Reviews of Victory Martial Arts Palm Harbor

Extremely dissatisfied with Victory. They are all about the "sale". The prices are high, and when they quote you a price, it is not the price that you're going to pay. You are actually paying more, which you find out at the emd of the month when they do their belt testing's. They don't tell you upfront that the belt testing's are another expense on top of what you've already paid for the month. It is a money making business. Everyone there could sell snow to an Eskimo. Very high pressure sales, always telling you this month is the best deal because the price will change next month. As time goes on, they keep adding all of this equipment that you will need, and tell you that you have to buy it otherwise your child not be able to continue in the class. This is something else that they do not tell you upfront. I would recommend staying far away from this company, I am deep with regret that I ever took my children there.

They suck you into a contract and if you try to quit they sic their attorneys on you. Family's financial situations change, but this school does not care. Plus, who can say what their child's interests will be 1 or 2 or 3 years down the road? Avoid the aggravation and harassment, find another school.

Victory has a wonderful program that teaches children about life skills. It goes beyond just kicking. The staff is awesome, they really care and will check up and follow through on how your child is doing at home and in school. There are great kickboxing classes for me as well as self-defense classes...and tons of boot camps and seminars for both me and kids. I love this place. The friends we have made there make it a truly special place!

Going into elementary schools is tacky. Way to promote and market the school to kids. Placing a staff members spouse on the PTA as the one responsible for marketing seems like a huge conflict of interest. It's sad that parents feel they have to pay astronomical fees so that their children can be taught self esteem and confidence. You cannot try this school without having to pay and no you can't go for only six months if you want. You are paying for a full three years. I don't know of any sport or children's activities that require you to have to pay for a full three years. If this school is teaching life skills then how is that related? You don't pay for what you don't get and if you don't want it then you don't have to pay for it. Private schools make you pay while your child is enrolled not for their school education in its entirety. Parents be aware that this school is less interested in the true art of karate. Please look up reviews in general about the ATA form of "karate" from around the United States.

Money Money Money! Giving out Black Belts-this is a false confidence. Typical of these types of schools, encouraging the children is great however, belts must be earned and rewarded accordingly. This school and kids teaching kids that claim to be black belts is a false confidence for a child in the real world of martial arts. Look, I can see where kids need a boost of confidence and where many kids require outside self esteem building because parents are busy but these "instructors" work the parents pocketbook through your children. Business is business I understand as a business owner however, if Victory is truly interested I your child's development, get real with the associated costs, way overpriced and way over marketed and sales techniques used are tacky to the educated parent. Shop around!

Does your child look at the person who is talking to them and engage in conversation without you having to coax them? Does your child greet people with a friendly smile and hello when they enter a room? Is your child able to politely order food on their own in a restaurant without your help? Our son was extremely shy and was even getting bullied in school. Yes, bullies start in kindergarten these days. No matter how much we tried, getting him to engage with others was a big challenge. Sure, we had him in team sports like baseball and basketball, but we quickly learned that the coaches were also just parents of the players and we personally didn't appreciate the behavior of the most of the grown-ups. He ended up quitting both sports and we were frustrated. But then a family member encouraged us to come watch a karate class that Mr. Johnson was teaching.

Since 2010, we have been taking our son to martial arts under the direction of Mr. Johnson, who is the Head Instructor and Owner of the Victory Palm Harbor location. Mr. Johnson and his excellent team of instructors have been teaching our child life skills and have encouraged him to believe in himself. They've worked him hard and are teaching him that a "quitter never wins and a winner never quits." He's almost 9 years old and has recently earned his Black Belt. He is a different kid since we started the program. He is confident and competitive. He's doing awesome in school and walks with his head held high. At his young age, he cares about working out and what to eat to keep his body healthy. He is learning important life concepts like self esteem and discipline and communication. I don't see many kids today who can walk into a room and greet people and look them in the eyes. I really give credit to Mr. Johnson for that.

As far as the money goes, I speak to my friends who have their kids in competitive soccer, baseball, football, gymnastics, dance, etc. I've read some of the poor reviews on this site about the cost. Every sport has a cost. I can't believe how much competitive soccer costs! I can surely tell you that it costs way more than karate. But the most important question is "What is the value added?" We see a confident young man in the making. That's value! Victory Palm Harbor is a great facility with fantastic instructors who care about each student's success. We are a community.

We came to Victory looking for a place our youngest child could learn confidence. He was so shy he wouldn't raise his hand in school or order food at a restaurant. After his first class he was hooked and our whole family decided to join together. All the instructors are wonderful and really care about the students. After a few months of classes my son was helping to lead classes, raising his hand, and making new friends.

