Arielle Kent
May 1, 2018 17:02
My 4 and 8 year-old sons attend the Little Ninja and Dragon classes at MAFF. This is a school that really cares about family and character formation. There are a couple of things I particularly like about MAFF:
1) Belt promotion for kids is tied to good behavior at home and school. Parents and teachers must agree that the child has been meeting the desired standard in order to promote, which ties in an element of personal responsibility rather than just athletic performance.
2) Ethical behavior is stressed: classes tie in lessons about courtesy, integrity, perseverence, self-control, and having an indomitable spirit (always fun to hear 4 year-olds say that last one). Additionally, MAFF holds annual service events that kids can participate in. My kids loved delivering Thanksgiving baskets of food to families in need this last year.
3) It is run by a family, for families. MAFF is extremely family friendly, and not so focused on tradition that is throws out understanding of the developmental stages of children.
Beyond this, the instructors are all great, as is the quality of instruction. My 8 year-old has greatly increased in focus and self-esteem since beginning classes, and my 4 year-old follows directions better and even occasionally gives me a resounding "Yes sir!" (still working on the ma'am). I never hear complaints about them not wanting to attend class. I highly recommend MAFF if you are considering training for yourself or your children.