Twin Dragon Kung Fu Academy

I know some families have a great experience here, but our experience was not positive. I guess it depends on the teacher. Be sure to observe the teacher carefully before signing up to see if they he/​she has the skills to work with children. The Sijo typically made a child cry every time he visited the classes we were involved in, and then would say loudly «I’m just trying to help you!» Some of his comments to the students were humiliating and borderline abusive. This does not demonstrate the concept of «respect.» Not sure if he’s trying to be funny with these comments, but it’s very uncomfortable to observe.

If your serious about learning the finer details of the art and practicality of Kung Fu, Escrima stick, weaponry and more then look no further than Sijo John Olivia and his team over at Twin Dragon.
From the youngest «Pee Wee» classes all the way up to Black belt and beyond
Twin Dragon has it all covered. Multiple class times, no contracts and no long commitments. It’s a Winner!

My daughter has been taking Kung-​Fu at TDKFA for almost a year and a half, and as I watch her develop an appreciation for martial arts, I also see how much she’s learning how to respect herself and others. That said, it inspired me to share her experience with our Daisy Scout Troop, so I planned a Daisy Scout meeting centered around the theme «Respecting Yourself and Others».
Sensei Rita, Sensei Kyle, Sensei Lissa, and one other lovely Sensei (I’m so sorry, I don’t recall the name) did a phenomenal job… beyond amazing. The Troop learned about martial arts philosophy tying in self-​defense and self-​protection. Sensei Rita spent a good amount of time talking to the troop about what it means to respect yourself by demonstrating disciplined power and strength (mentally and physically) while explaining to the Troop what it means to respect others (i.e., authorities like teachers, instructors, the Senseis who were teaching class today and last but not least, parents). Then all four instructors led the practical portion of the meeting, teaching the Troop the fundamentals of self-​protection.
A big, huge thank you goes to Sensei Rita and all the instructors. Beyond the meeting today, they always show such compassion and empower students to be their best. I’m thankful for TDKFA and happy that they will be a part of my daughter’s personal growth for years to come.

We ended up enrolling our son at Pure Shaolin Kung Fu in Belmont. My son LOVES that school. It is run by a husband and wife team and their nephew. They are true masters who started training from age 7. They are also wonderful with kids. What a great school. So glad we didn’t enroll here.

Great people and instructors. Clean and safe facility. Grest kids and tires them out and sleep like babies when home. Well done sensei :)

I thought martial arts were based on respect. Last night I witnessed aggressive behavior by an employee of this business. I seriously would not want my children taught by someone who behaves in this way. (This happened in October but I didn’t finish the review then).

Sifu John is an excellent instructor and person. My two girls and I attend here. I love Twin Dragon Kung Fu Academy because it is a very family oriented place and the staff is awesome. This place has become my second home. They really train the kids well to have discipline. Everything is really organized and you get a great workout while learning Kung Fu. I still strongly recommend Twin Dragon Academy for anyone considering martial arts lessons.

We just had 17 4^th graders here for a 2 ½ hour long birthday party.
WOW! What a blast! I have never seen an «organized» party come off so well, but still feel fun and light hearted — not forced or silly. It was perfect.
They had the whole thing beautifully organized in advance with games — games — games that kept those kids movin’ movin’ movin’. Two excellent senseis led the kids in the play activity, and they hardly repeated a game more than once. Nobody was bored. Nobody got hurt. Everybody had fun. We had 2 rooms — one for games, and one for food and presents and party stuff. Logistically, the space works great.
Some of the invited kids knew a bit of Kung Fu or Karate or Taekwon Do etc. Most had no background in martial arts at all. But all responded with smiles and their full attention. Twin Dragons does amazing «Group Play.» They totally get children. (They also teach adults — but I marvel at how well they «get» kids, without coddling them).
Honestly, if I ran a bigger team at work, I’d have Twin Dragons lead an offsite «play date for grownups.» Seriously. (hmm, would that include cupcakes???)
My daughter is a student here and loves the regular classes. We’ve also enjoyed their once-​a-​month «Kids’ Night Out» parties. So we decided to repeat that format for a birthday. It was great. Not something they’d done before (the longer-​format evening birthday), but they understood I wanted «Kid’s Night Out» format and they jumped at it with a positive, creative attitude.
Got active kids and don’t want to kill yourself organizing a party or activities for kids you don’t know well? Call Sensei Rita at Twin Dragons. Whatever the age group — from PeeWees on up through High School I imagine they’d handle it. Our 10 year olds were lovin’ it.
Two $$
Five ***** Fairly priced and worth every penny for the hands-​on «instruction» for a large group of kids.

