Dawn Barnes Karate Kids

Amazing place. Very clean and child safe dojo. Comfy for parents and kids. Free Wi fi!
This place is for parents and kids that appreciate structure and discipline presented in a gentle, loving way. The teachers are passionate and dedicated. They all take time to connect with every child. My son has been going here for over a year. He loves karate. He’s learned life skills as well as karate skills. Our very favorite Senseis are Sensei Erin, Lincoln and Jeff.
My daughter just started a few months ago and is thriving. She has ASD. The teachers are all very understanding and patient. My daughter has developed self confidence, discipline and social skills. We always feel welcome at karate kids.

FANTASTIC PROGRAM and a FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!
We take part in the Tiger Tots & Karate Kitties classes at the Sherman Oaks location.
Although we have seen the other sensei’s and they all seem great, our experience has been mainly with… Sensei Erin — who is fabulous! She has a great rapport with the children & works together with the parents — we love her!
The description of their classes is spot on! One thing across the board is that all classes are so encouraging!
Karate Kitties is incredibly fun and time well spent with our little one! They watch, listen… everything that helps develop tumbling & motor-​skills.
The Tiger Tots has provided our son with confidence & courage! It built up his social skills and he keeps going strong!
Needless to say, Dawn Barnes Karate Kids is a a fantastic program in a very nurturing and welcoming environment for even a timid kid!
Thank you sensei Erin & the rest of the staff at the Sherman Oaks location!

I have spent time in dojos since my early 20s. It is easy to tell the karmic energy of a place, it is just there and it is good, or it is absent and I inviting. Karate Kids is definitely a good vibration place and wonderfully karmic. My son loves this place and has a crush on his sensei. They have an awesome curriculum and awesome instructors. They are always willing to help, and go out of their way to accommodate changes in schedule. The parents are always cheerful as well and I have seen my boy grow in many different ways since we started coming.

This is a wonderful program that fits well into our family dynamic and busy schedule. The plus side for us is that there are multiple locations and the classes are on a drop in basis. With three children and diverse schedules the convenience of the program is fantastic!
These classes have helped with discipline and self control. I feel like the staff has taken a personal interest in our son, and really wants to see him progress. They have also helped with bumps along the way such as concentration.
Sensei Erin who also runs the front desk is wonderful and kind. I would high recommend this program!

My son and my daughter both received their black belts from Dawn Barnes Karate Kids. It is an incredible journey. The lessons they learned along the way will certainly help guide them into adulthood. They both started as Tiger Tots! Great program, wonderful instructors!

We joined Karate Kids two years ago when my son was 4 years old. My son was diagnosed with Autism when he was 2 and was unable to participate in sports that involved large groups when he neared the age of 4 because of the sensory overload that he would experience.
We found the small group instructional setting at Karate Kids to be fantastic to suit our son’s needs. The Sensei’s were well aware of our situation and were very attentive and patient while teaching our son the basics of karate.
Karate Kids has helped our son with his balance, coordination, discipline, self esteem, self control, muscle tone, hand and eye coordination and lastly social skills (which was huge for us!). Our Sensei teaches the kids stranger danger and how to deal with bullies. The progress that our son have made after 2 years is amazing. My son no longer needs occupational therapy since he gets help with motor and social skills by going to Karate twice a week, swimming class, tennis and piano.
You may ask how can my special needs children keep up with normal children in the class but the Sensei is very understanding and gives them one on one instruction which allows them to advance like the other children. Another enticing aspect to Karate Kids is that the program is geared to rewarding certain behaviors at home with Patches — which is exactly the model of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) — most common method of therapy for kiddos with Autism. Watching him excel so much in Karate and earn his colored belts and patches has been very rewarding. Most importantly he enjoys going to Karate Kids and looks forward to «earning» the next patch or belt!
He loved it so much that he wanted to have his 5^th Birthday at Karate Kids! WOW — what a well organized birthday party! They did Everything. We did nothing! They entertained the kid while the parents relaxed and socialized. It was a great fun class for all of his friends, and we gave the kids personalized trophies as going away gifts!
I must also add that the Staff/​Reception as well as the Sensei’s are extremely professional and courteous in discussing the program, progress and/​or issues with each parent.
My advice to parents of special needs children who are able to participate in Karate is do it. The results may surprise you, I know they have with me.

