The Dojo

We loved our birthday party at the Dojo! What a caring and great staff. They not only want to make sure the kids have a good time, but that the parents are relaxed too!
Great experience all around.

I cannot say enough good things about this special place. Sifu Robin and Phil are amazing, so friendly and warm to both parents and students. They have been so wonderful with my child and make each class exciting with such positive lessons. They teach respect (of self, teachers, and parents!), honor, and discipline — and it’s great exercise for a child to get out the wiggles. I am just thrilled to see how my child is enjoying these classes. LOVE this place!

This dojo is wonderful and I would strongly encourage anybody and everybody to train there. It is a warm and often humorous envirnment that is alway family friendly. I practiced Shotokan as a young guy and then left it behind. Now many years later, I have 3 young boys and my wife signed one up with Phil and Robyn. So I went in to check it out and liked it imediately. What I liked right away was the friendly vibe. Karate can attract a weird and often insecure element that can make a dojo off-​putting. I felt as though this was an accessible path back to training because I knew as soon as I spoke to Phil and Robyn there would be NO karate weirdos in their school. And I was right. I’ve been training with them for several years now and I love it. It’s my Disneyland, my happiest place on Earth (except when with my family, of course). I’d especially want any interested adult/​parent to know, this is a place you can come into knowing NOTHING about karate, and you can learn it and enjoy doing so. The Dojo Rocks!

We’ve been going here for about six weeks now and our early experience has been outstanding. As a parent I love the flexibility (go any day!), the focus on discipline, and the physical workout my son gets. My son loves being there, learning karate, and striving for his next promotion. He has never found his match with baseball, soccer, etc. and so far this is it. Best activity so far for him. Thank you to Sifu Rob and Phil for having such an amazing spot for our kids. You have created an engaging, welcoming and fun dojo.

I can’t express enough how much I have grown to love this place. I signed my son (6 years old) up after hearing from 4 of his classmates mothers that their sons were going and I needed a after school activity. We do the unlimited which means he can go to 3 classes a week, which we usually do. It’s great that you aren’t stuck to a permanent schedule you can show up for any class that fits their age range.
He just recently received his second stripe on his yellow belt, he’s very proud of himself and loves working towards another promotion. All staff have been fantastic, all Sifu’s we have met are full of patience and really motivate the younger kids. They also have older students help as support staff, it shows the younger kids what they are training towards. They chant their motto of spirit, honor and respect at the end of class and go over great life principles. So they are teaching more than just martial arts but also how to be a good person too.
They hold a movie night at least once a month where for $ 10 you can drop your kid off for 2 hours on a Friday night and they feed and entertain them with family movies. My son looks forward to this monthly activity.
The Dojo has instilled a sense of pride in him that he likes to tell everyone about that will listen. If he ever sees someone else wearing a dojo shirt he instantly thinks they are his new best friend. Happy I was referred here.

Dojo is the best. My grandson is 7 and loves to go to Dojo. The instructors Robin an Phil are amazing. I would highly recommend Dojo

Ok, so I kind of don’t want to write a review because the Dojo Fit classes are getting too crowded as it is,…but there is a reason for that. Phil and Monda are good instructors and are able to not only adjust their classes to accommodate everyones abilities, they are just really nice people. The cost of classes is very reasonable.
Because I don’t have small children I cannot personally comment on the kids classes, but I do work with kids and many of them go to The Dojo and they all love Sifu Phil and Sifu Robin!
It seems like San Anselmo now has about two workout studios per block, But, I am a Dojo Fit devotee and will stay that way.

Everyone in my family has had an amazing experience at the DoJo. Over a year after my last 5 star review, I feel that things have only gotten better! When my kids were young and taking martial arts classes, many of the parents asked Phil if he would teach adult classes. He created DoJo Fit and has a big following. When we asked him to add 6 a.m. classes, again he met our needs and has a big following. Phil and Robin are more than just instructors, they extend themselves personally to everyone who comes to the DoJo. I have never met more positive people and highly recommend them for both adults and children alike. Everyone should try it! Also, with so few party places for kids in Marin, it is an ideal and reasonably priced spot for a birthday party!

