American Karate

"My brothers and I used to train at American Karate when we were younger. I learned a lot here, not only about karate, but about life as well. Don Rethage really cares about his students, evidenced by all of the time he spends teaching his students and setting up activities in the community, such as tournaments, skate night, etc. I moved from the area several years ago, but would definitely bring my kids there if I was able to."

"We love American Karate! We have one student currently working on his brown belt material. Mr. Rethage is terrific with the kids and an excellent instructor. I recommend American Karate to anyone I hear is looking for lessons."

"We came here on a recommendation of our neighbor and one of my co-workers. I will say it's not as strict as some other places but it is a very fun atmosphere. All the kids have a great time while in class and all the Black Belts seem very respectful and are great teachers to the lower belts. Don Rethage is great with the kids and can adapt his training style to meet your individual kid's needs. He's always very personable with the parents and makes everyone feel welcome. As far as classes go, the students get a little bit of everything. After warm-ups, they'll do some bag work combinations, Light Sparring, Weapons Training (Staff, Sticks, Nunchucks, what I've seen so far)they'll work on their curriculum (Kata, Stances, etc)and sometimes he'll have the students work on some advanced stuff as well. The the students are great with each other as far as control and respect for one another. I keep reiterating this because my son in the youngest in the class and they don't treat him as he's a nuisance whenever they get partnered with him. So far the best thing about this place is in order for them to test for the next belt they have to get permission from the parents. The permission slip asks if they have been living the martial arts creed at home / school. Thus keeping them accountable for their actions off the mat in order to advance. We've held our student back and he's seen improvement in his off the mat activities. In closing we love being apart of the American Karate Ohana. At first we had a problem with its lax feel but after seeing the quality of students this place has produced, as far as genuinely good kids. We've come to appreciate it."