While I don't know much about any other Karate Schools, I can tell you that Seichou Karate is…read moreabsolutely amazing for children. Richard Romero takes a fatherly approach to each child focusing on their mental and physical development. He teaches Karate and life lessons with a passion for making children better not only at Karate but life as well. Additionally, he doesn't give his students anything and makes them put in the work and truly earn their next belts. If you are looking to enroll your kids in Karate, you really should check this Dojo out. Richard Romero is exceptional and the reason we drove 20min plus several nights a week for our kids to attend. I really am at a lost for words on how lucky we were to find this Karate Dojo!

This past weekend we had an awesome birthday party for our now five year old son. He and all of…read morehis guests (and parents) were very impressed by the entire experience the dojo provided. Thank you. We are also thankful for the photos and all the other extra touches the staff and Shihan Romero provided. We will highly recommend the dojo to others.

https://youtu.be/g90i2epDE8U…read more I just completed the 3 week course with Sifu Michael Speights! Learning from him is more then learning an form of self defense, learning from him increase OVERALL self improvement! You body and mind will be inspired and tested as you learn one of China's greatest art forms. He's the real deal, and his teacher was taught by the REAL MASTER YIP MAN. I am humbled, and eager to continue.

Sifu Mike is a very knowledgeable. His genuine enthusiasm for Wing Chun makes him a great teacher…read more With him YOU WILL WORK HARD and become an overall better person in the process.

If you care about the safety of your child, do not patronize this business. If you wish to trust…read moreyour child with a staff that accepts accountability for accidents if/when they arise, then do not waste your time here. Long story, short, I witnessed my son being kicked and punched several times by another student, and it was never acknowledged or addressed by the staff. When I attempted to make the instructors (and management) aware of this, the response was lackluster at best. Let me paint the full picture of my dismay... My experience with this business is a classic case of what happens when you don't heed red flags when you should. Let me start by stating how excited I was to learn about Northeast Taekwondo about a year and a half ago. A few of my son's friends (slightly older) had attended and it is very close to our house and school. So after reading the Yelp reviews, I called and spoke to someone who advised me that the 3 year old group was full, and that he would put us on the wait list for when my son got closer to 5 (which was this September). I received a call about a year later, advising me that a spot had opened up, but when I confirmed my son's age (4 at this point), he said that he made a mistake and that we should expect another call in late August or so. Despite the confusion, we were content, having already enrolled my son in Aikido classes across town. So come early September, since I had not heard from the company, I got proactive and attempted to reach them by phone several times (5-6 times). I left a few messages, and never received a call back. I am a stickler about businesses returning customer inquiries in a timely fashion, so once I did not hear back, I wrote them off as unworthy of my business. A few weeks later, I finally received a call back advising me of open slots and an orientation happening on 9/25. When I advised Mr. O'Kelly of the un-returned calls, he never acknowledged the oversight or apologized; he simply implied that it was my fault by stating that it was best that I email in the future. Despite these small deals, I decided to still attend the orientation; mainly because of how close the facility is to our home and the kids' school. Right now we travel 30 minutes across town during rush hour, and I was looking to cut down on the commute. I also was excited about the prospects of starting my 3 year old out too. Anyway, we arrived for the orientation, and no one explained that the parents were supposed to sit, while the kids were to gather and participate out on the mats. The staff member who greeted us with the contract saw my son sitting next to me and never suggested he join the group. After a few minutes, when I saw other kids his age participating in street clothes I asked about it and only then was I advised that he should join in. This placed him in the back of class, where the instructors paid little attention to what was going on. My son ended up lined up next to an unruly child who was running around, being wild and disrupting the class. The instructors spent a lot of time trying to reel him in, but as their attention went back to the older, more skilled kids in the front of the room, they totally missed this child practice-punching and kicking my son. My son calmly asked him to stop, and after doing it a few more times, the unruly child found other ways to get in trouble. But never once did the instructors notice what happened, and address it. Another staff member was discussing payment with us in the back of the room, and when I stood up to address the punching and kicking, he basically ignored me. Because, the other child had ran to the front of the room, and left my son alone, I allowed my son to finish the lesson. So this was about 20-30 minutes in. The kids continued to do group technique drills and individual strikes on instructors with mats. It was then that I noticed that little to no attention was being paid to the kids in the middle and back of the room, and especially not the kids who were struggling. My son's form or lack of focus at times was never noticed or corrected and I just felt like his needs had fallen through the cracks since he was not either acting bad or overachieving. My husband and I walked away from the experience knowing that we would not be back, especially since our experience at DC Aikido has been the exact opposite. That said, I felt it necessary to bring these issues to the attention of the business owner, who was not present at orientation. So, I emailed him (per his request) and in as nice a way as possible, I voiced my concerns. Mr. O'Kelly simply stated that "it's not ideal for everyone." He never acknowledged/addressed the real issues at hand - namely the safety of my child, the negligence of his staff, and the promise to do better in the future. So, my family and I will steer way clear of Northeast Taekwondo and instead spend our time and money patronizing DC Aikido as we have for the past year.

I went with my sister yesterday for the Tiny Tigers class. For kids between 2 and 4. My nephew is…read morein the class and the 3 instructors teaching it are totally amazing with these kids. I can't believe the things they have them doing. The class is 30 minutes and the amount of work they do in that time is really cool. I would defiantly recommend anyone to take there tiny tiger there and get enrolled. Learning discipline at a young age is always good.

I can't recommend Warrior Fusion Karate highly enough! My daughter has been practicing with Sensei…read morePatrick for around two years, and it has been a fantastic experience. She feels challenged and supported and is so much more self-confident. Sensei truly cares about each child and helps them become their best selves, both in karate and in life. Five stars!

