Martial Arts Schools near Cumberland

“A Truly Welcoming and Attentive Karate School

We recently attended a free trial class at this karate school, and our experience was exceptional. From the very beginning, the staff and instructors were incredibly welcoming and attentive, creating a comfortable environment for us parents and our son.

What stood out the most was how understanding and accommodating they were regarding my son’s unique behavioral needs. They took the time to communicate with him directly and also engaged in a one-on-one conversation with us, which allowed us to grasp their process, values, and teaching approach. It was clear that their philosophy aligns closely with our own family values.

The flexibility they offer and the genuine effort they put into making everyone feel included and valued are truly commendable. Our son enjoyed his first class, and we left feeling confident and optimistic about the potential benefits of joining this school.

As a family navigating a new sport, we deeply appreciated how informative, and how they made us feel welcome and comfortable. We’d recommend this karate school to anyone looking for a place that prioritizes respect, attentiveness, and community.“

“I enrolled my daughter in this dojo seeking a positive female role model for my daughter after a tough divorce. Linda was always a great teacher and a wind in my daughters sails. We recently moved and subsequently had to stop attending class. Linda was very graceful and understanding about it and wished us well without any bitterness or angst. I consider her a friend despite compensating her for teaching my daughter. There simply are not enough good role models out there that lead by example and positivity like she did. Linda is a true class act. She will be missed.“

“Mastery Martial Arts Smithfield RI has been such a transformational experience for my grandson. It has only been 14 weeks and the change in his attitude and demeanor has been so positive! The team in Smithfield are so great with all the students in encouraging them to succeed. I can’t wait to see what great progress my grandson will achieve over the coming months! He is definitely dedicated, motivated, and on his way to being his best thanks to this program. They teach more than just karate skills, they teach life skills! Thank you Mastery Martial Arts Smithfield instructors and staff!“

“My son has been going to this place from little less than a year, he loves it. Coach Mindy and Coach Steve are the best! I strongly recommend this place.“

“I am happy that I chose to start my martial arts journey with Providence Aikido. Since the first day of class, the instructors and students have been welcoming and patient. This really is a supportive community and there is room for everyone!
You will learn throws, rolls, how to escape from someone grabbing your arms, hands or clothes, and hand grab techniques. The instructors here have decades of experience, and they are approachable and very knowledgeable in Aikido tradition. You will have the opportunity to work with David Halprin Sensei, 7th dan (7th degree black belt), who earned his rank in the Aikido World headquarters in Tokyo. I also like that we have female instructor seminars! This is a very special place, and we are fortunate to have it in Providence.“

“I just started here and everyone has been extremely kind and welcoming. They are patient and very informative with the teaching.“

“I've been attending Kodokai's adult classes for just about a year. In that time, I have seen remarkable changes in every area of my life. While I have learned invaluable self-defense skills, I've also grown in my humility, courage, and critical thinking.

As someone with teaching experience, I am amazed by the classroom setting cultivated in the dojo. Regardless of age or background, Kodokai is a safe space. The instructors (Sensei and Kim) are highly qualified individuals. Plus, they are some of the kindest, most patient, and encouraging people I've met. The students are equally warm-hearted and supportive towards everyone. I've had no encounters with unfriendly drama or cliques.

If you're looking for a school to join, come here! The time and money you and/or your children invest here will be absolutely worth it. Everyone will be happy to have you! :)“

“??Strong classes, I do kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. We work the whole body every time I get stronger and each class is a challenge for me thanks to the professional coach Joe. Thank you Joe!“

“Hahaha. Wow. As a bleeding heart liberal with socialist leaning and someone who doesnt really care about guns, i did train at this school for a year. In that time i never saw sensei or any of his assistant instructors or students with a firearm. Perhaps times have changed, but as i may disagree with sensei's political leanings, i must say that his karate instruction and dedication to real self defensr are top notch. Hands down one of the most serious, focused and disciplined dojos i have ever trained at, and politics didnt come up very often or get in the way of very dedicated instruction. His long term students were and probably still are badasses. At the time he had classes available 5 nights a week and two morning classes. 2 hours of straight karate and continuos contact sparring. I will always appreciate sensei Gagne's approach to traditional shorinji matsumura te. Domo arigato sensei!“

“I love this place. 10/10 I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time. Mentally I’m learning new skills, physically I get a sweaty awesome workout, emotionally I have gained more confidence in my ability to defend myself. ?❤️“

“karate is more than something to learn and you can learn discipline to yourself and learn to be humble with others I recommend it to all ages it's a great blessing I'm learning from it..“

“Master Souza is not a bad teacher, not a bad person either. I see a lot of anti Souza in the reviews, and I dont think its necessarily deserved. Hes a good guy, hes just different. It sounds like It would be a great thing to have the greatest teacher ever's teacher teach you, but it's not the same. There were a lot of changes made to the school and what we were learning after Mr. Wallace left, not a lot of them welcome, and some of them very unwelcome, but I dont feel as though the heart of the school has changed at all. It's just one minute you were learning mostly taekwondo with a little bit of boxing and a tiny bit of jujitsu, and the teacher was kind, funny, down to earth, and relatable. Now it feels like we are doing just as much boxing as we are kicking, most aspects of traditional taekwondo went straight out the window (forms, one-steps, certain blocks and strikes, etc), and the teacher feels a bit more far removed from the class. I feel like we as students connected to Mr. Wallace more because he was still a student in many aspects. He was extremely wize for his age, he was skilled and physically able, but he was young enough where us as students could have shared interests and experiences with him, the connection with Mr. Wallace was deep, and compelled me to keep persuing martial arts, and I dont think I'm the only one. As of now the only thing that is keeping me in Franklin Martial Arts is the friends that are still there from the "Mr. Wallace Era", but I DO NOT think that FMA is a bad school. They are honest, well trained, and good teachers. You really get an amazing value for your money, it's not what a lot of martial artists would call a "belt factory", you have to earn your rank, and you have to keep progressing to keep it. FMA is good to learn self defense, self offense, self control, self discipline, respect for yourself and others, and just useful life skills, for young kids or older adults, I highly recommend this school.“