Martial Arts classes for Children in Northville, Michigan

In every class, we discuss the “Message of the Week.” During the Message, our lead instructor will sit down with the students and tell a brief story that corresponds with a character skill. For instance, if the Message of the Week is consistency, we might tell a story like The Tortoise and the Hare. Or, if the message is honesty, we might tell the story about The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The stories are not always from Aesop’s Fables — for a discussion on perseverance we might tell the story of Michael Jordan not making his high school basketball team… only to become one of the greatest basketball players of all time. We like telling stories — it’s one of the best ways we can connect with the kids.

Once the story has been told, we ask a series of questions related to the story. Then, we ask students how they can apply the lessons from the story while they are at home, at school, on the playground, or at some of the other activities they do. We are constantly amazed at how engaging, entertaining, and productive these discussions can be!

No. We teach our students that they are allowed to use their martial arts techniques under two conditions: (1) When they are training at the studio and (2) When their parents say it is okay. We encourage parents to have conversations about when it is appropriate for their child to use their self-defense techniques. Some parents tell their kids that it is okay to defend themselves — i.e. if another kid on the playground is getting physically aggressive, then it is appropriate to fight back. Again, we recommend that all parents have a conversation with their kids.

We recommend that our students train two times per week. In our opinion, this is the right pace for growth — if they train every day, they are likely to burn out, and if they only train once a week or once every couple weeks, they will not be able to gain the momentum that is needed to progress through the ranks and see true results from our program.

Most students who train twice per week are able to achieve Black Belt within about four years!

Just like any other sport, there is a risk associated with training in martial arts. We recommend that all students consult their physician prior to beginning our program.

That being said, we take every safety precaution possible in order to prevent injuries. From the mats that we use in our classroom to the way our instructors talk to the students, we prioritize the students’ safety.

It is not uncommon to get a bruise every once in awhile. Strained muscles and minor bruises are some of the most typical injuries that occur.

You can rest assured at MAT that we place your child’s safety at the forefront.

We have a wide variety of classes. Some of our classes are age-specific; others are rank-specific. We offer many options for all age groups and skill levels.

When you come into the studio for a tour, we will provide you with a hard copy of the class schedule, and we will show you exactly which classes will be best for your child.

To schedule your free introductory lessons, submit the contact form on this website or give us a call at 248.349.6900.

Karate and Taekwondo are similar and they are also different. Karate-Do is a martial art from Japan; Taekwondo is from South Korea. There are many different styles of Karate-Do, including Kyokushin, Okinawan, Koei-Kan, and many, many more. Most styles of Karate include sweeps, grappling, joint locks, strikes, blocks, and kicks.

Taekwondo is an Olympic sport and there are two primary components: Sparring and Forms (“Poomsae”). Sparring in Taekwondo can be quite different from sparring in Karate, given that Taekwondo sparring has a very different set of rules. Forms — or Poomsae — are a pattern of different blocks and strikes, and the proper execution of a Poomsae shows that the student has strong mind-muscle connection.

One key similarity between Karate and Taekwondo: Both martial arts offer excellent physical and mental benefits.

First of all, we do not hire our instructors off of Indeed or LinkedIn. Our instructors are hand-picked by Master Rose, or they approached Master Rose with interest in becoming an instructor. This goes for our staff instructors as well as our volunteer instructors.

All of our instructors…

• Are excellent role models on and off the mat
• Have been background-checked
• Participate in leadership development classes
• Regularly lead or assist with group classes
• Are passionate about helping others

To see a directory of our current staff instructors, click here.

Five years old is the minimum age.

Sorry—we do not enroll any students under the age of five!