Zen Martial Arts Center, Sacramento CA

What a wonderful place to take your kids. My son loves it and learns so much each class. It is clean, friendly, punctual, organized and fun!:) they teach life lessons along with discipline and karate. Definitely recommend!:)

I‘m pretty sure I’ve never written a review for anything, but I feel compelled to do so for this truly outstanding dojo. I found Zen Martial Arts two years ago when my daughter binged the show Cobra Kai and decided that she, too, would like to learn karate. I researched local dojos and was immediately drawn to ZMA just from reading through their website. We signed up for classes and never looked back. Karate has been an incredibly positive force in my daughter’s life and I think that’s largely due to her awesome teacher, Sensei Mike Oliver, whose deep love of practicing and teaching Isshinryu Karate is undeniable. He really pours his heart and soul into this work and clearly has fun doing so. His teachings go far beyond the physical exercise and self-defense skills people tend to associate with karate. Mindfulness, self-discipline, respect for self and others, the value of community, all of these things and more are encompassed in the teachings. They even learn some history and Japanese language! My daughter went from 2 classes a week at the beginning, to now attending 8 classes a week, including weapons training, sensei apprenticeship, and competition team, as well as assisting in classes for younger kids weekly. She absolutely loves it and I can’t recommend them enough. If you’re looking for a dojo in the Sacramento area, this one can’t be beat.

Because of Sensei Oliver & Zen Martial Arts, our child has opportunities to practice bravery in new situations and patience with himself as he learns. It's brought us joy to watch him become more of himself at the dojo, and through the application of its lessons at home, in school, and with his many enemies (only kidding).