This place is the BEST. My three and a half year old is completely in love with this place. She loves the instructors especially Sefu John, Rita, Brenda, and Dominic. She has learned several new techniques quickly and loves to brag about them to friends.
Also their ten drop in sessions card is great. No worries about missing a class because of sickness.
I would recommend this place to children/​adults of all ages. (They start them at three)

We moved to CA from out of state a year ago and my young son was unnerved by the change. At 6 years old, leaving everything and everyone he knew was tough. We made the transition as easy on him as we could, but his self-​confidence took a bit of a knock. This is where Twin Dragon comes in. We met with Sifu and he «interviewed» my little guy. He spoke to him as a person, not a little kid, and we agreed to try the Junior class. It was hard at first as my little guy was not used to the discipline, but he has thrived! He is now testing for his Orange Belt and we could not be happier, both with the personal skills he is learning, but also with the self-​confidence and care for others he is learning and modeling. He has been asked to help new students learn the basics (bow on, bow off, how to tie the belt) and is so proud every time he gets to do it!

I am a student at Twin Dragon and I can tell you that I love it! It is a great way for me to unwind after school. All of the instructors are excellent and I believe that they are as good as it gets. The head instructor, Sifu John, is an excellent instructor and I am proud to know him. As the other reviews have said, he can be a bit intimidating at first but he always tells us (the students) that he doesn’t raise his voice because he is mad, he does it so that we can hear him.
The martial arts at Twin Dragon are unlike some other schools because you actually need to work for your belt. When you are ready to test for your next belt, you are READY! It is very unlikely for anybody to fail their test. All of the instructors are dedicated to getting all students to their black belt and beyond.

Updated — 2÷2÷13
I should have written this years ago. My son started at Twin Dragon when he was 10 yrs. old and he’s been there a wonderful 5 years. I’m going to try to let you know what to expect… hang on, this is a long review!
Instructors: Most of the instructors have come up from within the school as students. The few exceptions are already skilled in martial arts and are required to excel at the forms taught here before they can teach them. While all are serious about this art, there is a kindness to students here that is really wonderful. Sifu can be loud, but he is also fair and truly cares about his students. Over the years, when my son’s interest diminished, Sifu would talk to him about why, and make changes to his instruction. Also, they never allow a child to take a belt test until they know the child will succeed.
In addition to Kung-​Fu; morality, honesty, and self-​respect are taught. When one student left a bullying note for another student, the student was reprimanded, and the class was stopped while Sifu explained that this was not acceptable, that this Dojo was a safe place for all, and that he expected better from his students. Sifu expects good grades, and will work with parents on encouraging this, as well as allowing the students to earn an «Academic Achievement» patch for their uniform.
Classes: Check out their website. I can’t speak to the Peewee classes, since my son began at the ripe old age of 10 ;-), but for the same monthly price, he can take a regular class every Tues. & Thurs. and on Sat. if he wishes. There are also extra classes he can do when interest & homework allow. There have been times over the years when it seems like he lives there! At the moment he is a green belt, and a Junior Instructor, so he’s helping to teach 2 Mon. classes.
What’s that I hear you saying? «5 years and he’s only a Green belt?»
Yes. And proud of it. In some schools, belts are given out regularly. Here, belts are given when the material for each belt has been mastered. Yes, it takes some time — but they’re getting exercise, focus, self confidence, and having fun as they work towards their next belt. My son has especially enjoyed sparring and re-​directions, and isn’t concerned with getting his next belt.
Extras:
Every year, Twin Dragon has a family picnic in a near by park, marches in the San Carlos Hometown Days Parade, and camps when school is out. They always offer special classes for Mother’s and Father’s Day to include parents who are game to try something new.
Once or twice a month, they offer a «Kids night out». There is a fee for this but it’s less than a sitter :-)
OK — whew! Just one more thing… if you want to chat, parent to parent, send me a message. Unilocal has filtered my review, but I’m a real Twin Dragon parent, and would be happy to chat.

