Hero Academy456

My son has been attending Hero Academy for almost two years now. He loves attending the classes and has grown in confidence and self discipline during this time. He admires and respects Sensi Micheal and all the other Sensei(s) that teach at Hero Academy. I'm happy our family found Hero Academy and look forward to seeing my son continue to grow in Cuong Nhu Martial Arts while attending Hero Academy.

I made the best decision the day I enrolled my three kids at hero Academy four months ago. Right when we walked in the door, we were treated like a family. They've already learned so much more than just karate, they've learned good manners and respect for others. We've seen a tremendous positive change in my kids' behavior and attitude toward school. Since they've begun, I've gotten great feedback from their teachers. My youngest was voted Student of the Month and was chosen as a "Success Star" at school, and they've all gotten their grades up to all A's or A's and B's. I'd definitely recommend Hero Academy to any parents who want their kids to succeed in the future!

Mary, Longwood

BEWARE. "NO CONTRACT" POLICY IS **VERY** DECEPTIVE. CLASSES FREQUENTLY UNDERSTAFFED. Hero Academy claims on their web site to have a "no contract" policy. On their web site they state: "NO CONTRACTS. We do not require our students to sign 3-, 6-, or 12-month contracts. Our students pay by the month, with a 30-day notice of cancellation. It’s important for kids to learn the value of sticking to an activity—especially when it can change your entire life for the better—but we also respect the unexpected." BUT in person, Hero Academy will entice you with a 15% discount if you pay a year in advance. What they DON'T mention or point out is a hidden/tiny-print "NO REFUND" policy for prepayment. Supposedly this No Refund thing was somewhere on the authorization I signed, but if it really was there, I never saw it (I use reading glasses). This "No Refund" policy is NOWHERE on their web site. If a "No Refunds" policy for annual prepayment isn't a contract, I don't know what is. So I stupidly paid a year in advance in order to get the discount. Soon after my teen daughter started to advance in belt levels, she was assigned to teach others during her classes. I understand and applaud the "Leadership" concept. But there were many, many class days when my daughter came home very frustrated because she had been given little or no opportunity to learn anything or to advance her own skills and techniques during her class. There were many other times when she was highly pressured to "learn leadership" by coming in on her own time to teach children's classes, without pay, because they were understaffed. (The times she was paid, she received what actually worked out to $2/hour.) Then they cut back the number of teen/adult classes they were offering to only Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, so there was now only class per week that fit her schedule. At this point, we decided it was just no longer worthwhile to PAY Hero Academy so that she could spend so much of her lessons teaching others instead of being taught (she received her Green belt in mid-May, but has learned little new since then). I withdrew my daughter from Hero today (June 23, 2011), and asked for a refund for the remaining months I pre-paid. Owner/Sensei Michael Hornback adamantly refused to issue a refund for any portion of July 2011 through December 2011 -- SIX FULL MONTHS UNUSED time, informing me of the No Refunds policy, stating they are a family business and can't afford to operate like that, and that it's "our choice" not to attend on the available days. Frankly, this "No refund" issue, after everything she has done for them, and Michael Hornback's snarky rudeness and exploitative attitude, left such a bad taste in our mouths that we are completely DONE with Hero Academy. Sorry to the parents of the younger kids attending next week's children's Summer Camp, but that also means she won't be helping with that now. (She had been asked to come in and teach for a total of 21 hours from 8:30am to 3:30 pm on three days next week... again, completely free/unpaid, of course.) The only highlight at Hero Academy was Sensei Kenric Lai, who treated all students with respect (the same can NOT be said of all Hero senseis) and who did help my daughter to learn and practice during his classes. Also, she made some good friends at Hero.

I need to address karatemi's comment. I completely DISAGREE with what you wrote. My daughter has been attending classes at Hero now for a little over a year. They are priced well below other karate studios such as Victory which all require a contract. Sensei Michael, and his wife Allison are two of the nicest folks ! Communicating through email a persons tone can be misconstrued. Testing is $25.00 but I'm not sure what you mean by "blance".. my daughter just tested and they have certain requirements they need to meet to promote to the next level. each belt requires a certain number of stripes, you should educate yourself for your childs sake. Lastly, they only use ONE thursday a month to do the testing, and they close just like any school wood. My daughter's dance school closes for holidays as well. Maybe you should ask your child if they were happy cause at the end of the day its what they think, not what YOU want. this is a fantastic school, and Sensei Michael encourages and helps the children learn self espect and a wonderful skill ! I for one have seen a huge change in my daughter's confidence ! I recommend this school 100%

While the classes are alright, they are very overpriced. They cancel class bimonthly for belt testing and charge you extra money to do so. And, for the little kids, they don't actually advance the belt level. They simply ask you for $25 to test the kid's balance. When I stated my dissatisfaction with so many classes being cancelled for belt testing and other times, like spring break, the sensei's wife wrote me snotty e-mails, each one contradicting the other. Customer satisfaction is definitely not one of their interests. Their pockets are all they care about.

This place is simply amazing! The place is nice, the teachers are really down to earth, there is no high pressure sales like the big gyms. On top of everything, the classes are really really fun. If you are looking to either give martial arts a try or lose some weight for the new year you should definitely give this place a try!

This place is great for parents are kids; if parents don't want to take part in the fun, they can always sit and watch.