Shir Martial Arts

My kid loves going here. Maybe they don’t really focus the form, but I’m not after that (yet). My child is too young for that. What they are good at is they do instill good values, discipline and give kids confidence. I see the blackbelt kids who teach the class have such good leadership skills. That is what I want for my child. Even the 5^th grader who assists/​shadows the teacher in class does a good job. Even if it’s just their warm up.

Slick and commercialized. I really was hoping to have found a good location for my 5 and 8 year old to learn karate. I can only speak to my experience with these ages. We took them for a 4 week trial and I attended 4 of their classes and saw video footage of the others. Never saw Master Shir who is all over the videos, was told she only is in Mondays. It’s a fun and engaging place for kids, I’ll give them that, and they seemed strong at teaching ethical values to kids but if you are going here for your kids to learn the fundamentals of karate properly, they won’t get that. In short, a 45 minute class, with 15 minute of actual karate and the rest warm-​up and warm-​down exercises. I can live with that if the actual martial arts training part is solid, but it wasn’t. There is no teaching of fundamental technique — how to stand, where to put your feet, how to properly even punch or kick — no technique is taught. Just a mass of kids doing the kick the just saw the sifu or kid purple-​belt volunteer do with the bag one time (basically emulation — what you could get from a YouTube video — at least they spend a couple of mins showing you how to form a stance properly on YouTube). I was appalled every time I sat there at what wasn’t being taught. I was finding myself teaching the technique they were not on the weekends to my girls and that’s the only technique they learned during their time at Shir. Kids of higher belts basically ‘teach’ other kids (and I’m assuming these are all volunteers?) while sifus were standing around with their ipads shouting out 1 – 10. Really?!? Luke was the only one I saw a couple of times come in and try to point out to one of the 30 kids something and he was truly nice. In sum, they are not learning the fundamentals and it’s just ‘do a horsestance’ without even learning how to do one properly. It’s a very engaging and fun class, but for the price they charge, they got their priorities all wrong. This is commercialized, watered down martial arts. And the topper for me was, of the free lessons two were teaching sparring (wait, they just started) so they could enter the $ 30 extra sparring competition over the weekend. Just know what you are getting here and what you are not.

Master Shir is great with kids. All the Sifus are superb. Great supporting staff. I love they talk about ethics which help me tremendous in discipline my kids at home. I wish I had started them sooner.

I can’t say enough good things about the staff and ownership at Shir Martial Arts… their facility is nice and well maintained, and most of all — it’s not only a great place for kids to learn martial arts, but also the character building that comes with the process. Master Shir is one of the best! I would definitely recommend this studio to anyone looking to begin training or transitioning from another school. Five stars.

This place is great place for kids to learn martial arts and have fun at the same time. We have tried out a couple different place but this place has the formula down. With everything to digital checking in your kids, modern day energizing music to the personal attention each child receives. This really is a great balance if teaching martial arts and having fun.
Definitely will recommend!

My son and I have been going here for almost 3 years, and we enjoy the environment, classmates, and overall program that Master Shir creates. Her style of instruction, which also includes connecting martial arts to life skills and positive character traits, is effective and fun for all.

Fabulous Dojo. Master Shir is an amazing role model and teacher. The students get a lot of time on the mat practicing skills (rather than waiting on the mat for a long time). My daughter has become more confident, respectful, and compassionate since she started a year ago. I would highly recommend this dojo.

Great martial arts studio my four-​year-​old has a ton of energy, and they are so patient with her. They really prioritize the link between family and the studio. We love having Shir in our lives!

My daughter loves her karate classes and so do I. Her instructors are teaching her more than karate — she is learning how to respect herself and others, gaining self confidence, team work and the instructors reinforce home rules and encourage positive strive in school. Best thing is the schedule has varying hours to work with my families busy life — I can take my daughter to any two classes throughout the week– you are not set to every Tuesday or Monday what works is when we go! I could go on but best part is you can try the classes out for free to see if your child enjoys it as much as mine does ;)

If you’re looking for a place to start or continue Martial Arts, whether for yourself or little ones, this is the perfect place to be.
Drop in and check out the classes, you won’t be dissappointed.
All the kids love Master Shir, her teaching style is fun and firm.
Highly recommend this place.

Master Shir is awesome. The classes are great. The program is rewarding and helps build character. I highly recommend this program to parents who want a strong positive female role model for their daughters. If you want your children to learn about respect and discipline, then Pallen M2 in Dublin is the place to go!

The schedules are very strange; they are different everyday. It was very inconvenient. The classes are ridiculously brief as well. Service is average, and the additional Friday evening classes they offer are not regularly held; sometimes they were cancelled without notice (and they were in Castro Valley). Enrolling my child in Pallen has been a dissapointing experience.

Our daughter has been going here for almost 3 months now and she loves the classes. Master Shir is a great teacher and is really great with all of the kids. She is a huge reason why our daughter loves the class. The pace is perfect where they learn new skills and get an opportunity to progress every 5 – 6 weeks. I would highly recommend Pallen M2 looking for martial arts classes for their children or themselves.

Our son has been going here for Karate since Sept 2010. Master Shir is a great great teacher. The kids (and parents) just love her. She makes them so comfortable with her style of teaching and her sense of humor. Our son is a big fan :)

I have been going to Pallen M2 in Dublin for cardio kickboxing classes for the last couple of months. The classes are awesome and you do different routines almost every time you go. The instructor is really good and very high energy. I ended up freezing my regular gym membership so I could put my money towards these classes instead– and I have not been dissapointed. They have really helped my overall endurance and in every 50-​minute class, you really get a full body workout. I highly reccomend these classes for anyone who might be bored with their usual workout routines. Well worth the money and there are currently 5 classes offered each week: Monday through Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. I’ll be heading back to 24-​hour fitness for the next couple of months since I don’t want to pay for both memberships at the same time, but I know I’ll return to these classes.