Mastery Martial Arts - Smithfield — Local services in Smithfield

Our journey with Mastery Martial Arts began a few months ago, when my son had received a voucher for a couple of free lessons. When we arrived at the Smithfield location, he was unsure if he would like it. Mrs. Howard met us at the door, and worked with him on a couple of basic subjects, including the rules, respect, and self discipline. He met Sensei West, and then joined the class as they began the day's lesson. While observing my son, the Sensei, other black belts assisting the students, and how the Mastery program is taught, I wasn't sure what to think. My well experienced background includes a traditionally instructed discipline of karate that roots back to Okinawa. I was skeptical of the Mastery program based on my initial impressions. I did like the student creed, and the "yes I can" environment, as they reinforced a positive attitude and self confidence. I casually met with Sensei West after the class, and had a short discussion regarding the subject matter and theory of the program being taught. He was courteous, patient, and took the time to answer my questions.

My son attended his second class a couple of days later. He had enjoyed the previous one, but still wasn't sure if he wanted to continue. However; he now knew what the class entailed, and what he was doing during his participation. Keeping with the "yes I can" theory for the program, he was constantly engaged mentally and physically with what was being taught. Although he didn't realize it, he was learning focus, self discipline, and self confidence. He enjoyed the class and had decided that he really wanted to continue. So, I enrolled him for one year.

A couple of months later (present time of this review), he still has the same excitement and motivation to attend Mastery Martial Arts. I noticed a marked improvement in his grades and behavior in school, as well as; his confidence, attitude, and self esteem. Now that I am more familiar with how the Mastery program works (thank you Mrs. Howard for answering all of my questions), I now see that it is the perfect fit for my son. He is excelling at Mastery, earning stripes on his belt for overcoming personal and class challenges. The attention to all of the students by the Sensei (referred to as Mr. West) and the other black belts assisting (referred to as Mr. Bolte and Ms. Sjostedt) proved to me that they genuinely care for the students as individuals, and not just participants. Every week Sensei West would check in with me regarding my son's progress.

Simply put, the program isn't just about learning martial arts. A large portion of it is also life skills and personal growth. With a full understanding of Mastery and its theory, I can honestly say that I respect and am thankful that a program like this exists, especially for younger (child and adolescent) students. Again, (with my strict discipline background) I had my own opinions based on initial impressions. However, I would now recommend Mastery Martial Arts to anyone who is looking for a program to help their child with communication, personal growth, self esteem, and self confidence along with learning a martial art. Mastery (Smithfield location), its Sensei , and staff have repeatedly proven to me that the program has merit and works based on my son's improvement. Thank you Sensei West, Ms. Sjostedt, Mr. Bolte, and Mrs. Howard for your patience, attention, and time. My son loves coming to class, and wants to achieve his black belt in the future.

The positive changes in my son have been noticed by many, and I am thankful for Mastery...

“There’s this thing in karate that we work hard on: discipline”

“Mom, it’s harder but I know I can do it!”

-Andromeda, 7 years old

My youngest daughter has been going to Mastery in Smithfield for about six months now and last night I got to see how much of an impact this community and environment has had on her mental state. Last night during class Mr. West made a point about the children making their beds in the morning. He told them that, “the way you do anything is the way you do everything” and making your bed in the morning is a great first step in cultivating discipline first thing in the morning.

I absolutely agree with the idea behind this but my daughter has the top bunk… this is going to be objectively more difficult for her than her peers. I looked to her to see how she was digesting this new perspective and just as I expected she was giving me every facial expression she could possibly work her eyes, nose, and mouth into. Eyebrows were in danger of being flung off of foreheads levels of facial expressions. My brain immediately started thinking of ways to curtail her negative emotions and by the time we got home I had a whole speech worked out.

I sat her down and explained to her that I agreed with what Mr West had said but I thought maybe bed making wasn’t the best example bc kiddos like her would have to work harder to achieve the same goal as their peers. She seemed to understand what I had shared but didn’t have anything to add so we continued our evening routine. Fifteen minutes later my daughter comes to me and says, “Momma, know how we were talking about how making the bed would be more difficult for someone on the top bunk? Well there’s this thing in karate that we work hard on: discipline. Discipline is when you look at something that you have to do, you know it’s gonna be hard work and even maybe harder for you than for your friend but you KNOW you can do it anyway so you just gotta do it. Mom, it’s harder but I know I can do it!”

Dear readers, please understand that this kiddo is seven years old and the youngest of three. Up until yesterday her signature move was to cry until someone fixed things for her. She had her mind changed at Mastery. She sees herself as capable of doing things for herself that she didn’t before. She sees this in her because it is pulled out of her during each lesson when she’s challenged to learn a new skill or technique and is encouraged and supported by everyone: staff, students, and parents to reach that goal; she has felt the pride and satisfaction of working hard to get better at something and it being noticed. She has seen herself accomplish difficult skills in class and now has the irrefutable knowledge that she can trust herself to learn skills that will help her improve in life!!

I don’t know how or when she could have so fully learned to cultivate this kind of self confidence outside of the community at Mastery in Smithfield. It truly is a great place to get your kiddo not just up and active but also get them ready to take on the challenges of life independently and safely. 10/10 highly recommend signing up for a class and seeing how your child takes to it. You, like me, may end up surprised by the way your kiddos rise to their highest potential under the...

Our son started martial arts at Mastery in September 2023. He had just turned 3, and having been born during the pandemic, we realized he needed some help socializing. We hoped martial arts would help him hone vital social skills, as well as build self-confidence. He has been attending class weekly for 4 months and the shift we’ve seen in him is undeniable. Here are a few examples:

He’s now extremely social - even starting conversations in public with strangers multiple times a day (with supervision of course). Just months ago, he wouldn’t say a word and would hide behind us. He’s learned to work through difficult situations where hard work is required. He’s been taking ISR lessons for a couple of years. He’s not just learning to swim, but to survive, so the lessons are inherently challenging. He’s never not cried or voiced his nervousness before each session. But last week he was EXCITED to swim, get in the pool and show off his skills. His confidence and trust in himself is palpable now. Potty training is a personal topic but I’m sharing as a prime example of how his martial arts training has prepared him for life in ways we didn’t anticipate. We had tried twice before - he just wasn’t ready. But as his trust in himself grew each day, we kept talking about next steps for it. Until one day, he woke up and said he was ready. And he was! From that moment on, he basically trained himself, with encouragement from us. He approached it with the yes I can attitude taught at Mastery and nothing held him back. I wholeheartedly believe it would have been a longer, more difficult process for him had he not honed the skills he needed to face the challenge via martial arts.

I should also note there were many days our son didn’t want to attend class or barely participated once there. After all, he’s only 3. But we have always kept the focus on fun, as does the Mastery team. That’s been crucial.

As his parents, we couldn’t be more proud. He’s gaining valuable life skills that we see spill over into every element of his life. His newfound confidence and resiliency have helped his personality flourish, and he now has the ability to not only face challenges, but work through and overcome them. It’s been fun to see the little moments each week build into those “aha” moments for him.

We can’t thank Mastery - and his main instructor Mr. West - enough. They meet him where he’s at while gently pushing him out of his comfort zone. We’re only a few months in and cannot wait to see what the future holds for him...