Kovar’s Satori Academy of Martial Arts – Waterman

Our daughter wasn’t interested in Karate, but we tried it out and she ended up liking it. They don’t just teach martial arts but they also teach disapline. They have many different programs here. She was very well behaved after coming here. The only thing is, it was 3x’s the cost of other martial arts places. Not very affordable, but you do get what you pay for.

I am very impressed with Kovar’s. My daughter has been in attendance for almost a year. While a student’s learning of martial arts is one of the primary goals of the academy, the instructors also include valuable life lessons each week.
After each lesson my daughter is more than thrilled to share with me about martial arts techniques she is learning. As she increases in skill, the poise and confidence she is building will be very useful should she ever need the self defense procedures she is learning.
The weekly lessons are also helping her to become a mature young lady. She has grown in so many ways just this year alone. For one example, now instead waiting to be instructed about what chores need to be done, she finds what needs to be done and does work before we even ask. She goes above and beyond what is expected. We are impressed and thankful for this new maturity.
I highly recommend Kovar’s to anyone who is looking for qualify training in martial arts. As well, I recommend Kovar’s to parents who want their child to learn martial arts in addition to a wide variety of life skills.

The staff at Kovar’s at Waterman is wonderful and have become part of our family. My boys have been going there long enough that they are on their way to become junior blackbelts in August.
Whenever I have had a concern, whether it be karate related or not, Renshi Wilson and Shedoshi Fernandez have been there to help.
I am always greeted by name and with a smile. My boys have learned much more than karate and jujitsu moves. They have made friends, learned and developed social skills and learned how to challenge themselves and rise to a challenge.
My oldest son has been able to volunteer and receives monthly training on how to be a leader.
This is by far one of the best programs I have seen to incorporate the entire martial arts spirit. The students are encouraged to better themselves not beat their opponents.
If it takes a village to raise a child, I am glad to have Kovars helping me.

I visited this school a few times to watch classes. and I was impressed with what I saw. A lot of attention was given to the students, both children and adults. The instructors were very approachable and willing to answer my questions and explained their curriculum thoroughly.
The adult system Kovars teaches is well-​rounded with its foundation in Kenpo, but incorporates aspects of several other disciplines such as Tae Kwon Do, Arnis/​Escrima, Jujitsu, Western Boxing, Muay Thai, and a few more. The school has stand-​alone classes just in Brazilian Jujitsu (BJJ) and Israeli Krav Maga, so a student can attend and train in only those styles if they choose. After looking at the schedule, I feel that the school should offer much more sparring than just one day per week. The only way a student will learn to use what they train in is to drill and practice with as much resistance as possible.
Mr. Wilson, the Chief Instructor at the Waterman school, has a ton of martial arts experience, including a 4^th or 5^th degree black belt in Kenpo, and is a competitive brown belt in BJJ. He seems like a really good guy that really cares about his students.
To all of the critics of Kovars: Yes, they have a lot of students and are successful, but just because a business does well doesn’t always mean the quality is poor. I’m quite confident that Kovars has many, many students that can handle themselves very well in a street situation. I don’t care about winning a cheap ribbon or trophy because I can point-​spar or perform a kata better then others. I want to know that I can defend myself on the street if someone «ready, set, go’s» me in a parking lot. Kovars offers training in stand up, grappling, and weapons, so the student is well-​rounded.
To all the schools that bad-​mouth Kovars (like the Neanderthals at Moore’s Karate, Kung Fu, «Shou Shu»), stop running your mouths and put out a challenge.
I gave my rating a 4 out of 5 stars for two reasons: 1) Not enough sparring opportunities 2) Instructors using headsets during the kids classes (this one really bothers me). Mr. Wilson if you read this review, please re-​consider the use of headsets. When you read about the characteristics of fast food McDojo martial arts schools, using headsets to teach a class is most often always on the list. IT’S NOT A ZUMBA CLASS! You run a professional martial arts school that is trying to instill discipline. An instructor should be able to stand in front of class and command respect and attention. If the class gets noisy, then parents need to shut up or go outside. Period. Please give some real thought to this.

Wonderful place to go to teach kids about martial arts. It’s an encouraging, inspiring, and positive atmosphere. The instructors and staff are top-​notch and very personable. Not only will they teach your kids martial arts techniques, but how to be self-​confident, and most importantly, how to respect others. This is a quality program that I would highly encourage others to join –especially those with kids.

My son has been attending Kovar’s for 7 months. We used to fight every day to get homework done. For the past couple of months, he comes home, sits down and gets his homework done without fighting. I do not have to ask him to do it anymore. I thank Kovar’s for instilling discipline in him. He just told me today that he wants to do karate for the rest of his life, he loves it!!! The staff is wonderful, and work great with the kids.

I really like Kovar’s. My kids have been enrolled there about a year now. The staff is friendly and very skilled at what they do. I like how they teach their students both martial art skills, self discipline, and a respect for other people. They are very encouraging with the students, and they always seek suggestions from parents. I really wish more kids could attend Kovar’s. It’s a great educational experience.