Stephen Amsler’s Martial Art Center

When making a decision to do Tae Kwon Do there were a lot of choices of studios out there! I chose Master Amsler studio for his reputation of kids learning and having fun too! My kids love Ms. Brittany and Master Amsler and have shown improved confidence and self awareness with taking the classes. I would highly recommend the studio for kids ! There is discipline but fun, silly time as well …

If you live in Orange County, this is the place to learn Tae Kwon Do. I trained with Master Amsler for around 10 years, starting in his studio at 8 years old, and continuing with him at the Orange County School of the Arts where I eventually earned my black belt. The only reason I no longer train with him is because I now live in San Diego for school. Although, if I could afford the gas to drive up two times a week I absolutely would.
I have known Master Amsler for a long time. He is very caring, attentive, and has three decades of experience in Tae Kwon Do. This experience makes him incredibly knowledgeable about the field of Martial Arts and the discipline it requires. He is an excellent teacher, making complex movements easy to remember and accomplish.
For those who have seen the Karate Kid, they know that there indeed a bad type of Martial Art teacher and a good type. Martial Arts is more than just fighting, its about a mental discipline that expands into every aspect of your life. It is not about brute strength, rather control and focus. Master Amsler teaches this from day one. As a student in his school, you learn not just the physical aspects of Tae Kwon Do, but the mental and historical aspects that all play a role. The first thing you are taught is a series of movements that correspond to key principles of Master Amsler’s training called The Basic 8: Courtesy, Respect, Discipline, Self-​control, Courage, Integrity, Spirit, and Victory. These traits are what he teaches make a black belt in equal combination with the physical aspect. Even in our black belt class, when we were distracted or unfocused, he would have us repeat that form to remind ourselves what we are striving for.
Starting with Master Amsler so young, I know first hand that his classes are great for children! I know that when I have kids I will start them off as soon as possible in their Little Ninjas program so they can start to learn from him as soon as possible. The classes are a great way for kids to socialize, exercise and have fun, while also learning discipline and respect that carry over into their home life. Master Amsler places a great deal of emphasis on the discipline they learn in class being applied at home, even granting special rewards for «Black Belt Behavior» at home.
I am currently training with another teacher and find myself wishing I was back in Master Amsler’s class. It took training with someone else to truly recognize all the things Master Amsler strives to accomplish. Things like emphasizing the importance of attitude and teaching you to focus your attention to the small details of movements. These are all things that mark the sign of a great martial artist, and more often than not won’t be found just anywhere. The skills that Master Amsler teaches go beyond the scope of martial arts and into every day life.

We signed my daughter up for Stephen J. Amsler’s Little Ninjas class through the city when she was 4 years old. It was a fun class for her. As a parent, I was impressed with the other areas that were emphasized besides the self defense side, such as respect, discipline and courtesy. After a year of pursuing other interests, we returned to Stephen Amsler’s to sign her up for classes when she was 5 years old. Fast forward to four years later and she is now a black belt in Taekwondo! A group of students worked their way together through the ranks to earn their black belts. They trained hard, practiced a lot, supported and respected each other. For our daughter, her strength, stamina and focus is amazing! She has been a black belt for over a year now. Her technique continues to improve greatly and she now working on training for her 2^nd degree black belt.
Master Amsler is always willing to work with parents to accommodate your child’s needs. He has always been willing to help keep our daughter motivated and interested.
We started at the Brookhurst/​Ellis location which was very nice. The new location is much smaller, but it still works for us.
If you are looking for a Taekwondo class that encompasses much more than just technique and sparring drills, you will definitely want to look into this place!

After having my son attend Stephen Amsler’s Martial Arts for about a month, I could not be more pleased. The following is an updated review.
Master Brittany and Master Stephen Amsler are knowledgeable, patient and caring. They know KNOW how to teach! They create a fun, positive, encouraging atmosphere for the youth, but also balance that with teaching the youth respect and discipline. Classes are well-​balanced with warm ups, strength exercises, forms, and technique.
Prior to deciding on Stephen Amsler’s Martial Arts, we tried several other Tae Kwon Do classes and this was the one my son favored because the instructors made it enjoyable for him. From a parent’s point of view, I liked that Stephen Amsler’s Martial Arts allows you to do month-​to-​month without an annual contract — one of the biggest selling points to me.

My family has been going to Stephen’s classes for years. He is great at helping kids with confidence, discipline and self esteem. The classes are always positive and the instructors have been awesome. The parents and kids all seem to become part of your family. I would recommend Stephen’s classes to anyone who wants to build their child’s self esteem, respect, confidence and coordination. Tae Kwan Do seems to be a great fit for a lot of kids in the sense it isn’t really just about fighting, but more about confidence and self defense (no bullies). Our kids are 4 and 7 and this has been one of the best experiences for them and our family.

We’ve been going to Master Amsler for almost 6 years. He and his staff are awesome with the kiddos. The respect and discipline they have learned here has carried over to all aspects of their daily life and school. Thank you!

Master Amsler has a skill that only someone who’s been doing this for a while can achieve… The Cardio Kickboxing is what I do and he manages to just enough aerobic, just enough stretch, just enough bag, just enough core that when u feel ur at the breaking point… just at the point of stopping… He starts on the next set of his routine… AWESOME!!! the kind of workout that makes u yell WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I mean after a full days work… alll the pressures of life on ur shoulder… A good round of beating the heck out of the bag and working ur body to an absolutely fantastic sweat!!! They are friendly… the Family is their often an they treat u like ur part of it… Even the clientelle is awesome… A bunch u enjoy working out with!!! Do urself a favor… schedule ur free class just to check it out… U wont be sorry! the price is right and the workout is on point… Master Amsler has truely mastered his skill of training others!!!

I’ve been going to Stephen’s Kickboxing class for the past couple years and it’s been fantastic in keeping me motivated to work out. It’s great no matter who is teaching the class. The teachers (including Stephen) are energetic and very hands on in showing you how to do the moves properly and how to incorporate some of the kickboxing moves into real world, self defense situations. If you want to learn some martial arts moves and get some exercise while listening to some good music, this is the place to go.