KSA Martial Academy

I love this school. The instructors are skilled, patient, humble, with fantastic attitudes. Equally fantastic with kids and adults, they take care of their students with focus on healing as well as martial sides of their arts. With great family style classes, as well as kids and adult classes, there is something for everyone. My son and i have been working out at ksa since they opened their doors.

so my niece/​goddaughter is turning 5 and i mention a Karate themed party. OMG you shoulda seen her jump up and down! having zero experience in the child-​party-​throwing world, I relied on Cat and Liz at KSA to guide me… and did they ever! Upon our party consultation, they threw out many ideas that all sounded great. they made the planning experience so easy and fun!
I showed up to the studio with the place decked out for the party. Balloons, streamers, party favors… it was all included. Guests started arriving and it was soon evident that a Karate party is a HOT TICKET ITEM, as we were double our expectant guest list. Our hosts took it in stride and were gracious and accommodating– truly hospitable. They hosted the kids with an array of fun games and lessons, while the adults were able to mingle in a designated area. It was perfect, and the kids were obviously having just as much fun as the adults.
Listen, I was told multiple times that evening that it was the funnest kids party many of our guests had attended. I know i had a great time. I can’t recommend KSA for a kids party highly enough. It was so easy and fun, I suspect my niece will have Karate parties from here on out.
Pro-​tip: if you have a kids party here the adults can enjoy adult beverages… you can thank me later.

I actually find it kind of hard to put into words how much I appreciate this place. So this may be long winded. I was looking for something cardio related to add to my workout routine. I like weight lifting, but cardio in a gym bores me. I used groupon to jump through a few different martial art schools, taking trials in kickboxing, cardio kickboxing, BJJ, Aikido, Karate, etc. Some schools were ok, some were not my speed. KSA had a very relaxed, but welcoming feel to it. Not just accepting, like «yeah ok you’re here». But welcoming. I considered myself very flat footed and ill coordinated when I started. And still very out of shape for cardio endurance. But the teachers, and the other students didn’t seem to mind. There was no shame in taking a breather or a quick water break. They were all friendly and helpful in instructing me on the basics, and letting me get a feel for the classes. More advance students were just as willing to help as the instructors. Unlike some of the schools I visited, formalities were not very strict here, so it was ok to laugh. Which is helpful; when you’re clumsy, laughing at yourself is often necessary. I came away from each class feeling that I had learned something, and noticed improvement with each visit. I’d made up my mind that this was the place well before I finished the trial.
Big note: This was the only contact sport location where I did not get treated differently for being a girl. In some schools, the more competitive ones, I had guys refuse to spar with me because I was female. In others I had a feeling of being patronized by male students. Here, I am judged by the effort I put in and my expressed comfort level with the moves we’re practicing.
Second big note: They have no fall class options. So if you’re leery of getting thrown around, you can opt out. Especially handy if you have pre-​existing injuries or mobility issues. You’ll still get a great lesson out of it.
The instructors here are patient, but they will push you to improve. They are easy to talk to and receptive to your thoughts and concerns. They are observant of their students, and will notice and attempt to address any discomfort or confusion you have. They make an effort to get to know their students. I have yet to run into anyone with an overbearing ego or a lack of respect for fellow students. There is some friendly competition between some people, but they still are always working together to improve. I would strongly recommend this place to anyone who is new to martial arts as they make the beginning so easy and stress free. I would recommend it to people who have had previous lessons, as the instructors are trained in many different martial arts, have years of experience to draw from and then focus on taking what you know and adding on to it or finding new ways to use it. Really, I’d recommend it to just about everyone. So that’s what I’m doing now:
If you’re looking for a place to learn Aikido, Kali, TKD, JKD, and a few others, I recommend you stop in to KSA and take a class or two.

Master Cat & Liz are amazing! My husband and i extremely enjoy their weekly classes and private lessons during the weekend. We try our best to make it to their weekly classes but since we commute from Clarksville, Cat & Liz were willing to do some weekend classes for us. Cat & Liz are THE most heart-​warming individuals. My husband has years of marital arts training whereas I am a complete newbie beginner with 2 left feet. But Cat & Liz are able to instruct us both where we leave every lesson with full knowledge and gratitude. Not only do we learn about discipline and techniques in martial art, KSA martial art is a great couple activity as well! It is our weekly couple activity. They have Self Defense, aikido, Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), Goju-​Shorei Weapons, Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do (JKD), and Tae Kwon Do (TKD). We especially enjoy the FMA and JKD. Coming from California where my husband trained in these two discipline, he says they are on par with other Inosanto based instructors. KSA actually teaches you how to defend yourself. KSA is NOT a place where you hit a dummy and run away. They actually mentally and physically prepared you in case of any danger. They changed my life and I can’t thank them enough. Thank you Kat & Liz and see you soon!

The instructors are AMAZING! The owner and his wife really care about your safely and getting you involved in the class! They are genuine people who loves to give back to the community as well! It was a joy working with them! I leaned a lot and I walked out of their class feeling like a Boss! They wanted to know what I wanted to gain from the class and they worked around my everyday lifestyle! They taught a self-​defense class on my campus and with just the two of them were able to get over 40 students really involved! I had a blast and cannot wait to take a full on class!

Wonderful people. Amazing life changing experience. No matter the size of the class they take the time to focus on each individual person to increase there self confidence and skill. Definitely my favorite martial art school I’ve been to.