Austin 少林 Tai Chi & Kung Fu Martial Arts

Prices are not bad. It doesn't take a lot to move forward with belts but you get what you put into it so if you put in high effort you will definitely see greater results and improvements in your physical health as well as flexibility. Owners are very nice people and they help you if you're broke. Every person you meet here is nice and encouraging. For Kung Fu they do sparring regularly and focus a lot on practicing kicks as well, so you aren't only practicing forms but actual fighting too. Strongly recommend for the friendly environment and exercise.

They're awesome with the kids! They're patient. They take time to answer the kids questions.

I’ve only been to a few classes but I love the energy and tone of the instructors. The breathing exercises really help to center your mind.

We took a break during the pandemic as most did. We've returned to the dojo and were welcome back with open, helpful arms. And the new location is very nice.

Great martial arts school for young children. Teachers do an excellent job keeping the kids in task, motivated and progressing. The atmosphere is positive and friendly.
I have particularly appreciated how the owners keep adapting their covid protocols to the situation in order to keep staff and students safe.

I think a lot of folks interested in Martial Arts or Tai Chi, may have had initial bad experiences with programs, or think they aren't really a candidate for participating in Martial Arts or Tai Chi programs. I can relate to anyone who started and stopped their Martial Arts journey. There are endless reasons for that; kids, change of job, school, health or age.

Having found Master Joe and Master Sheryl, owners of the Austin Kung Fu and Tai Chi School, I've experienced how they literally put their heart and soul into teaching and making their school a welcoming environment for persons of all ages. My reservations over resuming Martial Arts were immediately laid to rest by their encouragement and personal attention. As a result, I can say there isn't any reason you shouldn't consider resuming, or starting your own Martial Arts journey with Austin King Fu and Tai Chi. If nothing else, the comradery, commitment, and longevity of their students says more about who Master Joe and Sheryl are than any review could.

Dr. Rod Moline

Between the leadership, the life lessons, and oh.the martial arts, this school has it all. After 2 years I can confidently say I'm hooked and will end up a life long learner in this area and that the lessons to learn are endless.

My whole family attend this school. The instructors are professional and engaging. There is an accepting, family atmosphere so, regardless of your fitness level, you will feel welcomed and be challenged by the material. There are lots of different katas and styles taught - I have been a student here since 1999 and there is always something new to learn. Such a great school for adults and children!

Easily the best martial arts experience I’ve ever had. Joe and Sheryl have created an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone and the sense of community here is amazing. Classes are always slightly varied so it’s not the same exact thing every time. I’m always amazed at how Master Joe and Master Sheryl can explain all the nuances and history behind every single form or movement. My experience with the school has been nothing but positive and I look forward to every day I can go to a class.

If you ever had an interest in martial arts, come and give this studio a try.

Masters Sheryl and Joe have created a great community of students and teachers. Everybody is very welcoming and what’s more, you will evolve your fitness, mind and bring balance to your life.

I couldn’t be happier with my experience thus far.

I started with tai chi at your school. It had such a positive impact on me that, almost 3 years later, I'm still on the path, just at a different school closer to home.

I started to join kung fu school because my daughter was in class:) Little did I know the Austin Kung Fu school and its awesome teachers and students gradually pulled me in, not a like a storm but more like a persistent rain. The school not just keeps me healthy and motivated, but also keeps me sane during this whole pandemic time. I don't feel any stress or mental blockage when I have the kung fu companionship by good buddies at school and the nurturing teaching of Master Joe and Master Sheryl. Over 5 years, I see how Master Joe always tries to get "everyone" move forward. That is super hard when we have a lots of different types of students in the school. Austin Kung Fu does not just provide a skill; it provides a lifetime development and grow in Shaolin Kung Fu.

I have been a student at Austin Kung Fu & Tai Chi for over 20 years. It is a wonderful place to train! The Schaefers are great teachers and they have built a great school. I recommend this place without reservation!

Memory, strength, and balance are aspects of kung fu training that really help this lady enjoy life and retirement. Plus it's really addictive - love those endorphine rushes after a great workout with friends! I hope to continue for a long time.

It's important to stay active as an adult. The benefits are more than just physical, but for one's mental fitness as well. Kung Fu not only improves my strength, flexibility and range of motion, but my balance, and learning new movements helps one to keep their mental acuity as well.

