Testimonials
"Caleb has been taking classes at ASMA for about 9 months now. These classes have been very challenging for him both physically and mentally. He has never worked so hard to achieve a goal before, yet he has also never been so proud of his efforts either. His experience as ASMA has left him feeling proud, confident, self assured, and he has a whole new respect for the value of hard work and discipline." "Our three boys have been attending American School of Martial Arts for two years now. The school is very important to our family. Initially we joined ASMA because our son was having some behavioral issues in school. The school has helped to resolve some of the issues. Our son is able to take out some of his built up energy and frustration on the mats. Eric, the instructor, will take time out to talk to our son about his behavior and feelings. We have seen a definite improvement in his behavior thanks to ASMA.
Due to school budget cuts, our 3 energetic boys, ages 7,8, & 11 only get two out of every ten days of gym at school. We feel that exercise is very important in a young boy's daily routine. Our children can attend ASMA 6 days a week and get a great workout.
The instructor, Eric, has the patience and guidance skills that teach our boys lessons they will use for the rest of their lives. Eric not only teaches them martial arts techniques and physical training, he shows them self defense techniques. The children also learn respect for themselves, each other, their parents and teachers. They learn the importance of eating right and also learn self confidence. Our eldest son has used the self defense technique- the outside leg trip- which is a non harming/threatening technique to resolve an issue he had with a bully in school. The bully has since stopped bullying him."
"Honest psychologists, those who aren't unduly concerned about political correctness and feminist wrath, will admit that there are many differences between the male and female psyche. One of those differences, and one that is overlooked all too often today, is that, although girls can grow up into women quite nicely all on their own, boys need men to teach them to be men. You may not list it on your website, and it may not be an intentional part of your curriculum, but helping to teach boys and young men to become men is an integral part of your program. The proof of that, for me, is the growth I see in my fourteen year old grandson in the few short months he's trained at American School of Martial Arts.
Casual observers may watch your classes and see only the martial arts techniques you so competently teach. They might even appreciate that these are skills all boys should learn. But they could easily overlook those less obvious yet equally important skills being taught, such as how honorable men compete and cooperate; how they correct each other and support each other; that men don't give up and that personal honor is important. These are skills for life, which men exercise in uniquely masculine ways and that boys need to be part of to understand and grow into. As a practical example, I'm continually impressed by the generosity of many of the more experienced fighters who take time to help the younger ones with their exercises and techniques.
In a feminzed western world where single-motherhood is becoming the norm, and masculinity is consistently disparaged, you offer young men and boys not only the technical aspects of self-defense, but also valuable lessons in manhood - the vocation that God intended for them and one this nation desperately needs.
Each class my grandson attends reminds me that we made the right choice in coming to ASMA. ASMA, under your guidance, feels like home."
"ASMA has been a great experience for our family for the past year. My wife, son and I have all been able to take away a great skill set for each of our needs. My wife has learned several self defense techniques while receiving a great workout. My son has learned the basics of self defense, stranger danger, striking, and many other real world values not usually taught at other martial arts schools.
My son is 6 years old and working out ASMA has him a stronger sense of discipline, focus and self confidence. We have enrolled my son in a couple of other non mixed martial arts schools, but none of those schools ever took the time and patience Eric took with training the kids. If anyone has a child that has an abundance of energy and needs an outlet to focus that energy, you cannot go wrong with this school.
ASMA truly offers a great experience for all ages, levels, and degrees of skill sets. The hours are flexible and every class was as good as the first as far as attention to details and workout difficulty. Unfortunately my family is moving to Georgia or we would sign up for another year without hesitation. I have inquired into other MMA gyms in Atlanta and every gym is almost twice the cost for the same benefits, and most will not even take the time to train kids under 12. The fact the Eric does train younger kids in MMA is truly the greatest benefit, and definitely what I will miss most about his school."
