Reviews of Karate America Neenah

We have had classes with three instructors, all of whom are knowledgeable, professional, friendly. For that aspect, this school gets an excellent rating. My 'poor' rating is based on a recurring problem we have encountered - getting return phone calls or responses to emails on any consistent basis. Maybe whoever handles their correspondence is over worked, but, this has happened on two separate occasions now - in order to get a response, we have had to call or email repeatedly. I hope they can fix this problem - I imagine it is turning people off (like us) and could be sending customers away. We are considering going elsewhere; wish it could be better. Regarding this website's question 'would you recommend this school?', the website forces you to answer either 'yes' or 'no' and does not allow you any other option. The website ought to allow a reviewer a third option of 'I don't know' or 'no answer'. If the response to calls and emails were better, I would say I could recommend. But I don't feel I can recommend, even though the instructors are very good.

No full-contact sparring, ever! Very little ground work. No grappling, holds, throws, joint locks, have been taught to me although I've earned by black belt. No resistance. Nothing is hard. Everyone wins as long as they pay.

I've never heard of anyone failing the black belt test. There are eight year old black belts running around! The "traditional karate" program will greatly improve your leg flexibility, but you'll learn only basic striking techniques. After two years you'll get your black belt and have no idea how to defend yourself on the street! This will improve your kid's confidence and grades, maybe, but the training is a danger to him in self-defense situations. IT WILL NOT PROTECT THEM. Unskilled kids beat lil black belts most of the time.

If you're an adult who loves martial arts or wants to learn to defend himself, you may want to check out the Krav Maga program. There are very few martial arts options in Neenah and this class is a much more "alive" and practical, but there is still no contact or even sparring. That is, your skills will never be put to the test and you won't actually learn how to fight. If you can afford to drive out of town, you should pick a different school.

The equipment is very nice and there are mirrors everywhere. Instructors spend time with their students and make sure techniques are close to what they should be. Everyone is very friendly, and even minor injuries like bumps and little cuts are unheard of. I've only ever gotten rugburns (this is a bad thing). The classes cost something like $85 a month.