Grandmaster Dong's Karate School

We have been beyond impressed by the quality of instruction at the Midlothian Branch of Grandmaster Dong's Martial Arts. Instructors Carlton and Patrick are wonderful, they teach the fundamentals patiently, and the more advanced techniques equally well. The life skills that are peppered through the class are great, and my children already are very conscious of respect and listening to others. I can't wait to see them progress through the ranks, I know they will be successful with such wonderful instructors!

My son loves going and we are very happy with the instructors. Overall very good experience

Has been a great experience and I have seen my child change so much over the years he has been a part of this organization! I would definitely recommend this school to anyone who wants a positive experience in the martial arts!

I enrolled in the Midlothian Branch nearly a decade ago as a teenager. I was out-of-shape and skeptical that I could do it, but with a gentle push from my parents I decided to enroll. It was the best decision I could have made. Midlothian Branch (and Dong's Karate as a whole) really sets itself apart with its self-improvement attitude. Everybody is encouraged not to compare themselves to others, but to seek personal growth and achieve their goals inside and outside of the studio. When I was young and out of shape, they knew just how much to push to get me moving without discouraging me. As I got older and got into shape, they adapted and began teaching me harder techniques and drills. Even when I suffered a back injury that prevent me from kicking (which seems like it should be a death sentence in martial arts training) the instructors and black-belts worked with me help me develop my own variations of the normal drills until I recovered fully. I've attended other martial arts schools as well, and there are certainly many capable instructors in the Richmond / Midlothian area. However, most of them could not tell me apart from Adam at the end of the day. I went to a school for two years that barely knew my name. They take their big happy family group photos once in a while and that's about it. At Dong's, the instructors and even the senior students know not just me, but my entire family. They knew when I graduated, they know what college I go to, they know where I work, they know about my back injury, and they know what my goals are in martial arts. That creates a VERY different training environment, I feel like I'm working out with friends and family instead of play-fighting strangers. No school is without flaws--I don't want to sound like a mindless fanatic in my review. That's because it's difficult to cater to a 20-year-old athlete in their prime while allowing a parent with a desk job and their five-year-old to also benefit from the martial arts. Hardcore martial arts schools will discourage and embarrass the latter, whereas day-care martial arts schools will bore and tired the former--I've been to both and didn't enjoy either. Dong's is the one school I can truly recommend to ANYBODY interested, as I believe that they have struck a balance. Their classes are scheduled and divided in such a way that allows everybody to participate and the instructors to work with the needs of each individual student.

I had a terrible experience dealing with this school in general. They see like a great school up front, but in the long run they really aren't anything special. They are expensive, and they quality of training is sub par. The management there is awful, I would not recommend this place to anyone.