We love Dojo! My son has been going here for nearly two years (starting at age 4) and it has been such a wonderful experience for him. All the teachers are wonderful with children and work hard to create a fun learning environment. They really know how to measure the right balance of silly/​fun with disciplined karate instruction and adjust that mix by age of kids in the class. The owners Phil and Rob as well as the office manager, Analia, are always there and know every single student and their parents by name. My son feels so safe and comfortable at Dojo. He would probably go every day if he could (our schedule, not the schools, does not allow this). As a parent, I love how they incorporate life lessons and themes into each class such as safety, respect, sportsmanship, etc. My son has also attended several birthday parties and summer camp here and all have been wonderful.
The review below from Melissa, is so shocking to me as I have never witnessed anything even remotely resembling her experience and I’ve been there A LOT the past few years. They highly encourage students to come for 2 or 3 trial classes to see if they like it before signing up. Mine was ready to go after just 1 session!

My 6 yeard old son had his birthday party here last weekend and the kids had a blast! Several people told us it was the best birthday party they had ever been to. The staff was very professional and engaged with the kids. Their passion for what they do is quite evident. The people that work in this studio are clearly happy to be there and enjoy working with kids. The feeling is palpable and the kids are energized by it. We also loved their words of the week, most recently charity, kindess and integrity. Getting kids to stop and think about these concepts is tremendous. The staff also made my son feel like the birthday star. He can’t wait to go back.

My 7 year old has attended the Dojo for 2 years. He absolutely loves it! He is dedicated, and he is enthusiastic about class! My 4 year old just started this fall, and he would love to go every day. The Dojo not only teaches martial arts, but instills important everyday values in the students. Every month consists of a life learning theme regarding everyday values (for example, self confidence), and every week the studens focus and discuss words/​subjects within the theme. During the last part of each class the students discuss these subjects. The parents are well informed by email about the events and subjects that occur within lesson. The Dojo has provided great experiences for both of my sons. Thank you Dojo!

I love The Dojo.
My daughter takes a class there three days a week. Not only does she learn self defense techniques, the experience improves her self confidence and teaches her to respect herself and others. She is also learning that she has to work for things and the effort is part of the experience.
Phil and Robin are great role models. They make the class fun and teach the students solid values. They teach their students to listen to their parents and to own up when they make mistakes — instead of blaming others. I respect that.
The Dojo is not for children who wants to be pampered and given special treatment. It is a martial arts school. That other place is called Preschool but a personal Nanny will suffice.

I have been bringing my 4 ½ year old nephew to The Dojo for 5 weeks now, once a week, and the improvement in behavior and interest has been amazing to watch. The Dojo instructors have the ability to really connect with each student that brings out their very best, in such a way the brings the student back each time with more confidence.

We recently had an awful experience at this place. My 3-​year old was treated very badly at a trial class. The instructor told my son to leave the class, mid-​class, because he wasn’t able to perform some of the exercises and seemed a little overwhelmed. The front desk staffer actually made snide comments on our way out, while my son was crying (because he didn’t want to leave), about him not being «karate material.» I can’t speak to the adult or older children’s classes. Maybe people over age 3 are better equipped to handle public humiliation.

The Dojo has been one of the best things to happen to my family. Last year my son wanted a Karate birthday party, and boy do Sifu Phil and Sifu Robin throw a great time for the kids! We started going on a regular basis the month before his birthday party so he would have some of the techniques down, and he is still going 3 – 4 times a week nearly a year later ~ simply because of the motivation and confidence that the instructors instill in these kids. Each month and each week, there is a focus — for instance, February they will be doing Behavior and this week the kids focus on self control. The Sifus bring in real world situations to add purpose to the karate moves they are teaching. As well, they incorporate the values of a Blackbelt and require that the parents and the child’s teacher sign off that they are exhibiting the appropriate behavior to move on to their next belt. Phil and Robin make a point to get to know the child and their families, so you always feel welcome when you come to class. As well, they are fun! If the class was all serious and hard work, I am sure my 6 year old would not be begging to go, but he wants to learn and succeed and have fun while doing it. The Dojo also offers a Dojo Fit classes at 9AM every day, and they keep you coming back for more. Between cario boxing, strength training, core work, piloxing, in just 1 month, I am stronger and can run further than ever before. Monda and Phil make your workout worthwhile and the rest of the group makes it fun! Analia who runs the front desk is fantastic and always has a smile on her face!