Martial Arts Schools near Cumberland

“My child has mad so many new friends and have grown so much since they started mastery“

“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.“

“Our experience here has been great. Not exaggerating in that my 3 year old was influenced enough to make the bed to earn a stripe. All the instructors/management are extremely professional, kind, and caring. They have known my child’s name and have engaged him seamlessly since day 1 - actually from the moment I emailed! Definitely worth it and brings purpose.“

“I’ve been training at NCK Bellingham for five months now, and it’s been an incredible experience. I take both karate and a fitness kickboxing class and what really sets this place apart is the genuine family atmosphere. The two instructors are exceptional—they don’t just teach techniques, they create an environment where everyone feels comfortable and welcome from day one. Whether you’re a complete beginner or more experienced, child or adult, they make you feel like you belong. There’s no intimidation factor, just supportive coaching and real encouragement. It’s rare to find a martial arts school where you actually look forward to every class, not just for the training but for the people. If you’re looking for a place that combines quality instruction with a welcoming, family-like community, I highly recommend giving this school a try.“

“Dare has been great with my kids. The classes have really sparked an intrest in martial arts for my two kids.“

“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! :)“

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

“Both of my kids go to Pathway Karate Academy, and they love being there. Staff members do an awesome job taking care of the kids!!“

“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. ?❤️“

“??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!“

“Great Sensei with a great sense of community and building up our children. Very respectful and knowledgeable.“

“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.“