Newberry's Ata Black Belt Acad

My daughter has been with Leaders for Life for 6 months now. My husband and I noticed positive changes at home within the first few weeks of her involvement with Newberry's. Jeff and Tina are the real deal- masters of martial arts. And they are amazing with children. Each class is filled with positive affirmations and reminders of what truly builds strength and character: discipline, respect, hard work, excellence. They teach the older and more experienced children to work with the younger ones. I once watched my white belt work one-on-one with a black belt who was a few years older. I was so impressed with how my daughter responded to the affirmation and constructive criticism of her peer. I love how the instructors work together to keep the class moving. And I especially appreciate how Newberry's emphasizes working together with parents and with the classroom teacher to ensure that the valuable lessons the kids learn in Tae Kwon Do carry over into the other areas of their lives to help them grow into strong, respectful, responsible people. We are very happy that we found Newberry's! more

aka: Newberry's Leaders for Life. They're an ATA franchise. BUYER BEWARE The owners are excellent sales people. They'll tell you almost anything to get you to commit to a one or even three year unbreakable contract. They are messy with paperwork. Don't be surprised if you're asked to sign something again. READ YOUR CONTRACTS CAREFULLY. They won't mention the "unbreakable" clause. If you're waiting on something to arrive (uniforms, etc), plan on asking every week for a month or more until you get it. CLASSES: the school moved into a larger facility late fall/winter 2010. By Feb 2011 they began heavy recruiting, nearly doubling the original attendance but they didn't add instructors or classes. The result: less instruction, more cattle herding, overcrowding, and obviously more money. For my son, it became "not fun anymore". You might hear Ms. Newberry mention she paid a lot for the building during class. INSTRUCTORS: There are a couple very good instructors and the rest are mediocre at best. They may have the skill, but they can't teach. If the good ones leave, that school will be in trouble. Re: the self defense techniques, my son can't get my hand off his shirt collar using the "escape" techniques they teach. It may work against kids but not against adults as they claim. PRICES: You'll probably notice a trend of paying for something new every 3 months. They'll graduate anyone on up to black belt if you pay for it. If you or your child is in any weapons classes, you'll use new weapons every 8 weeks and can only use gear approved by the school which happens be only the gear they sell. I was warned by a fellow parent prior to enrolling my son but gave the school the benefit of the doubt due to his excitement. In the end it was a mistake and I should have gone with my gut and the warning. There are other martial arts schools in the area. Newberry's heavily markets themselves but that does not at all mean they are the best. Visit the others to make a decision based on your info, not the hard sell... more

I don't know where “not getting any more of my $$” was but not at Newberry's. They have excellent instructors. The owners themselves are 6th degree black belts. Another instructor from Korea is a 5th degree, and another 5th degree world champ black belt, the others are 3rd degree and 2nd degree black belts all certified instructors that have gone through rigorous training and tests. My son has been going for 10 months and is already a brown belt. I was so impressed by what he was getting physically, socially, and emotionally that my daughter and I signed up four months ago. I'm pushing 50 and have had back and knee problems since I was 10. These have improved dramatically when nothing else helped. I am more limber than I ever was and have lost weight not even trying. Not only is taekwondo fun, but it is good for your health and psyche. It is worth every dollar I pay. Lot more fun and cheaper than the chiropractor! more