Urban Defense Academy (Shin Gan Dojo) 141 Jonathan Drive, Liberty Hill, TX 78642

"I am taking hanbo classes here. The classes are well laid out and the instructions clear and precise. The instructors are friendly too. I would recommend them."

"My kiddo has been to many different martial arts dojos over the years. They have all been good in different ways, but this dojo has been the best of all. Sensei Brian teaches traditional Japanese forms of martial arts. My kiddo has been able to apply the learned martial arts in normal daily life, and lives the martial arts after she leaves the dojo. I highly recommend this dojo if you or your child wants real skill in martial arts. Many different classes and times available, also some classes are weapon oriented if that is the training you seek. They also offer gun safety and training classes as well. Tell them Rocky sent you...."

"My daughter is 12 now, and has been in and out of martial arts since she was 5. In and out was due to moving and changing dojos a couple of times, but she has been pretty consistently training some form of martial arts for the major part of her childhood. First of all - please note that the below is in no way a diss or complaint about our former dojos - they have all been wonderful, she has had invaluable training from them all! We've just chosen a different direction. That being said, during her training, something that always kind of bothered me as a parent, was the fact that - although it was nice to learn katas, moves and weapons and she was getting good exercise (and had fun!), I never really felt that if she ever needed to defend herself on the street, she would truly be prepared to do so. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she wouldn't have to remember the order of the katas to figure out what she needed to do, maybe she would just know what moves to use - I don't know, but I wasn't all that confident that she would. ALL of these concerns were laid to rest the day we walked in the door to Shin Gan Dojo! First of all - really wonderful environment! The minute you walk in, there is a welcoming, friendly and fun atmosphere. Communication is top notch, we had several questions before deciding to give it a try. I communicated mostly via email and Facebook messaging, everything was answered very quickly and that is always a great sign. Once we were there, it only took one class to convinced us that this was the better path for our daughter. I'm not saying she was ready to defend herself on the streets after one class, but from what we had experienced during that class, we could clearly see that if she stuck with Shin Gan Dojo, she most definitely would be on her way. Also - my daughter has always been into all things Japanese, so when the first thing she received was a book with Japanese words and phrases to learn, she was sold :) Sensei is wonderful with the kids! First of all, he very much knows his martial arts. From the get-go, there was no doubt in my mind about that. Second of all - there is a very healthy mix of fun & games and seriousness & discipline in his classes. That keeps the kids alert and attentive (most of the time ... I mean, they're still kids...) and they are able and willing to soak up all the knowledge that is presented in class. Thirdly - and what I love the most - is that this is a real life scenario, no-BS type of class. Sensei is a straight shooter and boy do we need more of those these days. Everything that is taught are things that could be used in real life. Moves are shown along with real-life scenario examples (i.e - "if your attacker did this from this angle, then you can do this"). Just as importantly - whenever they do a wrong move, that move doesn't just get corrected but it ALSO comes with a real-life scenario, explaining what will happen to them if they do it the wrong way, thereby really enforcing the importance of learning it correctly. At the time I'm writing this review, my daughter has been in classes for 7 or so months and she is thriving there. Her confidence has grown so much, as has her martial arts skills. I usually come with her to watch the classes and it's just really fun to see how she has evolved and how confidently she does her moves. Something new is always being learned and added on to everything she knows from before. And she loves it here. I don't ever have to force her to go to class, she's up and ready and out the door on her own every time. I really don't have enough good things to say, you just need to give it a try. If I had the time, I would be inspired to try adult classes here too, because I'd definitely love to learn some of these moves myself :) For now though - I'm just very happy to have my daughter here and excited on her behalf that she gets to train here. I know she has settled in here for several years ahead, and I can't wait to see where she goes."

"We signed our son up for the samurai sword camp. It was a two day camp, two hours each day. Our boy had a blast, each student received a belt and a wooden sword. Brian and Gigi were great with the students and it was an overall excellent experience."

"The martial arts courses at the Urban Defense Academy are top-notch! The instructors are knowledgeable and passionate about what they do, and they really care about their students. The courses are well-designed and offer a great balance of theory and practical application. My cousins have really enjoyed the classes and have learned a lot. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality martial arts training."