Albany Karate for Kids

This place is the right fit for my sons. All the students adore Dara and what I like the best is a sense of equanimity she exudes. She instructs, tells kids what to do and how to improve and gives postitive ideas. The kids are focused on their kicks and punches and various moves rather than competing and sparring with each other — this works for my kids especially. She keeps a quiet, attentive studio, which is impressive among numerous chidren. Essentially, everyone is listening and takes her class seriously yet still has a fun time.

Our two kids have been a part of AKK for seven years. They’ve grown with Sensei Dara. And a number of kids have grown up with Dara, too.
When our kids started, Dara ran classes three days a week and at times two classes per each of those days. There was an hour beginner class followed by an advanced class. Unfortunately, now she just has the two classes on Saturday. This is the reason for our 4 out of 5 rating.
The beginner classes teach the kids the basics, and the advanced kids practice their skills during that time. The advanced classes hone skills and give the kids more complex routines. All classes are well structured with calisthenics leading to drills. Kids get warmed up with jumping jacks, push ups, and laps around the «dojo». That is followed by the lines of kids practicing a wide variety of kicks and punches and «katas». All in preparation for her tournaments and belt tests.
Dara has a well structured routine, and since she was the lone instructor for a number of years, there was little time to coddle the kids. That rubbed some of the parents the wrong way, but most of the parents and their kids «got it». Dara is kind, but no-​nonsense. Kids have to be on time, or they miss-​out on the warm-​ups. The warm-​ups are important, so if kids are late, they are expected to do the jumping jacks on the side, at a minimum. And because Dara has the kids ordered by their belt level, if kids are late, she has to quickly rearrange the students to insert the late kids where they rank. And when the room is packed, that can be a challenge.
Dara teaches the kids karate /​tae kwon do, and she teaches them maturity. She has them chant, «You can accomplish whatever you put your mind to; practice makes it easier; a goal of success leads to success.“Hopefully, that extends beyond her class. She teaches the kids how to deal with /​self-​defense against bullies and predators. She expects the kids to be friendly to each other and mentors as well. She also has them participate in an annual, «kicking marathon», charitable event with a different cause to learn about each year.

My son really looks forward to class every week. There are lots of kids but they seem to understand the routine and are disciplined. I also like the fact that the classes are paid for on a weekly/​session basis (you don’t know how many places we spoke with that won’t actually tell you how much they cost and/​or require a massive up-​front investment).

We had a very negative experience with Dara and her program. I think it’s fair to start by noting that the three 5-​star reviews from january 2013 were prompted by Dara offering a free patch for students whose families posted a review. A lot of businesses do this sort of thing, but I think it’s fair that it be disclosed.
To be fair, some people really like Dara and her class. My guess is they are parents of kids who are already pretty athletic and self-​confident. If, however, you are looking for a place to take your kid so that they gain more coordination, confidence, and focus, this is not a good choice. For starters, Dara is very cold. My daughter went to her classes for over a year, and I swear I never saw her smile once. She’s also hard to talk to, she has very little time before or after the class. She will email though.
She’s very rigid, sort of drill-​instructor-​like. She has one way of doing things, and if that doesn’t work, then that’s just too bad. One example of many: she has the kids do push-​ups during the warm-​up. My 7-​year old daughter cannot yet do a push-​up all the way to the ground. So what does Dara do? Does she suggest starting with knees on the ground and working them back as you develop strength and coordination? No, she barks at my child: «All the way down! All the way down!»
When my child participated in the tournament, she ended up getting a 3^rd place trophy because there were only 3 kids in her group. This was really exciting for my kid for whom it is a big challenge to stand up and perform in front of a group. It was great — until the next class — when Dara felt it necessary to tell my child «If there had been any other kids in the tournament, you wouldn’t have gotten a trophy.»
That was the final straw. Beware.