★ 5

One of the best schools in the USA

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

If you want to learn traditional Uechi-Ryū Karate, this dojo is by far the best in the area. Mr. Thompson and his family—despite all their extraordinary accomplishments—embody a spirit of humility and generosity that speaks for itself. The teachers are all highly accomplished, knowledgeable, and precise in their instruction. The students are very welcoming toward newcomers, and are constantly pushing each other to improve. I cannot recommend this place enough.

Source: Google

★ 5

Wonderful, family-owned Dojo. The instructors are a mother, father, and son trio at the head, with other instructors as well who teach (the children at least) occasionally. They treated us like family from the start, and even though the class was large, one of the instructors or another was always there to step in and take aside a child that was struggling to give them some one-on-one instruction time.
They kept it interesting and fun for the kids, and the place was always very clean and pleasantly arranged/decorated. One entire wall is mirrors, so the students can see themselves at any angle to assure proper foting,etc. There is even a large locker room downstairs for the students to change in, and store their clothing.
When you sign up a child for the program, they give you a uniform as part of the signup, and they provide the belts when you raise to the next level.If you have more than one child, they will give you signup discounts. When my son's best friend wanted to try out karate, because he heard my son was having so much fun, I was given a voucher so that he could attend a couple of classes to see if he liked it enough to join. (he didn't, but it was kind of them to give him the chance)
A great place to get instruction, especially for children. classes have enough children in them that it is fun, and you won't have to worry that your child will fall behind, because the instructors are very attentive.

Source: Google

★ 5

I've had the opportunity to travel the country and train at a wide variety of Uechi-Ryu dojos and other martial arts schools and I can say without hesitation that this dojo is the best I've ever trained at.

Sensei Thompson's reputation among other martial artists in the country and the world is incredible. He is featured in martial arts books and I've even seen high-ranking martial artists ask for his autograph. When I mention that Sensei Thompson is my Sensei when visiting other dojos, I'm met with looks of admiration and am welcomed as an honored guest. The other instructors at the school are also highly-respected members of the martial arts community. I should note here, he is a humble man and this attention is not something he seeks (this humility is also a good indicator of a reputable martial arts instructor).

One of the ways you call tell a good karate martial arts school is by the number of high-ranking adults at the school and how long they've trained there. At this school, there is the largest concentration of high-ranking adults that I've ever seen. And many of them have been training for over 20 years. This says a lot; they've also had the opportunity to travel and visit other dojos and yet they keep coming back here.

Finally, as a petite female, I greatly appreciate the emphasis on real-life, applicable self-defense. So many dojos I've visited focus on competitions and getting promotions in rank as fast as possible and the students that go through these schools don't have actual self-defense skills. While I have progressed in rank at a steady pace here, the ability to confidently defend myself has been the true benefit. I've had friends and coworkers comment how calm and confident I am in a variety of very tense situations and I always say that it's because of the skills I've learned at this dojo.

Source: Google

★ 5

Been a student here on and off since 1998-ish. Consistent, professional instruction. Many of the same instructors throughout all the years. Small, family feel.

Source: Google

★ 5

I absolutely loved training here! It's authentic, and the instructors are very knowledgeable. It's a great workout as well! I recently moved away from Kalamazoo, and miss this place very much. People visit from all over the nation with a variety of martial arts backgrounds to train here.

Source: Google