Lockhart’s Karate Academy

My son has been going to Lockhart’s Karate Academy for over 5 year. He is a blue belt and proud of his achievements, he gets a sense of achievements. In my opinion, Dan is the best karate master that you can find. His passion for his work is incredible. He does not give up and teaches same fundamentals to his students. We have seen phenomenal change in our son since he joined karate. He is now calm, strong and a focussed boy. Till last year I used to get complaints from school that he disturbs the class or has listening issues. This year teachers told us he is the most respected kid in the school, everyone from his teachers to the principle loves him. I was pleasantly surprised for obvious reasons, but immediately I thought about Dan, his master who has been working with him for all these years and now we are seeing the results. If you are a parent like us, who are concerned about kids overall development then make sure to visit his studio, you wont regret it.

The BEST place to take your children for after school activites! My son has grown and learned so much beyond what I had imagined from Mr. Lockhart. Love their movie nights too!

Thank you Master Lockhart… my son, now in college, was recently complimented on his interpersonal skills — from his handshake to his eye contact to his overall confidence in speaking. He commented to me how it was from all those years in karate.
When you send your children to Lockhart’s Karate Academy, you are investing in their future. What they learn ~ courage, concentration, confidence ~ will be the foundation for the life skills they will take on as they continue to grow.
Yes, they will learn self-​defense. They will learn to break boards. And they will be active in class. But, in addition, they will learn manners and respect. These many skills will provide the foundation for confident, respected adults.

We have had a great experience at this studio. The instructors are all knowledgeable, kind and have appropriate expectations of our children. Both our kids thoroughly enjoy their classes and instructors, and look forward to each session. Dan Lockhart is especially great with the kids. He knows them, understands them, and speaks with them in a way they understand. I have seen many instructors or coaches in other activities who won’t let children attempt something or continue to work toward something because they think they can’t do it. Master Lockhart has high expectations of these kids and encourages them to push themselves; as a result my children have gained confidence, resilience and grit. I also truly appreciate the candidness of the instructors; if a child does not try or does not do something well, they don’t try to make it sound pretty — they will identify if it’s not good — but on the other hand, if a child succeeds, tries hard, or is doing well, they will absolutely make it known. In a culture where my children get trophies just for showing up, it is a rare find to have someone identify the not-​so-​good and celebrate the true victories.

My 4.5 year-​old son has been attending Lockhart’s Karate Academy since July of 2015, and he loves it. Master Lockhart and his staff did an amazing job of making him feel welcome — side note, I could not believe how fast Master Lockhart learned his name — very impressive! Before I knew it, my son was asking when his next class was. It’s been wonderful to see the progress he has made, both in and out of class. Master Lockhart really is great with his students. He holds the kids accountable for their actions in a firm, yet gentle way that is age-​appropriate, and he treats his students with respect (and asks the same in return, which is very important). I have seen my son’s patience and focus improve so much and he’s learning so many other skills that will serve him well in all areas of his life. It’s a great reinforcement for all of the good behaviors we try so hard to instill in our children. I am looking forward to taking my son here for many more years — and more importantly, my son is looking forward to many more years training with Master Lockhart!

we joined the parents night out event they hold here once a month. we were referred by friends. Our seven year old thoroughly enjoyed his time. the owner and his family who work there were very polite and professional. the entire night was thoughtfully planned out for the children. the children had a blast. from dinner to dessert, it was a wonderful treat for our son and also for us parents!

Hm, previous attempt at a review was removed for not providing enough detail about my specific customer experience. I’ll post the same review and preface it by saying that the statements made and the opinions expressed were formed over the course of seven years, and by sending two kids to Lockhart’s as well as training there myself in the studio’s adult program.
Master Lockhart is a excellent instructor and practitioner, but his true value-​add is his expertise working with children. He is very well versed with kids of all ages, and most importantly, personalities, temperaments and learning styles. He is extremely nurturing, but will not tolerate any funny business and he judiciously applies tough love when warranted.
The proof of the effectiveness of Master Lockhart and his studio is in the number of students he retains and who work their ways through the ranks to the midnight blue belt, which is his federation’s equivalent of a black belt. Although LKA cranks out the Dan-​level practitioners, the school is anything but a «black belt mill.» The federation sets minimum lengths of time between promotions, which are significant amounts of time, but those are still not guarantees of advancement. Every Lockhart student truly earns every bit of praise and every new promotion in rank, while learning the meaning of honest effort along the way.
The martial arts provide a tremendous foundation for all sports and activities as well as a platform for acquiring patience, self-​discipline, confidence, and integrity. Lockhart’s will provide these and a host of other benefits to any area youngster. Highest recommendation.

Master Lockhart is an amazing instructor and his teachings go way beyond karate. He teaches discipline, respect, focus, and self control in a trusting, fun environment. He has the ability to discipline kids in a firm, yet caring manner that is very effective. He knows each individual child so well and has a high level of expectation that is challenging, yet achievable and empowering; allowing kids to reach their fun potential and building self confidence. Every child can benefit from Lockhart’s Karate Academy. My son absolutely loves karate and Master Lockhart!

