Testimonials

Children Karate

The Martial Arts Center and Shihan Mike Hernandez have made a profound difference in the life of our son.  Prior to taking karate, our son really struggled with his ability to focus and see things through to completion.  He lacked confidence in himself! Now our son, several years later, is a high achiever academically and athletically and really believes in himself.  We are so proud of him and so grateful to Mike Hernandez for the contribution that he has been to our family. - Knab Family

We enrolled our son, Nicholas, in karate after reading about the benefits karate offers and talking to other parents in our school community.  Everyone we spoke to who had experience with karate classes highly recommended The Martial Arts Center.  They were all right!  We could not have found a better dojo or teacher for our son! Nicholas loves participating in all aspects of karate.  He especially likes his teacher, Shihan Mike, who has a natural ability to connect with children and bring out the best in each child.  We have seen improvements in Nicholas' overall fitness and activity level, as well as improvements in focus, attention, and self-control.  His self-confidence and self-esteem have also grown, largely in part, to Shihan Mike's encouragement and motivation.   As parents we love that karate gives him the opportunity to challenge himself, and that it has sparked an awareness and desire in Nicholas to be healthy.  We couldn't be more pleased with the values of kindness and respect that are also emphasized during class.  Karate at The Martial Arts Center is helping to cultivate the self-discipline that we, as parents, know is invaluable to a child in today's world. We love karate at The Martial Arts Center and are so thankful to have found you! - Vastakis Family

Our son Frankie began his Karate study at The Martial Arts Center with Mike Hernandez when he was 9 years old. He is now 12. We were impressed from the beginning that Mr. Hernandez focused on Frankie’s abilities rather than his disabilities. (Frankie has been diagnosed with autism as well as severe learning and speech disabilities). Frankie loves Karate and looks forward to his workouts/classes. The emotional and physical discipline have been great for Frankie. Martial arts are now an essential part of his recovery and rehabilitation. Additionally, he has a supportive community of mentors and friends at the Dojo. As a pediatric psychiatrist with The Marcus Institute and Emory University, I regularly recommend The Martial Arts Center and Mike Hernandez as resources for children struggling with physical, emotional, and learning issues. - Roy Sanders, MD

Sitting in a class given by Shihan is an eye-opening experience. Our expectations when we signed up our son Adiel for Karate lessons were for him to learn how to fight and to expend any excess energy he may have. Little did we know just how many riches he would receive.

Our immediate reaction to seeing Shihan control his class, as well as knowing each and every one of his students’ names, was amazement. But Shihan and his TMACenter is much more. Through Shihan, the children learn to achieve and not to settle. They learn to respect themselves, to respect each other, and to respect parents and strangers. At the TMACenter, the children learn about tradition, knowing that where you come from sets the stage to where you are going. Shihan has faith in our children and the children respond accordingly. Students are taught by example. We as parents know that we have made an excellent decision in sending Adiel to the TMACenter. - Davitz Family

The Martial Arts Center and Shihan Hernandez has been a blessing to my Family. Jonathan has been a student since pre-k. I have watched my Son grow and mature in ways that makes me very very proud of him. Shihan has helped us by continuing the values that we had already instilled in our son. Thanks for the part that you play in the continuing growth and maturity of Jonathan better known as John. Also I find the staff to be kind and caring as well. It is like a second family at the Martial Center. - Bolton Family

Ella Bella loves being a karate student at the dojo.  She has gained an enormous amount of  confidence, mental and physical strength and a true sense  of self at TMAC, and through Sensei's guidance.   We like the way he weaves character building  into his curriculum...and in a relatable manner.   It is great! - Guedry Family

The Martial Arts Center and Shihan Mike Hernandez are an important part of our son's life. Our eight year old has been at the dojo for two years now and we have seen his self confidence and focus improve dramatically. We firmly believe that Shihan Mike and his excellent staff are responsible for this. His grades also improved and he made honor roll for the first time. Shihan Mike is so patient and helpful. He also provides the children wonderful life lessons and sets excellent goals for the children to strive for. Our child wants to please Shihan Mike and works hard to try and meet his expectations. We have seen tremendous growth in how he handles challenges outside of martial arts. We recommend this dojo and martial arts program to everyone we know. We find it a life program not just another activity for our child. - Gambrel Family

Adult Karate/Jiujitsu

My karate journey at The Martial Arts Center is one that changed my life. It has given me strength and health of heart and body and the empowerment to transcend my own expectations. I found the athlete in me. I found the warrior in me. As there was never a moment that Shihan Hernandez didn't expect me to exceed my own imposed limitations. There are no short-cuts to the greatness expected, and thank goodness there aren't. When you succeed in his dojo, you know you really earned it. God bless the legacy, tradition and teachings of Shuri-Ryu Karate as it is honored every day at The Martial Arts Center. - Lisina

As a former professional snowboarder, I was looking for ways of staying in shape and increase my flexibility during the off season.  Going to a standard gym was fine, but I needed an environment where I was pushed to excel beyond my limitations.  Martial Arts were always of interest, and I investigated several schools prior to joining the Martial Arts Center.  I specifically joined the Martial Arts Center because I was impressed by the instruction of Michael Hernandez and his ability to blend multiple arts while staying true to the traditional forms.  I feel lucky to have found a place where I can get a great workout in an art that I can practice for the rest of my life. - Rob

I have to say my time at TMA Center has been pretty remarkable. I’ve been training at TMA Center for a little over a year now and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the lessons I’ve learned. I did have some previous Martial Arts training before joining TMA Center but I feel that TMA Center has provided me with the best overall combination of physical, mental and spiritual conditioning to date. Shihan Hernandez and everyone at the dojo are all very helpful and encouraging. It’s a very family oriented environment and I have met some great people that I consider good friends. I plan to continue my training at TMA Center for a very long time and would highly recommend training here to any beginner or advanced Martial Art student. - L.