USA Kung Fu Studio

As the parent of two former students (4+ years) I’m not happy with USA Kung Fu Studio, but I recognize the reasons I’m dissatisfied may not be reasons for you to be dissatisfied. So if you are a prospective parent looking for a place for your child to learn, I suggest you ask when they have their next belt test and see the quality of their training for yourself. Some things to consider:
1. Belt tests (and belt colors) are a cash cow, since most places charge an exam fee. Adding an intermediate belt color (ex. yellow/​black between yellow and green) is one way to increase that revenue. Having a white/​black «color» seems over the top – look at the exam «requirement» to go from white to white/​black, and then what’s tested to go from white/​black to yellow. Are the «requirements» so hard they need two separate exams? When our kids first started they didn’t have a white/​black belt.
2. What do the student’s forms look like? Are the movements smooth and flowing? Do they show skill and mastery of the techniques? Or, as I have often seen, does it look like some students barely remember the form sequence, with pauses as they try to remember what comes next and sloppy movements that show no technique? Do you want your kids to learn martial arts or just emulate it?
3. Although official results aren’t posted until later, it’s extremely rare for a student to fail the belt exam. Unless they completely stop mid-​form (because they forgot what to do next) I don’t recall a student failing the exam. That begs the question – what’s the purpose of the exam? (And why are they allowing a student to test that barely remembers the form?) It sounds cynical, but it seems like more students take the belt test just before Christmas or when one class is too crowded and the next one isn’t. This goes back to the previous point, but the difference in ability between some of the students doing the same form is amazing. Yet they both advance.
4. How disciplined are the students waiting their turn? If, like me, you want your kids to learn discipline, do you see that in the students?
I enrolled my kids with USA Kung Fu Studio because I wanted them to learn martial arts, gain self-​confidence and become more disciplined. With Seifu Jaime’s departure I don’t think those objectives have been met, and what I’ve seen of the owner, Seifu Sam, makes me think he’s more focused on money than he is about teaching the kids.

My 5 year old son loves the whole program. Every penny is worth it!!! FYI they even offer free trial class.

My daughters attended here a few years back and really enjoyed Sifu Jaime.
We had a family crisis and had to take a break for about a year. When things settled down we came back to restart only to find Sifu Jaime is gone. We had also moved further away. My girls who are really quiet and shy decided not to return if Sifu Jaime was not there anymore. It wasn;t worth the drive through traffic and distance if Sifu Jaime was not there. He brought sunshine and brightness there.

My 3 kids have been going for 5 years now and I just started 3 months ago. They are great with kids of all ages and emphasis respect, disciple, and fun! It’s not just about the physical aspect but also the mental disciple. We plan on placing our 4^th one there soon. USA Kung Fu is a great place to be part of your kid’s life! The instructors, students, and parents are very friendly. Your sons, daughters, and you will enjoy it here. This place is no just for boys, there are quite a few girls here — my daughter (14) does regular Kung fu, Kickboxing, and Lion Dance.

I went to a party back in Feb to celebrate the adopted Chinese girls here in America. The party was filled with beautiful girls and boys just alive with energy. The entertainment portion of the event was a martial arts demo and Chinese Lion dance from the USA Kung Fu Studio in Castro Valley.
This small band of martial arts entertainers brought out the festive in festival. They weaved fighting sets, storys, lion dance and history into one great show. Thank you USA Kung Fu for making our party truly rememberable.
I also saw them recently at Mr Mopps Toy store in Berkeley. Again one fine job. And hey! If you haven’t checked out Mr Mopp, you will find it to be one fine dandy of a Toy store.

We live in San Ramon and we were looking for a Kung Fu Studio for our 2 boys ages 9 and 5. Needless to say, we shopped 3 studio’s and USA Kung Fu Studio in Castro Valley won hands down. Even though, the other 2 studio’s were much closer, we found that USA kung Fu Studio was the best fit for our boys. The facility was clean, the schedule was very accommodating to our ever-​changing work schedule, and you can tell that Sifu and Sihing genuinely cares about their students.
My 2 boys have been training with Sifu Jaime and Sihing Chris for a month now, and I must say, my boys are learning not just kung fu, but discipline, respect and the importance of staying fit. It has changed our lives forever! I definitely would recommend USA Kung Fu Studio to anyone who is interested in taking martial arts. Thank you Sifu Jaime and Sihing Chris!

All 4 my kids attended USA Kung Fu Studio at one time or another. One is now away in college, but three still attends. The staff, Sifu Jaime and Sihing Chris is the best instructors I’ve even seen. They’re alway teaching the kids and I don’t mean martial arts. They even teach kids respect, responsiblilty and facts of life. If you even want your kids get healthy, Castro Valley USA Kung Fu Studio is the place to take your kids! Keep up the great work!

In July 2007 my family came across USA Kung Fu Studio in Castro Valley during our search for a Martial Arts school for our son, who was four years old at the time. We decided to go in, although we had fully intended on signing him up for Tae Kwon Do classes at a nearby school. From the moment we entered the studio, we felt the warmness and camaraderie between the instructors and students. My son took a free lesson in the Tiny Tigers Program and from the beginning we knew that this was a place to harness all his excess energy. Sifu Jamie did not pressure us to join, rather he wanted our son to experience the school and see if it worked for our family. Needless to say, we were and still are extremely pleased with the quality of training my son receives.
Both Sifu Jamie and Sihing Chris lead the classes strictly and firmly, but with tongue-​in-​cheek humor. This studio does not promote their belts freely, which I appreciate. If a student receives a promotional belt, you can bet that they worked hard and EARNED it. The students all work hard and it shows. Older, more experienced students help out in the Youth classes and you can see their level of maturity and commitment to their studio and their Sifu.
Our son (currently a white belt) has attention and focus issues, which I addressed with Sifu Jamie and he came up with a successful plan to bring him back into focus during classes. This has helped not only in Kung Fu lessons, but at home and with his schoolwork as well.
Other classes include Tai Chi, Adult Classes, San Shou, and they have an amazingly talented Wu Shu Team. Just recently several students attended a Kung Fu tournament and came back with several competition awards.
I highly recommend this school and encourage anyone interested to come by and checkout their classes.

My daughter has been attending USA Kung Fu Studios for 2 years now. The instructors there are really great with the kids. Sifu Jaime and Chris are really patient with the kids and do a great job motivating them. We’ve noticed that in 2 years, my daughter has slendered down, is definitely stronger, and more self-​confident in herself. The school doesn’t promote violence or showing off, but stresses self-​defense and self-​confidence, which is important to us, as parents. The cost seems reasonable. Probably the most important factor, is that our daughter enjoys the class and thinks the instructors are funny even when the classes can be physically challenging.