when I was 16 years old. This…read morewas my first experience in a professional martial arts setting. Let me preface this was a personal background: My plan was to join the Marine Corps shortly after High School. I felt that martial arts training would instill discipline, help get me into shape, and prepare me for the combative aspect of joining the Marines. I did not realize HOW MUCH the training I received at the Okinawan Temple would carry into my military career, not only through boot camp and Infantry training, but to a combat deployment to Fallujah, Iraq in 2006. "Muscle memory" was something I was already familiar with as a student under Sensei Gagne's direction. Having a "combat mindset" and "situational awareness" were all terms and mindsets I had already embraced, thanks to my training at the Okinawan Temple. Since having trained at the Okinawn Temple, I have never had to utilize my karate training against someone outside of a monitored atmosphere. Not once. I've had people get in my face and attempt to get me to throw down, but when they look me in the eyes, they see something they've probably never truly seen before: Confidence. Fearlessness. Inside, I'm shaking, because that's what adrenaline does to the body, but outside, I'm cool as a cucumber, thanks to Sensei Gagne's training. Even after several years of being outside the loop, my body KNOWS what to do, thanks to the muscle memory type of military training that Sensei Gagne instills. It is really incredible. Sensei Gagne's leadership abilities are unquestionable and top notch. I have seen him work with young, young children, all the way to senior citizens. Sensei Gagne is patient, compassionate, and humble; all qualities of a true warrior. He will never show frustration, anger, or impatience. He works with men and women of all backgrounds, skill sets, and levels of athleticism. If you enter his dojo with an open mind, you WILL take something away. That's what kept me going back 3 - 4 days a week for almost two years straight. I kept learning more and more, not only about the martial arts, but about my own body, the human psyche, and what happens to us when we are in high stress situations. You will NOT find "Angry Old Men" or Black Belt Bullies at this Dojo! Some dojos are indeed run by huge weight lifters with a "martial arts" background. They have their pack of higher level students that they use to beat on the new students in an attempt to break them. The Okinawan Temple is a dojo built upon RESPECT and HUMILITY. Sensei Gagne is NOT a bully, nor would he ever allow bullies to be promoted within his ranks. We trained HARD. We were training for real life situations against potentially life threatening attackers. But never, not once, did I feel that the higher authorities within the dojo were out to break any of us. Never. The leadership encouraged us to work at our own pace, and we did. But when you look up and see a 40-something-year-old-man sweating right through his uniform, giving 150%, striving to reach a new level of athleticism and discipline, well, you can't help but want to fall in line right behind that attitude, whether you're 70 or 17. The martial artists that I've met at the Okinawan Temple are truly inspiring individuals. People who want to learn how to "beat someone up" or "do back flips" do not last very long. They do not fit in with Sensei Gagne's level of practicality and the way he trains his students to be prepared not only physically, but mentally, for life threatening situations. Go sit in on a class. Watch the discipline and the hard work Sensei Gagne's students put in. You will see an elite level of martial arts mastery that is incredibly hard to find in this part of the country. This truly is a place where highly trained, disciplined, humble warriors are created. This is not a day care for kids or play time for adults; you go there to train. Sweat a little bit. It'll do your body good.

Sensei Rui has been training my daughter for three years now. He is old-school martial arts, the…read morereal thing. He cares about his students. Yes it is a business, but a business that is built on integrity, loyalty and professionalism. He doesn't hand out lollipops to the kids and adults in this dojo. He doesn't want to just take your money and turn out a student that thinks they know what to do but really doesn't. He wants the outcome to be faultless. He trains his students to be respectful of the practice. My daughter loves him and doesn't want to miss any classes - she goes to training 4x a week and loves it. It's a second family to her. Her confidence has immensely improved, and she is jacked now from all the hard work. She has placed first multiple times in her age category at martial arts tournaments under his tutelage. He has infinite patience when needed, but tough love when called for. This school and Mr. Rodrigues is no joke; he is very capable and competent. You will be hard pressed to find another instructor that is as competent and caring as Sensei Rui.

The kbox and bag classes here are amazing!!! You won't get a better workout. I absolutely love it!read more

Great self defense class!! Great information on how to avoid an attack and realistic technics on…read morewhat to do if it happens...you definitely leave feeling more prepared than when you walked in...these two hours could save your life...would highly recommend for everyone

From the owner: We provide the best self-defense and martial arts instruction to all ages. read more

Excellent Martial Arts school. My son loves it. We were…read morereferred by a school friend and never looked back. It is a family run business and all classes are run by family members . Each instructor excels in teaching techniques and also respect and values.They show dedication and passion. There are varied class times to fit most schedules. The school manages to maintains very reasonable tuition costs. Also worth mentioning they are very active in the community and annually put together Thanksgiving dinners for those in need once again teaching kids the importance of helping people.

