Our son Andrew has wanted to study karate since he was 5. We were reluctant to expose an extremely active child  to the punching and kicking involved in karate, but were finally persuaded by his consistent interest and a  family friend who has practiced martial arts for over 30 years and who extolled the virtues of martial arts study. 

As we began the process of choosing the right school, we decided that Andrew should study a Korean form of karate. Andrew was adopted from Korea, and opportunities to expose him to his heritage have been limited. So shortly before his 6th birthday we enrolled him at KMAI.

In the 18 months he’s attended, we have witnessed profound changes in Andrew. The physical benefits were obvious almost from the start of his program. He is stronger and more agile. But what we were unprepared for were the mental and emotional changes he’s undergone as a result of training at KMAI. He is more focused, more disciplined and his self-esteem has sky-rocketed. He has learned to be more respectful and is beginning to develop goal-setting and leadership skills.

The instructors have been incredible. They have taken the time to get to know Andrew as a person, to identify his strengths and weaknesses and help him work on them. They know when its time to play a little bit and when its time to knuckle down for serious study. The lessons are well-planned and executed. The pace is quick enough to keep him interested, yet slow enough to allow time to grasp new concepts.

We expected that, over time, Andrew’s interest would wane. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He continues to be motivated to come to class and enjoys every minute of his time in the dojang.

Thank you very much for providing such a wonderful atmosphere and experience.

Sincerely,
Heather O’Connell and Joseph Gabay
Kennett Square, PA