My son took Peewee Karate classes there for a year and a half. He loved it. Sensei Mike is a natural with kids and is a great instructor. My son always had a smile on his face during class. After he got his Peewee orange belt, classes got a bit more serious and my son eventually lost interest in it, so we left, but we would definitely recommend.

So, my son is now 9 and taking lessons from Sifu John. He’s a bit tough with the kids in class (even though he’s really a big softie) but he gets a lot out of the kids and they really respect him. My daughter is now 6 and has been taking lessons from Sensei Mike for 3 years. She is doing great and has learned a lot, and really enjoys the classes. I still strongly recommend Twin Dragon Academy for anyone considering martial arts lessons.

High, High marks from me! If you are looking for a positive, effective martial arts academy for your kids, I strongly say you can feel comforatable signing up. My 6 and 10 year old boys have been in this program for a little over a year and it has been a very positive experience.
Sifu John, who runs the place, is tough and sometimes loud — which worried me at first but my 10 year old, who has a significant amount of instruction time with him, likes his classes the most!
Great program!

My son has been a student with Sifu John and Sensei Mike for nearly four years. We’re non-​violent people, so it wasn’t entirely natural to introduce our son to martial arts. But its been a great experience. He’s now a Junior blue belt and is as enthusiastic about learning forms and improving his skills as he was during his first class. The studio puts a good emphasis on personal discipline and skill achievement. It is a safe place to learn martial arts including forms and weapons. This has been a great source of self-​confidence and life skills for him.

I absolutely love this place. My kids have been taking classes at Twin Dragon for almost 6 years. Sifu and Sensei are amazing guys and have been a very positive influence in the life of my children. This is not just another place to drop your kid after school, it’s a school and a community that really gets to know each family. They participate in parades, have school events, summer camps, spring camps, clinics. .. They teach discipline and respect to the kids as well as self defense. They give the kids confidence that will benefit them throughout their lives. I have loved working with these guys and feel lucky to have found Twin Dragon.
They also have programs for adults for fitness and fun, to learn self defense or/​and to start training and earning belts. I haven’t done this yet, but think about it alot. Some day, I will do it.
This is a great place. I will continue to send my children there to benefit from all of the wonderful training they receive from the teachers at twin dragon. What an asset to our community! A real gem!

My daughter (13) and son (10) have been going here for more than a year and a half. They have advanced from white belts to orange belts. My daughter is pretty easy going so the moves and routines don’t bother her at all. My son is a lot more sensitive and has struggled at times with Kung-​Fu. But with the guiding hand of Sensei and Sifu he has perservered. The amount of self confidence that they have learned is more valuable than the self defense moves they have acquired. I love taking them to this place because I know what they are experiencing is going to stay with them for a very long time.

Twin Dragon is amazing — I would give it 6 stars if I could.
My daughter Ella has been going twice a week for months, and it’s helped her in so many areas: self-​discipline, respect for authority, physical stamina, and coordination. Although she drags her feet at times when having to do physical drills, Sensei Mike knows exactly how to motivate her — using a no-​nonsense yet very gentle approach that the kids respect. Ella loves loves loves him — he’s definitely part child psychologist. Thanks, Twin Dragon and Sensei Mike!

Sensei Mike and Sifu run a great place where kids learn kung fu, but more importantly learn discipline and respect. I am always amazed to see a dozen five-​seven year-​old boys and girls sitting in rapt attention as Sensei explains a technique or demands that they do pushups. This place is warm, caring, and also a bit demanding. My son loves it, and has learned a lot. I am going to have to take classes here soon to keep up with him!
Beyond the lessons, we just had a really fun birthday party for 18 kids this weekend. The staff was great, and kept the kids going for 90 minutes before we served them amazing Sibby’s cupcakes (
).
If you are considering martial arts for the kids (or even for you), I recommend you give this place a good look.