Best place to learn karate for your children. My daughter absolutely has gain a lot more confidence…read moreand awareness since she joined in April 2017. Sensai Patrick is an amazing instructor, knowledgeable, patience and fierce. I highly recommend this place for your children.

Perhaps this is great studio for some, but if you have physical disabilities, this is not the…read morestudio for you. If you are trans, this is *explicitly* not the place for you. Sifu Paul Ramos called me a "primadonna" for respecting the limits my physical therapist had suggested given severe muscular issues. That alone would be rude, but sometimes people are rude. However, something to consider if you have injuries or disabilities that prevent you from moving in the way he expects you to be able to move. Sifu Paul Ramos, also, in what was simultaneously to my novice eyes a masterstroke of tàijíquán and literally illegal, said this to me as I was angrily explaining to him that he violated DC law governing public accommodations for trans people by repeatedly referring to me, a very femme trans woman, as male on three out of the four times I attended. If it weren't illegal, it would have been excellent technique; redirecting my anger back at me towards a vulnerability he knew I had about my physical impairment. Then, as my anger grew, he passive-aggressively wished me well "with the chip on my shoulder." Again, excellent technique. The classes seemed nice and generally very accessible to beginners such as myself, so maybe it's the right place for you. It grieves me that Sifu Paul Ramos went out of his way to ensure it was not the right place for me.

Sifu Paul is an outstanding teacher in the truest sense of the word. He is patient, highly…read moreknowledgeable, skilled and wise. He gets the very best out of each student. Please ignore the post by Emily. Her version of what occurred in class is highly inaccurate. I started classes with Paul two years ago with two bad knees, two bad shoulders and a bad back. I am now in the best shape of my life.

Trained here for almost four years and was approaching my shodan test. I used to think of aikido as…read moremy organizing principle. That all changed when a third-degree black belt instructor dropped me on my head. He was showing off for his buddy, the chief instructor. Both those men are no longer at this dojo, but regardless I cannot train any more as I used to - following my concussion, I tried to come back (after time off for recuperation). But after weeks/months of headaches, and trying various sorts of accommodations, my doctor strongly recommended that I discontinue training. Aikido may be called the "art of peace" and its practitioners may say that good ukemi will neutralize any throw. But it is still possible for a careless person to injure you badly. I used to think (see my previous review) that if I spoke up, was careful about whom I trained with, and practiced diligently, it would protect me from harm. Not true. Being a good driver does not always save you from the bad drivers. (I decided to update my old review, after much time and thought, so that newcomers will have a more complete picture. It's hard to ask questions of people who have left.) As with any endeavor: caveat emptor. Do your research. Visit multiple places and compare them, before you choose. Ask around - what is the reputation of the place you are considering? What is their record for follow-up when someone gets injured? How long have the most senior students been training at this place? Are classes made up of mostly newbies - i.e., does the student body turn over regularly, or are there a lot of stalwarts? How many black belts come to practice regularly? (an indication of whether the place continues to offer room for growth, once that first black belt has been attained). How often is the chief instructor present and instructing? What precautions are in place when junior (smaller/younger/inexperienced) students train with senior (stronger/faster/aggressive) students? How long has each teacher been teaching? (Being a skilled practitioner is not always the same as being a good teacher.) Pick your partners (and teachers) carefully. (Even if everyone says "but he's such a nice guy!" - if you break a collarbone because he attempted a too-ambitious throw, you will be the one in a sling, not the nice guy.) How often does the dojo host community events? Do senior staff/teachers show up for community events? I have visited from time to time. (I still hang out socially with many friends from here.) With all my heart I still miss the practice and the community I used to have. But I have had to step back from both.

NEEDED to find a social outlet for my 5-year old grandson while he is on an extended visit from out…read moreof state. NEEDED to find a safe, social, in-person way for him to spend time and energy with little people his own size. So perfectly pleased to have found DC Aikido --- perfect fit. He was hooked from the first class. 3x a week - in the dojo - with 30 minute sessions is exactly the right prescription. Right across the street from the Red Line Metro --- and free parking garage for drivers like us. The most important part: The instructors are amazing. Patient like saints but with an eye toward discipline. Great instruction at the 5-6 year old level mixed with discipline and exercise. The classes are very disciplined for spacing, too --- all of the students and staff are good about wearing their masks and keeping the students on "their own square" to keep social distance norms intact. So sorry my grandson is going home at the end of this month. Thank you, DC Aikido!

My children have been with Kaizen for about two years now and they've loved it. Now 10 and 7, Coach…read moreNina and the lead instructor, Coach V, have given them skills and focus, not to mention just the pure joy of learning the martial arts. Capitol Hill classes are held in the community hall at Washington Parish Christ Church on Saturdays.

Teacher is good on what he does, but not to great with beginners, no warm ups, sometimes he forgot…read moresome kids and focus on the ones they know more! Probably for adults it's great school but a real beginners he needs more patience. My kid was there and he missed two sessions and until now we haven't received a call or email on why he is not coming to class! Unprofessional business. Good luck.

After recently getting into capoeira, I have taken a few capoeira classes here. It is a lot of fun,…read morethe instructor is really knowledgeable and has been teaching capoeira in Brazil for years and now is teaching in DC. I had not done any martial arts before so this was a good way to start and I like that it is not full contact (no gloves, helmets, or pads needed) Capoeira isn't as commonplace as yoga or kickboxing here in DC but it is a really great cardio workout, and helps a lot with flexibility. Plus it incorporates the music and culture of Brazil so it is not just one-dimensional. They have classes here on Saturdays (kids' capoeira classes) and on Sundays (adult capoeira classes) and they also have classes at All Souls Church on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7 pm. I like that there are many days and times to choose from so it fits any schedule. Finally the rates are very reasonable especially if you buy an unlimited monthly pass.