Help Your Child Become Fearless, Focused and Happy.
The Best Children’s Taekwondo and Karate Classes in Northville, Novi and Plymouth!
A Few Reasons Parents Love Michigan Academy of Taekwondo
- Convenience: We have a flexible schedule with daily class options for every student.
- Reputation: Michigan Academy of Taekwondo has served the Northville, Novi and Plymouth areas since 2005.
- Expertise and Experience: Our head instructors each have more than 20 of teaching experience and more than 30 years of martial arts training under their black belts.
- Personal Attention: We maintain a ratio of one instructor on the mat for every eight students.
- Credibility: Our black belts are certified through the World Taekwondo Federation, Taekwondo’s governing body appointed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC.)
But what really sets Michigan Academy of Taekwondo Apart…
We won’t just help your child become an exceptional martial artist; we want to join you, their teachers and coaches to help them become an exceptional person.
Our teachers are not only expert martial artists; they are inspiring leaders and role-models. We select them for both their exceptional martial arts ability and their passion for helping others. They are tirelessly dedicated to empowering each child to reach their full potential – on and off the mat.
Our Kids’ Karate Program Will Help Empower Your Child with Five Critical Life-Skills:
Self-Confidence
Kids need to believe in themselves, so they choose worthy goals and set the bar high for their own achievement. They also need to have the courage to meet new people (face-to-face, we mean, not online) and the self-worth to stand up to bullies and resist negative peer pressure.
Self-Discipline
When our children are young, the skills of listening and following directions are essential for our sanity as parents. As our kids get older, those skills evolve to make them excellent team-players and the kind of good-listeners people like to have as friends. They also learn personal responsibility (doing things without being told) and rock-solid self-control.
Manners and Respect
Being courteous to others helps our kids to build great relationships. Because of the physical skills we teach, respect has always been a cornerstone of martial arts training. We go above and beyond and also teach kids about respectful social interactions and making fantastic first impressions. This all adds up to help them become the kind of person who is full of respect for others and themselves.
Goal Setting
As parents, we know there are strategies successful people use to achieve their goals. At MAT, we encourage kids to dream big dreams! The fantastic thing about martial arts is we give them an excellent metaphor for goal setting: the martial arts belt system. We will actually work with your child as they set and achieve their martial arts goals, then we’ll coach them to apply those skills to their goals outside of our school.
Being Good
Finally, we teach your child about being honest, kind, empathetic and gracious. (This is important when your hands are certified, deadly weapons.) Through community service projects in Northville, Novi, Plymouth and beyond, we coach kids to contribute to the world around them. At Michigan Academy of Taekwondo, we believe in a simple motto, “I do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.”
Of course, they get all the “normal” benefits of martial arts training as well:
They learn self-defense.
Increase their athleticism.
Make new friends.
And have tons of fun.
Try Our Kids Karate and Taekwondo Program… On Us.
We know our program works because it’s already worked for thousands of kids in the Novi, Northville, and Plymouth areas. What we’d really like to know is if it will work for your child.
We invite you to find out by taking advantage of our introductory package. Here’s what it includes:
We’ll give you a free uniform. Your child can suit up and look like part of the team.
Then, try two free private lessons with one of our role-model teachers. See for yourself if your child will love training at our school and begin to get an idea of the values we’d like to instill in your young person.
After your child’s second lesson, we’ll present them with their white-belt. This signifies they are ready to join group classes and start working their way up the Taekwondo ranks!
If you choose to sign up for regular classes. There are:
- No Contracts
- No Registration Fees
- And No Hidden Costs
And because we offer our introductory program completely free of cost or obligation, there really isn’t any reason not to give it a shot!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Teach Life Skills?
We have ten different lessons on each of our five topics, and students hear the lesson twice a week. Each child learns differently, so the lessons are a mix of parables, group talks, or question-and-answer sessions.
We take five minutes of every class to give one of these lessons and talk about it as a group. Then, we recap it at the end of class. This way, in one year, kids hear fifty different approaches to our five critical topics as many as two-hundred times! (Two times per class, two classes per week, minus holiday closings.)
We also tie the physical martial-arts-skills we’re teaching into our character lessons. This enables us to create an environment of total immersion. Kids don’t just hear about these lessons; they actually get to use the lessons right in our classroom.
Then, best of all, we coach them to apply these lessons when they’re not with us so that at home, at school, and in their self-image, they are empowered by higher levels of our five skills.
What style of martial art do you teach?
Primarily we teach World Taekwondo Federation taekwondo. We are also members of the Korean Taekwondo Association of America. Like most modern martial arts schools, we blend in a few skills from karate, boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Do you teach the martial art of karate-do?