"I have trained off and on in Okinawan karate for 30 years. I have had some great instructors and have been associated with some very successful schools. American School of Martial Arts beats them all! I originally enrolled my two young sons and myself for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to develop our ground defense but quickly discovered Eric's striking classes to be revolutionary as compared to our traditional karate training. The weight room, training equipment, kids play room and spacious mat area add to the tremendous value you receive as a member of the gym. Parents, please consider mixed martial arts for your children's protection because karate is not enough."
It was quickly apparent that in Eric we had found the solution for both
our concerns of our existing school-quality and affordability. Most
importantly, Eric provides the top quality education we felt we were
missing, and as a bonus Eric has set his pricing to be as
family-friendly as possible.
As for our kids-they love Eric and his classes. Upon our enrollment,
they enjoyed Eric's classes so much they took 23 hours of lessons in 24
days. To translate that into class time from our previous school, this
would have taken a minimum of 15 weeks to accrue the same 23 hours of
class time!"
"...Eric teaches a practical approach to self-defense by teaching the best
techniques from a variety of complimentary Martial Arts. I could see
that my kids would learn how to defend themselves whether they were
standing or on the ground.
I am particularly impressed with Eric's effectiveness teaching kids.
His approach fosters confidence, self-respect, self-discipline, respect
for parents and teachers, leadership...and all with American traditions!"
-Rich and Andrea Dean
Shakopee, MN
-Joe and Leslie Letson
Savage, MN
-Loren Pecore
Northfield, MN
-Good Luck, Rick Harmon
-Bryce, Brent and Tyler Jones
Prior Lake
"Having enrolled our eldest son in a chain Karate School for 14
months, we were becoming very disillusioned with paying $100 per month
for classes that seemed of only marginal benefit. We also had a younger
son who was eager to start karate, but financially we had no way to
swing tuition for two kids. Then we found American School of Martial
Arts and signed up for a free week of lessons for the kids. Upon
attending the first lesson we were immediately impressed with the
practical content, passion, and energy of Eric's teaching. He has
superior eye for detail, and keeps the children's lessons fun while
commanding their attention and respect. We love the balance Eric
strikes between challenging the kids to do their best while
simultaneously being supportive and encouraging to every child.
-Darian Gray
Savage, MN
"My daughter Myranda has been coming here for about one year. She has gone from hating phy-ed class in school and being the slowest in the class to loving it and being the fastest-even beating the boys! This class has made her stronger and more confident."
-Lori Sutter Fjelstad
Prior Lake, MN
"We started bringing our son to Eric about one year ago. We were merely looking for a Kenpo studio, however, we were, and continue to be, impressed with Eric and the school. Eric's style of teaching and discipline has had a tremendous impact on our son's physical abilities and attention deficit issues. We have now enrolled our daughter in the program as well. Our kids are genuinely excited to come to class and learn new things. Eric's ability to connect with the kids is awesome. His balance of discipline and fun keep the kids enthused and encouraged. We cannot recommend Eric and American School of Martial Arts highly enough."
-Kyle and Cindy Elbert
Bllomington, MN
"We enrolled our 3 kids in American School of Martial Arts because we wanted them to know self-defense and to learn how to carry themselves with confidence. We have found that the classes have taught them more than what we had envisioned. Eric reconfirms the same priciples that we try to instill in our kids: the importance of reading, education, goals, nutrition, respect, manners, etc, while teaching them the art of Kenpo.
Our kids love the classes and have shown great strides in their physical strength and agility. We especially appreciate Eric's 'can do' attitude. The lessons learned in Eric's classes are invaluable for any age.
-Mike and Paula
Shakopee, MN
-John Andrzejek
Savage, MN
"...My step-son joined with me and things are going great for him. We were able to do something fun together and we were able to take him off meds for ADHD for the last two months of school with no regression in focus or concentration."
-Mark Madsen
Savage, MN
"...It's a place where a child can learn values, positive attributes and self defense as well as being affordable."
-Melissa Harwood
Richfield, MN