Master Lockhart and his staff have done so much for my little man! Since my 4 year old started here last year, he has improved in so many areas of his every day life. Master Lockhart is amazing with his students — tough yet loving and encouraging. My son respects him so much and wants to be a karate master himself one day! Really recommend this studio to others.

We LOVE Lockhart’s Karate Academy! Both of my boys have been going there for 3 years! The staff is GREAT and Master Lockhart is great working with kids of all ages! My youngest started when he turned 3 adn is now 6 years old and still loving it! Aside from classes for all ages, they have in house tournaments where all kids leave with trophies and fun movie nights so parents can have a night out and the kids have fun playing games, eating pizza and watching movies!

We have tried several martial arts studios and have found a good match here for sure. This place offers a personal involvement in helping me make sure my little boys are respectful and well behaved at home. They do not want to let Master Lockhart down, because they adore and respect him! The self defense and self discipline aspects are excellent too! They are proud of their skills and learn respect while having fun.

Master Lockhart and his instructors are great with kids and have done a great job teaching my 5yo respect, strength, and focus. Lockhart is just the right mix of firm and patient with the kids. We highly recommend this studio!

Our son has attended Lockhart’s Karate Academy for 4 years now. He now has his green belt and he will continue on to hopefully achieve his blue belt! My husband and I enrolled our son here because we both attended one of Lockhart’s karate classes at UCI and we loved it! Master Lockhart has taught our son discipline and respect and made it really fun for the kids, all at the same time! Even my husband is now attending the adult classes. We recommend Lockhart’s Karate Academy to all members of the family!

Master lockhart is just great with kids, he teaches them with lot of compassion, dedicates time & focus on each of the kids until they master what they are doing. He teaches them how to be focused, concentrated and respectful in a really fun and loving environment. Since my daughter started, she gained lots of self confidence and discipline that are being reflected in her behavior both at home & at school. Both of my daughters also participate in the movie nights that the studio offers occasionally on Fridays and they just have so much fun and are surrounded by so much care and love by all of master lockhart’s family.

My two oldest grandsons attend Lockhart Academy, and both have been students there since they were 3 years old (6 yrs and 9 yrs now). Dan Lockhart is a great teacher he understands how children learn, and he seeks to help his students grow positively in all aspects of life. The school is clean, very well equipped, and Master Lockhart and his instructors are extremely knowledgeable of the martial arts. Recently he offered to help several of his students, including my oldest grandson, perform a karate demonstration for their school talent show. He donated his own time and literally beamed with admiration and pride when they received a resounding ovation from the spectators. In my opinion he has been, and continues to be, one of the most positive influences in my grandson’s lives

Compassionate and Experienced. Dan is a wonderful instructor. Both my kids began as white belts and they learned patience, respect, focus, agility, flexibility, core balance and self confidence. They never suffered behavioral issues and I attribute that directly to Dan and his staff.
Both of my children (boy and a girl) earned their black belts after many years and are achieving great milestones in other sports based on the foundations learned at Lockhart’s Academy.
I highly recommend this studio. It is clean and bright with very plentiful parking.

I started lessons with Master Lockhart at UCI back in 1995 and now train at the Aliso Viejo studio. I have since learned valuable defense skills in addition to developing my strength and flexibility.
My son has also been training here since the age of 4. He loves coming to class to see his friends and learn new material. We often train together. Karate has definitely helped my son with his strength, his ability to focus for long periods of time, and also respect. I also believe Karate has helped him with coordination for Tennis and Soccer.
I like this particular style of Karate because you learn how to punch and kick, but the students don’t actually make contact, so you don’t have to worry about getting injured.
The Aliso Viejo location is conveniently located and spacious. Some classes fill up quickly because he has hundreds of students but there are several different days and times to choose from. The studio is an active hub for the local schools. The children and the parents all know each other.
Lockhart’s Academy is a family operation. His daughter, Brittany is also an amazing martial artist and teacher. There are several other high ranking instructors who are educated in the art and are also very capable.

My 5 year old son saw Lockhart’s after his annual eye exam and insisted on going inside. I was skeptical, but said okay. We went in and he became very reserved. Miss Lockhart was kind and caring. She coaxed him into trying a class. That was two years ago. Since then, my other two boys have taken up Karate and I’ve spent hundreds of hours at the studio. It’s pretty amazing what you see: discipline, kindness, caring, and compassion. My boys are learning a lot of great Karate «moves» but more importantly they are learning life skills that will benefit them far beyond the Karate studio.

Lockhart’s Karate is a great asset to our community. Over several years, I have seen how Master Lockhart individualizes training for each individual at the academy. And it’s amazing to see the growth in his students over the years. Students of all ages will see personal growth through Lockhart’s Karate Academy. Whether you are looking to gain confidence, learn self defense techniques, or practice coordination, this is the place to be.

Master Lockhart and his staff display strong dedication to teaching children the imperative merits of self-​discipline and accountability while instilling strong, proficient leadership skills and self –confidence. Both Master Lockhart and his staff provide individual, genuine attention to each student’s needs for development while continuously encouraging their strengths. Their level of depth and understanding of the art as well as the ability to teach social, behavior principals are far beyond my expectations.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Master Lockhart for all that you have taught us. You are a true blessing to my son and I and the lives of your students.