Reviews of Isshinryu Karate of Madison and Bernardsville

Madison Isshinryu Karate is truly the best martial arts training and community you could hope to find. My daughters and I started training at the original location (Chatham Karate Academy) in 1998 and the girls literally grew up in the dojo. They developed into strong, confident young women, due largely to their training with the Whiteleys and the strong camaraderie among the students. The classes are a great balance of exercise, technique and character development. The philosophy is traditional, focusing on self-defense rather than sport and tournament. The Whiteleys are exceptional, high ranked martial artists who still train actively and are outstanding, fun instructors. All other instructors at the dojo are advanced black belts who have been there for many years and are strongly committed to teaching.

The quality of the superb instructors, the Whitely family and staff, is unbelievable. Forming the best friendships with my fellow students is another amazing part of the dojo. Everyone here is like family (and many families train together; brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and even cousins) The focus is on self betterment and not competing against other students but working with them.