Vision Martial Arts

The worst ever... Would not recommend it is a rip off and high cost child care! They keep billing me after the contract end and after I called and cancelled. This happened 2 months in a row and is still not resolved. This is totally unacceptable as are their high pressure sales tactics. Everything and I mean everything costs money and this is not the norm in the martial art community. Even worse, they hand out belts like nobody's business which is all part of the sales plan. This is not what Tae Kwon Do is supposed to be at all. more

We have been with this Apex location since the first few months they had opened up (2003). The leadership and black belt program was indeed offered to us and we gladly signed up. My now 12year old started at age 3! I was pregnant and my now 8 year old is attending classes. We had paid 8 years ago and have not once, actually never EVER been hassled into doing something we did not want to do. We upgraded some of the equipment since my older 2 (out of 4kids) simply grew out of it. But you would expect that. I am not sure why a few comments have such negative things to say..... but I have recommended Vision to many of our friends and patients. I am a business owner here in Apex and dealing with a ""fluffy, sawy sales tactic hooking used car-dealer"" truly does not strike my fancy! So, seriously folks, you have to make your own experience. WE LOVE VISION! Never had felt treated with more professionalism and care at any of the other schools around here than at this studio. I shopped around and found that this studio not only matched our family purpose, but totally fit our family (all 6 of us!) budget!! more

We took our son there for what we thought was a tour and a lst ""free"" lesson of three. We were locked into a room for 2 hours where the savvy sales ""instructor"" sold us hook line and sinker on a six month contract. When we got home we didn't know what hit us. Now we know it was a savvy used car salesmen. There is only one instructor and 2 ""assistant"" instructors. It's a money making machine! Don't waste your time or money. He will sell you so great in that room. You will think your child is going to be a star in 6 months. Its not true.... The classes are a mix of beginners to very accomplished in the same CLASS! RUN while you can... Or better yet don't go there. more

My son began classes at the Morrisville location a couple of months ago and has been enjoying it immensely. I have no complaints about the training itself. The people are great. The instructors very engaging and friendly to their students and their families. It is a bit costly, but that would be the only thing I could site as a ""con"". Otherwise we've had a really good experience. Yes, there is a lot of ""upselling"" but they are a business and like any business, their objective is to make money. If you aren't interested, you have the option of declining, no hard feelings. This is my son's first recreational activity and I think (and hope) it's something he sticks with. I hope to get my daughter started when she reaches the age requirement. Fantastic staff, fantastic experience! Pros: Great staff, great training, stringent on respect, convenient Cons: Cost more

Driven by $$$$$ my child learned nothing in 6 months. Instructor a very good salesman. leadership and Blackbelt programs are designed to lock you into a longer contract\r There is a place next to peak fitness, It's a husband and wife operation, no contracts, price is reasonable and the kids seem to be learning. My friends child goes there and I am amazed how much she as learned in just 3 months. Pros: up beat and fun Cons: no one learns, cost too much more

I've been very disappointed in Vision Martial Arts. We enrolled our son in the Apex, NC location for the 6 month period. We attended regularly, adhering to the instructor's recommendations. After this period, I frankly did not see any improvement whatsoever in my son's performance. Yes, he enjoyed the classes, but he did not seem to be progressing. We met with the instructor who assured us that he was seeing improvement (bit of advice here, folks...you know your child better than any karate instructor who only sees him once or twice a week), and we fell for the sales tactic hook, line, and sinker. We enrolled him in the leadership program (at that time Vision Martial Arts did not offer a leadership program and a black belt program -- just the leadership program.) I expressed concern that the length of the program would limit my son, he wouldn't be able to play baseball in the spring, and I was assured that not only could we ""take time off"" but that we could suspend our payments during the period as well. (We have since found out this is NOT true, but didn't discover it until we'd put our names on the dotted line.) Since our son's enrollment in the leadership program, class size has grown enormously. My son is often one of thirty people (kids and adults in the same class) who all are at different skill levels. I've seen no progression in his skills, despite attending several classes each week. He receives little, if any, individual instruction and little attention in the group classes. Often he & the other attendees sit for long periods during class while those individuals enrolled in tournaments receive extra attention. Despite what I see as an obvious lack of progression on his part, his instructor continues to graduate him & award him higher level belts (which may be due to the fact that they can't collect the $60 graduation fee unless he graduates). If you want your child to participate in karate, I suggest you find another studio. Pros: None that I've yet to see Cons: Class Sizes Too Large, Expensive Fees, Lack of Individual Attention more

We enrolled both our kids in this program and were initially impressed by the freindliness and caring attitude of the instructors. They are genuinely nice and seem to have a good sense of how to motivate and handle young kids. Why only one star? Lots of reasons, starting with the high pressure sales tactics, lack of genuine instruction, exhorbitant belt fees, belts awarded without skill progress or meeting milestones, overcrowded classes, belt ceremonies that last 3 hours, classes mixed with people of all skill levels, and almost zero evidence that anyone is actually learning anything. If you sign up for this program, you will probably have a good time and get a taste of what Tae Kwan Do is all about. But, you will actually learn very little, you will be pressured to enroll in really expensive classes, and soon discover that the whole program seems carefully designed to separate you from your money. Sales tactics are straight from the timeshare manual (we'll waive the initial fee if you sign up today).\r \r After you finish your intial 6 month commitment , they try to sign you up for their extended training. The leadership program requires a three year commitment for a total of $14,000. The black belt program requires a three year commitment for a total of $9,000 (for 2 kids, as of 1/1/08). Of course, they don't tell you that during the sales pitch, and those fees don't include equipment and all the meaningless graduations which you are required to pay for and attend.\r \r Notice when you visit that students of all grade levels will be in the same class of about 30 people with one instructor. Some can do the moves reasonably well, others are lost, but they get no correction from the instructors. Skill level is unrelated to belt color because at each graduation, everybody moves up to the next color. There is no test, just a $60 fee. For kids, this is all very entertaining and mine really loved it, but they haven't learned much and it costs a fortune.\r \r Pros: friendly instructors Cons: high pressure sales, high costs, no real instruction more

