Legacy Martial Arts of Scottsdale AZ — Local services in Scottsdale

I hesitate to write a review already because I have been a student for only a month, but when you know, you know. You know? Before I signed up, I was not in a good place in my life. My kids grew up and moved out, I was just coming off a divorce, living by myself for the first time and dealing with starting over while draped in horrible depression. Then I discovered Legacy Martial Arts. Having always wanted to do Karate, but never having the time as a father and husband, I decided I would give it a shot now that it was just me. I was concerned that being 43 would hinder my ability or even have them discourage me from joining, but Master C immediately welcomed me into the dojo with open arms and without judgment (nor did he make fun of my old man Hawaiian shirt). I really appreciate how he breaks things down slowly so the students can master technique for each part of the kata, move or combination. Sensei Calantog is extremely knowledgeable too. During my first class, not only did he help me greatly with learning the proper stance, protecting my face by keeping my hands up, the jab and cross punches (and later a good heel kick), he went out of his way to make it a point to talk to me and relate to things outside of Karate (which I believe really helps build rapport and connection). While there, you will also come to find that Mrs. C is the nicest person in the world, extremely helpful and always smiling. You can tell they genuinely care for their students and knew me by my name on and after the first day. Master C knows his stuff and has the accolades to prove it. He knows how to teach you, and further still, he knows how to reach you. The atmosphere in the dojo is one of fun, positivity, respect, discipline and determination, and it doesn't matter the belt rank - the students are just as accepting and willing to help the person next to them. I feel Master C's instilment of respect and equality has a lot to do with that. I have never in my life felt like a part of a family as quickly as I have at Legacy. The staff at Legacy are some of the best teachers I have come across - hands on, positive, attentive, engaging, humorous, constructively critical when needed while also providing plenty of positive reinforcement and encouragement, and the jokes from Master C and Sensei make the exercises easier. Well, I think they are funny anyway, but I like dad jokes. Don't get me wrong, however; Master C will push you to your limits and you WILL be sore after classes, but the sense of accomplishment felt afterward is so worth it and the exercises are always surprisingly relevant. In the one month I have been there I am in the best shape I have been in in a long time, my balance and flexibility has improved tremendously, my body has noticeably responded, my self-confidence has sky rocketed, my depression has seemingly faded and I have challenging and realistic goals that provide the sense of accomplishment I so desperately needed. Legacy has helped me to find my smile again and gives me something to look forward to after work; plus, it allows me to stir up what had become very mundane evenings alone, and has reawakened my sleeping qualities of discipline and determination, even outside of the dojo. Even after such a short period of time and with not even a tip on my white belt yet (soon though!), I can already tell that I will be here for a long, long time. I look forward to many, many years of training with Master C and Sensei, and the highly anticipated day that they will be holding out to me that hard-earned black belt. I would not only highly recommend Legacy to any and all, especially if you are an older adult like me, but I encourage it. Don't let your age, weight or any other factor of excuse discourage you because if Master C can do this for me as broken as I was, then he definitely can do it for you. Well earned...

Times like these I wish I could leave more than five stars. What can I say about a family run business that runs like a wee oiled machine from top to bottom?

I grew up with a lovely but overprotective mom who wouldn't let me participate in risky sports like football.

Finally I got to play as a junior and it opened up my eyes to team sports / respect / discipline / control like nothing I had experienced before. These are things that are hard to teach in the home, it takes a village to raise good humans.

As a parent of an almost 8 year old, I'm always looking for ways to help them grow and stretch their abilities and confidence without putting them in danger.

This is the PERFECT place for that kind of challenge / growth. The way I see it, my kid gets all the benefits of team sports like football but at a fraction of the risk.

This family is incredible and I have nothing but good things to say about their ability to challenge and help my son thrive. We've been coming for more than a year now and couldn't be happier with every aspect of the...

My family has been training at this school for many years. My two children started out in their ‘little dragons’ program at a very young age. Right off the bat they were learning respect, honesty and focus. They have now moved up the ranks in the kid’s class and are developing great martial arts skills, coordination, self confidence, and most importantly they are still learning respect and focus. The school is top notch and the staff is excellent and well trained. The head instructor Master Calantog, “Mr. C” is a highly trained 5th degree black belt with a gift of motivation and positive thinking. I train at this school myself and earned a black belt a couple of years ago. The experience still remains one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done. My family has referred other families here and they continue to train and progress. I highly recommend this school, it’s not easy but the rewards are well worth it, especially if...