Fusion Martial Arts, St. Louis MO

Fusion martial arts has been great for my son. He’s excited to go and receives great feedback during his class. His confidence and focus has really improved.

Our 5yo son started about a month ago at Fusion and he! Is! Hooked! (us too!) Everything from the communication from Fusion to the instructors excitement and respect towards him to the motivators they utilize to assist him in progressing forward have truly been awesome. Most importantly, we have noticed our little man taking on more responsibilities for himself around school and our home (little things that go a long way like getting himself ready in the morning, helping and playing nicely and exerting patience with his younger siblings, and a little more apt to do things when asked without fuss) since he began his karate journey with Fusion! I would definitely recommend them to for anyone interested!:)

Fusion Martial Arts is a great experience and highly recommended! We love the community in that building and are very happy we joined!

I can't say enough good things about Fusion Martial Arts. My daughter has been attending classes at the studio twice weekly for almost a year, and I've seen marked improvement in her confidence and self-discipline- not just during sessions, but in daily life as well.

Here are just a handful of specifics that impress me about this studio:
1) All instructors are incredibly kind, patient, and encouraging. The young people who teach class are fantastic role models for their students and exemplify the karate maxims of character, sincerity, effort, etiquette, and self-control. Somehow, they manage to create a class environment that is simultaneously fun, challenging, and disciplined. Their positive feedback even extends beyond class- they regularly write personalized postcards to the students to commend their hard work and improvement.
2) The studio is extremely well-run from an administrative standpoint. Their receptionist, Virginia, is friendly and kind, and immediately responsive regarding any questions or scheduling inquiries/changes. Communication between the studio and students/parents is clear and streamlined through a mobile app and email.
3) I believe that the tuition is completely reasonable, given the high quality of the instruction and frequency of classes (twice weekly, with make-up classes available if you need to miss a session). Multiple dates/times are offered for each level, making it easy to work into our family’s schedule.
4) The studio goes above-and-beyond to provide plenty of activities and events outside the regular class schedule. These include monthly evening sessions for the young members where they eat pizza, play games, and socialize (“Parents’ Night Out”) ; special events for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day; a back-to-school social, etc. My daughter loves all of these.

In short, we feel so lucky to have found this studio, and we hope/anticipate that karate will remain one of our daughter’s favorite extracurricular activities for many years!

I have been going to Fusion Marshal Arts (FMA) for about 8 years now, one of the best dojos in all of St Louis. The environment is so friendly yet able to push you to new heights in both physical and mental strength, if you are looking to learn marshal arts or just want to get in shape, I highly recommend this dojo.

Karate Life is a neighborhood business that our kids were excited to try. The one star rating does not reflect the instructors of the classes (overall positive interactions with them), but reflects the management and business practices of this referral business. There were three main issues that made us stop attending classes:
1) You may be looking at reviews because you had seen the advertisement of one ‘free class. ’ We attended the class and our kids did like their experience. However, once the class was over, they make you attend a quick meeting where they outline the costs for continuing- and it is expensive. They expect a six month commitment and will charge you $1500 (if you pay in full that day), but if you delay, the price rises to $1700. You will also be charged for the ghee (outfit), nunchucks, and t-shirts (the only thing you are allowed to wear beside the ghee and cost $35). While all sports and events cost money, it was uncomfortable how often small costs popped up. For instance, when the belt testing date arrived, we had not attended enough classes, but we could pay a fee in order to ‘make up the classes’ and test. I would prefer they were tested based on their skills. After about three months, we knew that this was not the place for us, and respectfully requested a refund which they refused and stopped communicating with us. Apparently this is due to the fact that we decided to pay in full up front, something that was not made clear at the sales pitch.
2) The culture is also a concern. In some ways, they are trying to instill self-control and respect, but they also are intolerant of normal child behavior. They ask the kids to show respect, while at the same time the way they speak to the children is very harsh and demeaning. During the circle times, they talk about different scenarios on what shows respect and disrespect, and often use very outdated cultural norms, such as pulling chairs out for women to show respect. They also discourage questions from the kids which is hard to understand for beginners.
3) When we first started attending classes, the processes and expectations were a little unclear, however the front desk person, Virginia (she is the person that all communication is supposed to go through) has a very gruff and unapproachable personality. There were times we had questions, and either the desk was empty or the office doors were closed. I have also seen her aggressively approach children to the point that they were scared and confused at her anger.

I know that a lot of people in the South Hampton neighborhood have had positive experiences here, but if you are looking to try karate for the first time or if you kids are young, there are many more affordable options that teach karate, while also allowing for normal child development.

Welcoming, friendly staff committed to the study of karate but also committed to taking care of students and families. Expert instruction in technique plus frequent explicit leadership and character practice. Focus on promotion from within for student-teacher roles.

I’ve known the head instructor for nearly my entire life. I’ve seen him grow as an individual on a personal level, but even more so as a business oriented professional. I wouldn’t suggest any where else for karate training!