Traditional Martial Arts Center

I signed my 4 year old grandson up and took him to his first class. He was so excited to be going and left shaking and in tears. The teacher expected that he would be able to just watch the more advanced kids and catch on — he belittled him when he did something wrong, called him a baby and said he didn’t teach babies and ultimately had him sit on the side where he struggled to control his tears and sat shaking and in fear of the instructor coming over and yelling at him again. I watched as the «instructor» actually hit kids with his stick, called them names and belittled them and had a tiny young girl do 120 push ups because she didn’t do something to his liking. I can’t believe parents would sit and watch while this bully of a man treated their children in this manner. I thought Karate was supposed to teach kids discipline and respect. They certainly would not learn respect from this pathetic person. I feel terrible for subjecting my beloved grandson to this abuse.

My four year old absolutely loves coming here. It was a difficult transition for him in the beginning because the Sensei is tough but he teaches his students that you need to earn your belts and you must work hard and practice in order to succeed. In return, my son has become confident and has learned how to defend himself. I am one proud mother and I am confident that he is being taught karate the traditional way. Belts are not given and must be earned! Discipline being taught at such a young age is the key to success from my perspective.

My 4yo has been coming for karate lessons for over a year now. We love it both for the class environment and for the enriching experience my child is getting there. Classes definitely shape not only the body but the character as well.
Sensei is amazing. He is strict with kids — but this strictness is for the better, as there may be no learning without discipline.

I joined this dojo to learn self-​defense, but I stay for reasons beyond just that.
First, the quality of instruction is superb. Halperin Sensei has a seemingly innate ability to teach his art. He keeps remarkably attuned to each student, offering feedback, sharing insights, and making corrections to keep them on track. He does an excellent job of instilling the underlying principles that make good karate (posture, body dynamics, focus, etc.). These sink in over time and you begin to correct yourself. In my opinion, this is what all great teachers do — guide you to understanding something so that you can begin to internalize it.
Second, I found karate to be a very healthy endeavor. Not only is it a great workout that builds your coordination and develops your core muscles, it helps center you and is a great outlet. Halperin Sensei will say you have to expend energy to renew energy. That is very true about karate. I feel more energy after each session.
Third, karate is a mind and body learning experience. You really don’t have to be skilled at anything to start karate; in fact, regardless of your ability, it will be very humbling when you start out. You just need to be honest with yourself. All it takes is practice and commitment to progress. There is always something to learn — about karate and about yourself. That’s why I come back each week — to learn more.
I bring my children here to learn karate as well. I see it as a long-​term investment in building their capacity to handle what may come later in their life as a teenager or even as an adult. Halperin Sensei is firm and exacting, but he is fair. A child may hit the proverbial wall of futility as they become accustomed to his style, but he won’t let them down. They can count on him to be consistent. This consistency helps them grow. I think children benefit greatly from his instruction. You can see it by how confident and centered they are at their first competition.
Halperin Sensei told me when I started that people join karate for one reason and stay for another. This is one of many insights that he has shared that has held true, at least for me.

This place is not good. The course structure is fine, but the owner/​instructor is horrible with kids. He yells at them and has not patience. These kids are only five years old, there is no excuse to belittle kinds and make them feel horrible about themselves. It is disappointing because the instructor is good, but just not good with little kids.

This has been a phenomenal experience for my niece! She has just begun taking karate lessons and already I am seeing a difference in her self confidence and concentration!