As a family of four we had a lot of equipment to buy and we were never pressured. We got what we needed for each class cycle and were always notified of special deals that might help us out.

We LOVE Victory Palm Harbor. We get to spend time as a family learning and having fun. The instructors continue to meet with us to make sure we are happy with what our children are learning and that our goals are being meet.

My husband and I also enjoy the kickboxing classes. The classes are always different and a good workout.

My family and I accidently stumbled onto Victory Palm Harbor while I was researching places that offered Krav Magra. I went to the Dojo and tried some of the kickboxing classes and immediately brought my daughter and husband in to try it out. We have been part of the Victory Family every since. It is a family in every sense of the word, the employees get to know you and your family, give constant positive encouragement, and teach you how to build your confidence, dedication, and physical limits. They go beyond teaching typical technical martial art skills and give you core life values to build upon. There is so much negative influence in the community, schools, and social networks and is more than refreshing to have a place the whole family can be a part of that respresents support, kindness, intelligence, and strength.

My daughter is learning to be confident, how to be part of a team, and how to excel in every situation-physically and mentally.

With any sport, or activity there is a cost associated-- you have to decide as an individual what you are willing to put into anything you commit or dedicate yourself too--our experience at Victory is Priceless...I feel the cost is minimal compared to the benefit.

Not only is the chief instructor and employees phenomenal-the other partents and children make you feel like extended family...

Thank you Victory and Victory Family's for enhancing our lives!!

My son has been at Victory Palm Harbor for 1 1/2 years now and it has made a world of difference in his overall attitude & confidence level. When he first started, he would get frustrated so easily if he didn't get something right immediately. Now he knows that you get out of something what you put into it, both with efforts & attitude. To have a goal every 8 weeks to work towards has taught him to keep focusing on things he wants to achieve. The staff is kind & caring but also holds the children and parents accountable for the things they say they are going to do. At the same time, if we as families are going through a difficult time they show compassion and understanding.

No, it is not the cheapest activity but it is a business like any other and if we choose not to participate in extra events or activities that cost money, we are not given any grief for that. Victory Martial Arts as a whole offers the same classes, equipment, seminars, etc across the country so it is not like Palm Harbor is singleing out families just to charge them extra. I was nervous about a three year contract but now realize that it does encourage commitment, and now that my son has all of his equipment we haven't had expenses except for tuition.

Overall the life lessons that are encouraged and the level of excitement shown by all Victory instructors, not just Mr. Johnson and his staff, has brought both my son and I a new outlook on fitness and overall health. Victory constantly stresses reaching goals like becoming a black belt while enjoying every bit of hard work along the way! At tournaments everyone gets some form of medal or trophy for doing their best, and in class locally children support eachother which boosts self esteem and confidence while learning discipline.

Although I sometimes struggle financially overall, I wouldn't ever change my decision or have any regrets about signing my son up at Victory Palm Harbor!

I am a parent of a student at Victory Martial Arts Palm Harbor. He has been attending class for almost a year. He had been wanting to try Martial Arts but we had him soccer. So, the opportunity came at his elementary school to try it out for 30 days free to see if he would like it. From the first day my son went to class he was welcomed, never felt out of place, never talked down to, and always taught by the instructors with positive reinforcement. I have coached soccer for many years and have witnessed appalling conduct by other coaches and kids we played against. So to say this type of teaching was a pleasant surprise for me is an understatement.

Victory's head instructor runs a school that promotes a family like atmosphere and provides a clean and well equipped dojo. Mr. Johnson and his staff are all about the kids. They not only teach Martial Arts, they teach life skills. This I think is not taught enough to our young kids today. To have respect for others and respect for yourself.

Martial Arts is like any other sport you play today it costs money. Victory is upfront about all costs and do not pressure you in anyway to purchase something you are not comfortable with. They provide you with the information and you are able to make your own decision as to what fits your family best. When my son started we didn't put him in the leadership class, which cost more than the regular class. Victory was fine with our decision and didn't treat him or us any different than any other student. Almost a year later we have put him in the leadership class and he loves it. My son has trouble making eye contact with people and Victory's instructors know this about him and continue to help him with this while teaching him in class.

I have to say at first I was skeptical about Martial Arts in general but Victory Martial Arts Palm Harbor has been such a positive aspect of not only my son's life but our family's as well.

I have been with the school for almost 3 years now and it has been one of the best thing that has ever happened. Before joining Victory, I was a very introverted person. Now I'm confident and feel comfortable talking to new people. I still have a ways to go, but I have also come a long way.