Sadly, I was never able to experience an actual class at American Martial Arts, and it was a…read moretremendous disappointment to say the least. I was so excited about attending my first class, as my life is so incredibly busy and I was thrilled to think that I had potentially found a wonderful place to relax. My first class was setup by Kerri, who was an employee at American Martial Arts. We had been in contact for months, but my schedule was so busy that I simply didn't have time to connect. When I realized that there was finally an opening in my otherwise hectic schedule, I immediately reached out to Kerri. We were able to schedule a class, and I was beyond excited. On the day of the class, I nervously entered their facility and was immediately impressed by the size. There was a lot of activity all around, but I found what I thought to be the Reception desk and waited while the woman behind the desk finished with a group that was there. I observed a upbeat and friendly conversation amongst them, and waited patiently for them to finish. Once done, I stepped up to a smiling woman who, upon seeing me, suddenly looked surprised, if not shocked. I was a bit thrown off by her sudden change in demeanor, with her smile completely leaving her face and that smile becoming what could best be described as a scowl. The energy in that space and in that moment became negative and unbalanced, in a way that was uncomfortable. What came next should not have surprised me as the woman's facial expressions were absolutely leading up to it. The now "smile-less" woman looked at me and said "do you need something"? No hello, no niceties, just "do you need something"? I barely knew how to respond, but one thing was abundantly clear, this wasn't a place where I was welcome and I felt an overwhelming need to leave immediately. I attempted to respond with a full sentence, but I was too taken aback to even think, I asked the woman if she could please let Kerri know that I had stopped by, as I had absolutely no intention of spending even another minute there. I then began to leave, but of course this exchange would not be complete without the requisite sarcasm that is to be expected from someone who greets a potential customer in such a manner. No surprise here. When I went home and told my husband what happened, he calmly and quietly explained that I did the right thing by leaving immediately. He said "babe, that wasn't a place for you, and that woman at the front desk was making sure you understood that you were not welcome.". Of course I understood exactly what he meant, but it still saddens me to my very core that people of color are not always welcome. I never, ever, ever pull the race card, but something went very wrong at this place of business, and that woman seeing my face in person ignited it. There was no hiding her contempt and obvious disdain for me, she didn't even try, and I am guessing that she behaves this way because someone has set the tone for that behavior within this place of business.

Let me start by saying I'm not one to write reviews. However, Mastery of Smithfield deserves one…read more We joined a year and half ago with a kid who was shy and quite. We were not sure if he would like it, so we attended the free week and we quickly saw him wanting to go to class thanks to Mr. Bolte, Ms. Sjostedt and Mr. West. They made him feel welcome every time he was there. He is now part of the leader ship program and loves participating. We recently had a parent teacher meeting at school and every teacher express how he is always working hard, always the 1st one to do what is require in class. Mastery Martial Arts, has help assure the things that we as parents encourage him. Thank you for running an incredible program, creating future leaders.

I cannot say enough good things about Mastery Martial Arts, not only as a whole but the team at…read moreSmithfield has been awesome with my boys. Mr. West takes the time to help my boys with not only the struggles during class but if there are struggles on the home front as well. Ms. Sjostedt holds the kids accountable for their actions on and off the mat. The amount of self esteem and confidence and maturity that has been seen in both the boys over the last few years has been wonderful to see. I am astounded and dumbstruck at points in conversations or when we are doing things around the house. I find myself constantly thinking "who is this person and when did they get so smart and mature" or I watch them take it upon themselves to do chores without me asking. I could go on and on, the bottom line is that I owe a lot to Mr. West and Ms Sjostead for helping my kids and the Mastery program.

My son has been at Pathway Karate for 3 years. He is a HS student now, enjoys karate, and has been…read morepracticing for almost 10 years now. Pathway is an amazing place and Sensei Mark is an outstanding, patient and lively teacher. I definitely recommend Pathway as a place for anyone's child to attend and learn the art of karate.

From the owner: Pathway Karate Academy is a family centered Karate school located in the Smith Hill section of…read moreProvidence, RI. We are the Hombu Dojo of Nihon Koden Shindo Ryu the only US practicing location under So-Shihan Felton Messina. We offer: Youth Classes (Ages 5+) Teen Classes Adult Classes Non Violent Self Defense Classes (Coming Soon) After School Program (Opens January) Summer Programs