I was interested in taking up Kung Fu prior to the lockdowns, and thought I had missed yet another window to join. Master Joe's online classes and morning workouts have been a bright spot to fight the isolation and to keep in shape. The opportunity to safely practice in person on Saturday mornings helps, and provides some needed interaction as well. The classes can meet the skill and ability of anyone, from limber kids to active young adults to us (much) older people who are just starting.

Master Joe and Master Sheryl have provided an easy (and fun) way to stay active and improve one's fitness, weather it's Kung Fu, Tai Chi, or a combination of the two. It's simple to join the activities, and the presentation of the classes and workouts are flexible enough to cope with the things that can come up. They are both eager teachers, happy to share their knowledge and experience.

I started Kung Fu training two years ago at age 49. I’m doing things now that I couldn’t have done 10 or 15 years ago. The balance, strength and flexibility that I’ve gained in this program have been transformative.

Starting Martial Arts at Shaolin-do while you are 50 years or older may feel daunting when it is actually not since you start little by little at your current physical condition with a wonderful family environment provided by Master Joe, Master Sheryl, and the rest of instructors and community. I started when I was 56 years old coming out from a surgery that left me with little activity for almost six months. I was able to regain my strength thanks to the school and realizing that we cannot stop the clock, but we can slow its tick and enjoy life as we age with grace and vigor through exercise. When we step into our 50s (and more in our 60s) endurance, strength training, flexibility, and balance exercises become our best friends to stay fit and reduce health problems. Shaolin-do not only provides an environment to keep us fit through Kung Fu and Tai Chi but also provides a family environment where we all growth in mind, body, and spirit. You cannot find a better school in Austin with students practicing Kung Fu/Tai Chi at the school for almost 30 years. That is right, the school has its roots since the early 90s and its students are not replaced but extended. Some of the students take a break, for example going to college, change of jobs, young family responsibilities, but many of them come back. There are decades of learning possibilities at this school.

You cannot ask for a better Martial Art school that what Shaolin-do offers as a way of life to keep our physical body and minds strong. The benefits obtained from Kung Fu and Tai Chi classes are profound increasing flexibility and balance, range of motion, strength, and coordination boosting confidence and greater well-being protecting our minds and bodies form the effects of age.

Master Joe, Master Sheryl, and the rest of the instructors provide a body of excellence at the school blending a family environment with training “Making Life Better”.

I have been learning Kung Fu and Tai Chi at Shaolin-do for almost 7 years and love it.

As a beginner in my late 50s, overweight, out of shape, and dyslexic, I was an unlikely candidate for "martial artist". My original goal was to get my 13-year old son interested in Kung Fu, to get some exercise, and maybe lose some weight. It was difficult at first: initially I thought I was going to croak just during warmups, I was often on the wrong foot, and would routinely arrive at the end of a different kata than I started. Needless to say, no one's star student. But I refused to give up. Nor did Master Joe, Master Sheryl, the other instructors, or my fellow students, give up on me. At age 60 I managed to achieve the 2nd degree Black Belt alongside my son, and still keep up (more or less) with the "youngsters". I'm still not a star student (although my son became one). But I am deeply grateful for the support, encouragement, and friendships that have accompanied the excellent martial arts training. I'm in the best shape of my life. Shao-lin Do has definitely made my left better.

COVID-19 cannot even break this school and its sense of community. ZOOM classes happen every day for all levels so that no one's kung fu/tai chi training is being left behind. Three of us in our family are taking classes via ZOOM at different levels. Sometimes we do it in the house with the laptop connected to the TV, and other times we practice in the backyard with ZOOM class on the laptop. I have really appreciated Master Joe's and Master Sheryl's commitment to providing so many classes per day, every day of the week, for flexibility. It has provided a consistent and enjoyable/rewarding activity in our lives when very little feels routine and predictable, and for that I am very grateful. I love to see everyone's smiling faces each time.

When the school closed down with the rest of the City of Austin in March, I was so afraid that my training would come to an end until classes began again. I was thrilled when Master Joe and Master Sheryl announced that classes would continue on Zoom! What is really incredible to me is how productive the classes have been. Although I'm working on 4th degree black belt material that is very detailed and complex, I'm amazed at how much I've learned, both new katas as well as details I missed when we reviewed katas I'd previously learned. And just as important, the Zoom classes gave us all a chance to interact with our Kung Fu family members which is incredibly important to the community that Master Joe and Master Sheryl have created. We are so lucky to still be connected to each other at this stressful time in our lives!