WHY HERE?
Professional School
KMA is a professional martial art school, not a professional martial art business. Our focus is on the student, not on how many we can fit in a class. John Keefe teaches the classes.
"Private School"
Students that attend KMA experience the attention like a private school. Small classes and a more experienced teacher that focuses on the student. Large schools are what we call in the industry "McDojos". They are more concerned on the business and bottom line than the student like all commercial schools. I am the only school that post the monthly membership fee. Most all schools are $50 to $100 a month more. They also don't post their credentials like KMA does. KMA has more experience in martial arts. Research this website and theirs and see for yourself.
Reputation
Review John's credentials and testimonials. John has been teaching in and around the Stoneham area since 1987 and has many accolades.
He has ties with charities and his testimonials speak for his pride and caring of his students, family, friends and his community.
Knowledge
John started his training 1980, and received his black belt at age 16. At 18 he ran a school both teaching and running the day to day business. John then opened up his own school in 1989 at the age of 21.
He has trained in many styles and still attends seminars of well known martial artists, to gain as much knowledge of the martial arts as he can.
How John teaches the class
After 20 plus years of teaching classes, John has taught every age, learning ability, personality, etc. He gives personal time to all his students, whether they need extra attention while learning something new or need more material to keep them moving forward at a faster pace. He strikes a balance of fun and seriousness in his teaching. Students enjoy coming to class for the camaraderie and fun. The other part of the class is the teacher pushing effort, perseverance and discipline.
What is a McDojo - These schools charge a fee of $250 or more per month than this type of. school. They also require you to sign contracts from 6 months to 1 year and charge for every belt test at an average of $50 per test. KMA doesn't charge for belt tests. The focus is on the business of the martial arts not the student. They have classes of 20 to 40 students per class and have students teach them. That's fine if you just want your child to learn karate basics. But if you want them to learn with an experienced coach/teacher you can't do that with 25 plus students per class/hour. KMA limits a class to 15 students.
More
Students don't just learn punching and kicking at KMA. John teaches them the Japanese language and cultures of Asia. He also teaches them about other martial arts so the student is aware of the different styles and systems and about their focus and history. This develops a complete martial artist.
