On The Mat Sports International

My two very girly-​girl daughters, ages 7 and 10 have been attending On the Mat for about a year now. They both love the classes and it has helped them increase their physical strength and stamina. The instructors are all fantastic and this is probably the only class that I have had the kids take in Bethesda where they have actually learned something and are developing real skills.
I am very confused by the negative birthday party review, I stay and watch every class. There are many parents who stay and watch, they have bleachers set up behind a glass partition, (the glass partition is open on the side so you hear everything) and the children are always treated with a high degree of respect and the instructors are only loud to be heard above the din of excited children.
I don’t find the instructors to be overly strict and they are very caring towards the children, the Kobra Kai comparison is beyond ridiculous.
I have not had a birthday party here but know others who have and both parent and child have been very enthusiastic and complimentary about the tone and quality of their events.

We took our 5 year old daughter to a birthday party that was hosted by On The Mat. At first it seem like a nice idea, first letting the kids run around and then giving them a mini-​martial arts lesson. Then it got a bit weird as the instructor seemed to think he was John Kreese, running the Kobra Kai. (The bad guy and the bad school from Karate Kid.) Frankly, seeing a guy, even one with a black belt, bullying a bunch of kindergartners is not very cool. That is especially true when they are his paying guests.
Perhaps his methods are effective when he is *really* teaching martial arts. However when young children are in his studio to have fun at a party either he needs to adjust his presentation or you (the potential customers) may want to go elsewhere.
Update ¹²⁄₂₇: I spoke with the owner, Alex, at length about our experience. He seemed genuinely concerned about improving the quality of services he delivers, both as a martial arts school and a birthday party venue. The only thing that still needs to be better defined, in my opinion, is where the martial arts school ends and the birthday party venue begins. Unfortunately there are no «do overs» for the party we attended.
Perhaps as a result of this review and our subsequent discussion your experience will be better?

My son has been coming here since he was 5. The instructors are great and you earn your belt unlike some other Martial Arts studios. The curriculum is fantastic and the instructors hold the students to it.
We checked out other Martial Arts Studios in town and this is hands down the best.

In their infinite wisdom, Unilocal ‘filtered’ this review I wrote on OCT 8, 2011. So, here’s another try:
On The Mat Sports was JUST OPENED by a group of instructors from a former academy that has now closed. To be honest, the only reason I kept my children at the former place was because of the teachers and now they’ve opened their own place.
I cannot say enough about the instructors at On The Mats Sports. I have two sons with differing temperaments and abilities, so after years of searching for appropriate martial arts instruction for both of them, I have found the place! I understand they will also be adding Yoga soon.
Our family has trained with Mr. Smith, Mr. Woodson and Mr. Soumbadze and they are not only excellent teachers, they are amazing people with a special gift to work with children and adults to bring out their very best. I classify them as not only instructors of martial arts, but teachers, coaches and mentors on how to live a positive life and be the best you can be.
In fact, anyone I’ve met connected with On The Mat is kind, courteous and the kind of person I want in my children’s’ lives.
We hosted a birthday party for 26 children at the facility and Mr. Woodson not only told me he had so much fun, the kids attending were happy-​exhausted and many claimed «it was the best party ever»! The best part; I didn’t even have to clean up!
Run, don’t walk to On The Mat Sports… I’ll be starting classes myself soon. Now THAT says something…

We’ve been here for a year with our two boys, ages 4 and 5. On The Mat is the new name for the previous school in this location, but retains the prior excellent instructors, most whom I believe have studied and taught together for years. They are great with young kids and our boys really enjoy their classes. We tried another facility in Bethesda but this one is heads above our other experience — clean, organized, and with an enthusiastic team.

My 10 year old son has been working for 6 years with these instructors when it was under a different management. They are exactly the kind of role models that you want your child to learn from and spend time with. I had researched all the options prior to starting here and found that this group of masters and instructors were the finest. I highly recommend them and the brand new spanking clean study.