As for the physical structure of the school...it is a good looking school. When I think of martial arts school, I think of dingy and smelly. But Victory looks nice, very appealing and it never smells bad :) It's a very big school, with lots of mat space. And plenty of Wavemasters (punching bags) to accommodate the students.

The Chief Instructor is very knowledgeable. He's been doing martial arts for 10+ years, so he knows what he's doing. He is also great with the students and the parents. He is also very involved in the community of Palm Harbor. The assistant instructors of Victory are just as great, they only care about what's best for the students, always willing to help them achieve their goals.

Victory Martial Arts of Palm Harbor is a great school with great staff and students. They are like a second family to me. It is like having two homes. I don't know what I would be doing now if I never met Victory.

Well, after reading the reviews I'm a little surprised. I understand that some people may have had a negative experience for one reason or another but the things they say are ridiculous.

First of all, Victory in Palm Harbor has only been open for a couple of years. When they joined the bigger organization of Victory the parent company wanted capitol improvements on the space. The painting was done by the staff and volunteer students/families, including myself, and new equipment was ordered to accommodate the standards throughout the Victory company.

Joining Victory was a great thing for the school! Victory has a life skills program that is an important part of the instruction. The students learn how to be a leader and a good citizen. That is called "Leadership" class and the fact that the other reviewer says it is for nothing proves to me that his/her child was not in Leadership at all.

The instructional staff is excellent. Yes, it is more expensive than a YMCA program but you get what you pay for. There are different options if you want to try it out. You could do it for a month, six months, a year or three years. You save more money as the time goes up. It is a contract but the staff was very clear about that and the need to purchase equipment before I signed. I don't mind buying through the school to support them. I have the impression that the other reviewers couldn't really afford it in the first place and didn't think about their budget until after they committed.

Now as far as students teaching I can only think of two explanations. Sometimes students are featured in class to demonstrate a move they are doing well or to lead the warm-up. There are also Certified Instructor Trainees that teach class under the supervision of the lead instructor. No regular students teach the classes.

I have had a good experience here at Victory in Palm Harbor and have talked with many other parents who feel positive about it too. There are even children with disabilities here that do very well. I am constantly amazed at the compassion of the lead instructor. He is firm but fair and always kind to the kids. He also has done several community events where he donates items and his time too. What can I say I love this place!

Please do not buy into this school. It is all about marketing and having to CONSTANTLY spend money. There is no such thing as used equipment here and the instructor markets whatever people have the fewest of assuming and then bullying them into buying it. It is not cheap either. $90.00 for one foam weapon sure to break by the next round that it is used. At such an astronomical cost and making them think they are champions if their parents buy into this junk. The monthly fees are quite high and then introduction into a "leadership" group is really high and not used for anything. There is a contract that they make you sign but not telling you that is what it is. They tell you that it is to withdraw money every month for the fees, yep it is also a three year contract. The instructor is constantly trying to build the kids up with his constant life lectures that are basically mentally draining. Such things are told to little kids as "if you quite something at 9 then you'll always be a quitter" and "its better to not try anything at all then it is to try and quite." What philosophies and all from an ex-teacher. Every time you go in there they want you to buy something else!!!! This place needs to understand that the community of Palm Harbor is not going to be happy with this marketing gimmick forever. Word of mouth gets around.

I have sign up my child for other sports etc. This is the most complicated organization, which tells me he is very green at running a business. People have more in their life besides Martial Arts. If you do join you will pay for every little thing and after talking to several parents the cost was not up front. I am not talking about the monthly fee...equipment, teststing,..it goes on and on. Parents that have purchased used equipment are chastised that they are not supporting the Dojo. Most parents struggle just to sign up their child for extras let alone buy everything new. We are always looking for used items??? Everytime you turn around they asking money for something. Didn't I just pay my monthly dues? They he is always spending money on updating the Dojo. Yes, it is nice, but it doesn't need to be that way..again bad buisness. If hehas to constantly push parents for every dime maybe he should have not spent so much on all the unessesary extras??? Student are constantly asked to bring a friend..win a prize etc. I think it is fine to let students know they can bring a friend to check out what they are doing but don't push it..Do your own marketing..We brought a friend and the kids had a great time, but don't give them their phone number they harass the parents to join. I felt bad for my friend he for I gave Victory his number:( They were thinking of joining, but after the consent phone calls he said he would Never join there. Chad Johnson you should put a comment box or send out a Monkey survery.....I don't thing you will...

Classes too big for individual direction, instructor thinks he is god.

Bad instructor, try's to fit as many kids in 1 class as he can to make the biggest profits. Has students instructing the class, very unprofessional. Not worth the money.