I was out of shape when I joined the Morrisville school in October. I am still not where I want to be, but the instructors and my fellow students keep me motivated to participate. I started in the combat class on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I wanted an intense program and the activities are great for relieving stress. I now attend the combat classes, the taekwondo classes, and any other classes my family affords me the time to attend. The instructors and students all treat me and each other with absolute respect, and I learn a lot from them. Without them to motivate me to keep going, I might be spending my evenings vegetating in front of my computer surfing the Internet instead of getting control of my physical fitness levels and becoming the person I have always wanted to be.\r \r While the tuition is not cheap, it is worth the money you put into it. The instruction really is top-notch, the training really is high-energy and will get you back in shape. It has also been a god-send to me at a time where a lot of background noise was getting me down. Having the pads there to punish for a bad day in muay thai class did a lot to keep me going back to school and even increased the frequency of my attendance, as I began attending classes at times all over the week. I have lost one waist size already and am now shopping for pants in the next smaller waist size. I really do feel more fit now than I did last year in March. And I owe it to the instructors and my fellow students at the Morrisville school. Pros: Top-Notch, Respectful Instructors and Students motivate me to keep going Cons: Tuition is a Little High, though I gladly pay it more

I also have been going to the Morrisville location and I maybe a little old-fashioned but, these schools of TaeKwonDo are much more than meets the eye (pardon the refrence). I have been training there for a considerable amount of time and it is, by far, the best place to go in the area. I see some of the other reviews and think to myself, they must have lost thier minds! In a tournament of hype, White Tiger would be the grand champions, and Vision would drop out in the preliminaries. There is nothing that I could think of that any true martial artist, including myself, or someone that just wants a workout could complain about Vision Martial Arts. I hope that all who read these reviews see that the ones critizing are a very small minority and are too short-sighted to see the true greatness of this academy. Pros: They really care about you more

We've been training at the Morrisville location for a couple of months, and Ms Levy and Mr Austin are excellent instructors. They teach very high energy classes and seem to be truly concerned with the people training. I would highly recommend this place to someone looking for training for their family or even for themselves. This is the best training in the area. Pros: Class times, instruction, family environment more

Karate is one of those things that has to be a commitment from all family members (whether they participate or not). The best way to lead in my opinion is for Mom and Dad to get in the mix. Our entire family has taken class for over 1 year now and our kids really enjoy class as do Mom and Dad. The lead instructor really motivates the kids in class. \r \r One of our best decisions was to join this school.\r Pros: Kid oriented, Adult only classes, Friendly, worth the price more

My child has started at here and has actually learned alot so far. Since then my husband and i have joined and got a family membership. It is a great activity for families and has help us to grow as a family. There are not alot of activities you can do as a family and get out there and be with your kids. The yes sir's and yes maam's have become used as everyday language in our household, as we learn about respect along with many other values. At the Apex school we are in classes by belt ranks. All the belts are not thrown in one class. more

We were essentially locked in a room with a screaming toddler after a very high pressure, highly rehearsed sales pitch. Unfortunately my husband fell for the pitch and signed a 6 month contract. We only used three classes but have been paying for six months- even though this wasn't the right fit for our family. We may much more than a friend whose child is at White Tiger and they get more for their money. I would not recommend this business to anyone. more

I totally agree with the previous reviewer. Vision Martial Arts is nowhere near a professional institute. My kid goes to the Morrisville center and my experience is really bad. They don't bother categorizing the students on any basis - all students are put together in one huge group. Imagine one instructor for all ages ranging from 3 to 50 (with at least 15 students), ranging from beginner white belt to blue belts. Don't even think of putting your kid in if he is not self motivated! Go to White Tiger in Cary, where student to teacher ratio at any time is no more than 6 to 1.\r The graduations are a big farce too, no real test. My kid does nothing in class (not self motivated, and there is no motivation coming from the instructor too), still has been asked to deposit money for next level of belt. He can't even do one step of what is being taught in class, properly. It was a huge mistake putting him here.\r I am stuck because of the 6 month contract they make you sign at the beginning. I was told that by the instructor that he will bring my kid upto speed with extra classes if needed. So far, he hasn't mentioned anything about it. Pros: Convenient location in Morrisville, convenient hours. Cons: Big class size, non-motivational instructor, primary motive of making money. more

There is a lot of pressure on parents and students to bring new business. There is a lot of hype in so called 'Leadership Program'. No serious testing. Just fluff. Very high cost. They do not mention in the bginning that this is a program for 6 months and you cannot go out. Test fee, uniform, etc are way too high. Another way to make money. Cons: Pressure to buy, Just Fluff, fee structure more