We mention the word “karate” on our website frequently. This is because “karate” has become a generic word for “martial arts.” Usually, when people search for “karate classes,” they aren’t looking for a karate-do dojo – they just want their child to do something like what Miyagi did with Daniel-san. So, we include the word “karate” on our site so that people using it instead of “martial arts” can find us.
Where do you find your teachers?
Michigan Academy of Taekwondo Instructors are almost always people who have trained with the Rose family for an extended period. They are also:
- Back-ground checked
- Trained as teachers, not just practitioners
- Passionate to help students strive for their full potential
- Powerful, Positive Role-Models
When it comes to teaching martial arts, we believe the old saying, “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”
We do not believe drill instructors have a place in the modern martial arts school. We believe in a structured environment full of positive reinforcement. While our teachers are undeniably “tough” guys, we value them because they are “nice” guys.
Our teachers are not only expert martial artists; they are inspiring leaders and role-models we select for both their exceptional martial arts ability and their passion for helping others. They are tirelessly dedicated to empowering each child to reach their full potential on and off the mat.
Read the teachers’ bios here.
I want to sign my child up for kids' martial arts classes, but he/she isn't all that interested. Can you help?
The easiest part of what we do is to get the kids to like it. After all, does your child like positive feedback? Compliments? Fun, exciting games? Nice friends? Cool adults (that are terrific role models too)? How about rewards for accomplishment? Trophies and medals? The admiration of peers and adults alike? If so, then we stand a good chance of getting them to like classes at Michigan Academy of Taekwondo.
To answer this question, we encourage you to give the free trial a shot. About 90% of the time, kids that were dragged in kicking and screaming wind up begging to sign up.
Try saying something like, “We’re just going to try a few classes. “Youʼll probably have fun. If you don’t like it, we won’t sign up for more – but you do have to try it.”
Will martial arts make my child violent?
No, the opposite should happen. We teach children to kick and punch as a means of self-defense and as a vehicle for self-improvement. We teach students to respect all living things, people and property.
Will my child get hurt?
We measure the time between injuries in years, not in months or weeks. While we can’t guarantee that every child will be free of injury, we can guarantee that weʼve taken every precaution to ensure your childʼs safety. We pay attention to the details from our first-aid certified instructors and 1.5″ Zebra mat to proper, high-quality safety gear. These are the safest kids’ martial arts classes in the Northville, Novi and Plymouth area.
My child is not athletic. Will he have problems in class?
Often children who don’t find success in team sports come to martial arts. And they love it. That’s because with martial arts, you go at your own pace. See, team sports actually harm the self-esteem of children who aren’t very athletic. When they don’t perform well, the other kids can be pretty nasty. And this can leave some severe scars on their self-esteem. But with martial arts, they can’t let anyone down. Everyone goes at their own pace. Some kids learn quicker than others – but the children who advance quickly are not valued more than the kids who advance slowly. Everyone in our kids’ martial arts class is greatly encouraged – regardless of their athletic level.
Will my child have fun? Will she want to stick it out?
Fun is what holds the whole program together. Michigan Academy of Taekwondo kids often have no idea all this “good for you” stuff is happening. The teachers are friendly, the classes are fun and engaging, and the kids have a blast!
As parents, we’re often running around telling our kids to hurry up. We have to remind them of commitments and appointments continually. Taekwondo is different. Most kids are reminding their parents it’s Taekwondo night and racing out the door, belt in hand, yelling “Yahoooo!”
We don't get home until 6:00, and we have other activities we take our kids to. When are classes?
One of the most practical things about our school is our flexible scheduling. Most students have a class six days a week with options in the early evenings, afternoons, and Saturday mornings. As specific class times change from time to time, please contact us for more detailed schedule information.
At what age is it appropriate for my child to start kids' martial arts?
We have students from age five on up.
Will my child learn a talent they can be proud of?
Absolutely! One of the great things about our school is that we offer many different ways for them to excel in their physical ability. Our children become very proud of their kicks, punches and Taekwondo skills! Often they perform them in school talent shows. Your child will have something others enjoy watching!
Do you have classes that I can do with my child?
We have classes that you can take by yourself and classes that you can take together. Our family program is very popular and provides families with a way to spend time together out of the house and progress toward a common goal.
Do a lot of girls do martial arts?
Absolutely! There are several awesome young women on our teaching staff. We probably have a few more boys than girls on the training floor, but not by much. The truth is girls love martial arts just as much as boys and the benefits are just as great for them. Every parent wants their daughter to be able to defend herself, perhaps most especially in her teen and college years. Not only will she learn the fundamentals of personal protection, she’ll get the valuable self-esteem she needs to use them.