I have taken both my kids to Karate Kids. What a great program. They are so good with kids and teach them not only martial arts but respect and self esteem as well. I am close to receiving my black belt in a diferrent style and would recommend this program to anyone who has kids. It’s nice that they only focus on children. It is a time tested style of teaching that has been around for many years. The kids seem to love it and stick with it because it is so fun. The owner, Sensei Dawn, has devoted her life to teaching children and does her best to hire only qualified instructors. There are several different locations, so I am sure there is one nearby. If not, it is worth driving a little out of the way. I can understand why it might not be the perfect fit for every kid, but you will never know until you try. It takes some time to get used to the program, just like anything else and It might not be the least expensive school around, but in my opinion it is worth every penny.

too expensive, other reviewer made me laugh saying, «the belt and stripe system is a great motivator» it’s a money maker, that’s all. in fact, an un-​abashed, brazen money maker. making a one year commitment should be the first tip to where they are coming from. how many kids drop out before one year and are penalized 45. for doing so i wonder… then there is all the gear… if you’re a rube and you shop with your eyes then this is the place for you. If you want real martial arts for your child go to a real school. the valley is lousy with them.

My son is now 3 ½ and has been in the program for a year, having moved up from the kitties to the tigger tot program recently. I’ve given the program a lot of thought and here’s where I come down: you’ll like the program depending on whether or not it’s a good fit for your child and your family.
Karate did my son a lot of good. He got moved up to a class in preschool 1 year more advanced than him, and he was the littlest in that class… karate gave him the confidence he needed to interact with the bigger kids. We are also a moderately disciplining family (believing in certain restrictions, but neither corporal punishment nor purely positive parenting) and karate helped focus my son. He also enjoys the class, and had taken yoga at his school, which was a nice compliment to the program. But you can get pretty much that at any karate studio.
We liked the flexibility of this program, however (we are in the city somedays and in the Conejo valley on weekends) You can take classes at any of the locations. We like that it’s kid centric, and the program is specifically tailored to what kids can do (with obstacle courses and free play for the littlest ones). We like the emphasis on responsibility and respect, both inside and outside the classroom. Most teachers we’ve had were great, but there were a few that weren’t. We liked that they moved my son up as he was ready, and the belt and patch system is a great motivator. Never seen him so proud as when he qualified for his tiger tot white belt. The emphasis in the training is on self-​defense from bullies and strangers… if your goal is to train the next Olympian in Tae Kwon Do another studio may be a better match since it’s difficult to transfer training to another art form and this one is geared towards child-​centric self-​defense.
Some downsides… it’s expensive… their costs per location must be more substantial than a small mom and pop operation. Yet while the business might be aggressive in meeting the bottom line, I’ve also seen sensei’s tell parents their kids just aren’t ready to move up or take the class. Classes particularly at the Sherman Oaks location can be large (sometimes 12+ kids which means kids must learn in part by watching since they’ll have less of a time to do). We’ve seen a lot of parents come in with high expectations for their kids but then become disappointed (if you haven’t taught your kid to stand still you can’t expect the sensei to in a short 50 minute class, particularly if they are still under 5… also some kids just aren’t cut out of the group thing, and it can be overwhelming). I have to confess it took a long time for my son to acclimate and for the first month, I dreaded taking him into class (but with a lot of work and practice outside the classroom he got it). Finally, some of their times are not the smartest (I’ll never understand why they schedule tot and kitties classes mid day when a good portion of the children nap).
So this is a good program, expensive, great flexibility, but it depends on your kids personality and your families needs as to whether its a good fit.

Great sensei’s and staff. My son has been enjoying it for years, the belt and stripe system is a great motivator. Has MMA built in, gives a great work out. Perfect for girls to, classes are very comfy and prices are moderate.