SwiftKick Martial Arts San Diego — Local services in San Diego

Pros: (teachers, special needs accomodations) I enrolled my 6-year-old son in their program almost a year ago. At the time I was drawn to the sales pitch of how martial arts can improve behavior, focus, attention, etc. My son is very ADHD so this seemed like a great fit for him.

After one year I can accurately say what the experience was like. The teachers are amazing because there are two to three teachers per group so the student to teacher ratio is great. This is especially important for special needs students. They have weekly and bi-weekly options which were useful for us. In the end, we were unable to attend because of personal issues.

Cons: (Rigid, almost exploitative billing, program implementation)

My son was not benefiting from the class and was floundering around during instruction. There were reasons that were both personal and also because he needed one-on-one teaching. I do not fault swift kick for this. However, progress check-ups were few and far between. Once every few months parents would coordinate with teachers on the child's progress. This is good but there should also be an emphasis on continuous observation and coordination of progress with parents. Especially for special needs students.

When I reached out to them to adjust our schedule it was as if they were holding my billing details ransom. I needed to submit documentation and explanations in order to adjust our schedule from bi-weekly to once weekly. On June 17th I notified them that because of personal and financial issues we would need to cancel. I was told that because I didn't notify them on June 1st that they would bill me for July 1st.

I asked for a prorate and they refused to do so. Now they're asking me to fill out cancellation forms. Please keep in mind that if you become involved with these people they will hold your billing details and make it difficult for you to adjust or leave their program.

They had me buy boxing gloves and other equipment that have never been used. And I'm currently being billed for weekly services that are not being used. Hopefully this warning will help you to avoid the same pitfall.

Edit 7/23/21: The owner's response indicated that I did not provide an opportunity to himself and the team to rectify the situation. I spoke to billing about our family's circumstances and why they should pro-rate and they would not accommodate.

Additionally, I kept in contact with Coach L about my son's progress and concerns of that sort. This review came from a culmination of months...

My son has been going to Swiftkick Martial Arts for almost 3 years. He's now 7 and still loves and enjoys the classes. He has 2 different coaches as he attends classes 4 times a week. Coach Jordan Egger is wonderful and knowledgeable; I can see why the kids enjoy his classes. Coach JT Smith is also as fabulous and wonderful and my son looks up to him. They each have a different technique in teaching but ultimately with the same goal!

Coach Brian Cowell is the owner who also coaches every once in a while in Rancho Bernardo. My son loves it when he teaches a class as he makes a class fun and controlled at the same time. It is impressive how well he knows every child's name without teaching or being there every day. He must have an amazing open line of communication with his staff!

The reason why I like Swiftkick Martial Arts is, the combination of different types of martial arts they teach so your child is able to use in every day life, in case he needs to. If I have an issue at home or at school with my son, I can sit down with Mr. Cowell and we can work together at solving the matter even though it isn’t happening during Martial Arts hours. He takes every issue seriously and puts the time to resolve it by following up with me. Every evaluation is taken seriously; Mr. Cowell and his team will not give any child a stripe or a higher belt if the child doesn’t earn it. Couple of times my son didn’t receive his full stripes on his belt because Mr. Smith didn’t think he was ready for it, and that is what I appreciate from them. I know they are not here to just test and collect money on a belt that isn’t earned properly!

I can’t say enough about Swiftkick Martial Arts and the entire staff who is kind and understanding. They have created a friendly, fun, yet disciplined environment for each child to learn a variety of Martial Arts technique and self-defense.

Thanks Swiftkick for being such a great role...

I cannot recommend this studio highly enough. My son has been training with Swiftkick for about three years. I have never had a single negative interaction with anyone (and I've never heard of anyone else having the slightest problem, either). The staff is amazing. There is almost no turnover (which tells you something) and everyone is wonderful with all of the students. They are exceedingly patient, considerate, and kind while still instilling the values commonly associated with martial arts such as disciple, respect, self-control, etc. It is a fun, playful atmosphere but discipline is always present - "yes, sir," "no, ma'am," and the like are required, as is paying attention and being quiet during non-action times. They move quickly from activity to activity which always keeps the kids engaged. These people really "get" kids. They meet each child at his or her own place, physically, mentally, and emotionally, no matter the needs of any particular child, working one on one with kids who need that level of attention and instruction. They work hard to make EVERY student successful. My other son took a class at another studio where very strict discipline was enforced. That studio used punishment as a method of controlling students. Swiftkick uses praise. That studio tried to cram all students into the same program, leaving some students behind, feeling frustrated and bad about themselves. Swiftkick customizes their program to fit the needs of each student. My son has gotten so much confidence here, is amazingly physically fit, and has learned so much about respect, discipline, self-control, character, patience, determination, perseverance, so many other important values. I truly recommend Swiftkick to everyone in my everyday life and I recommend it here to anyone looking around to find a good place to...