Amherst Martial Arts, Amherst | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Amherst Martial Arts, a taekwondo school, is a really special space in Amherst. It has been operating for more than 20 years, educating countless children, as well as hosting summer camps (taekwondo, swimming, and horseback riding). It’s the complete program: philosophy, strength, forms, and practical application — self defense and sparring.

The strength of this program is not just in the excellent and serious instruction, but in the warmth of the community. The children are kind and supportive to each other, an attitude fostered by the teachers. The children and teens really form relationships with each other. The school is a labor of love for the instructors; they haven’t raised their rates in years, because they want to keep it accessible.

At some other places that I’ve seen, the programming aimed at kids can feel like a mill, processing lots of kids, keeping things fun but what are the kids actually learning? I’ve seen some kids’ martial arts programs described as “belt factories” or “belt mills”, where the belt tests are meaningless, and the kids aren’t actually learning the forms, much less the philosophy and mental disciplines. No matter how skilled the adults are, they have to take teaching kids seriously — not just as entertainment for the kids and babysitting for the kids.

That is the opposite of Amherst Martial Arts, which feels like a cross between a school and a home — the best kind of home, where everyone is working together, learning and improving and supporting each other. The kids have a lot of fun — there are lots of opportunities for games and silliness — but they also learn to buckle down, concentrate, try harder, improve. I’ve seen kids come in, too shy to kick at all, gain confidence just from the gentle, non-judgmental opportunity that comes again and again in a session, until they start finding their own ability to move and then start putting their all into it. This is huge for girls especially who may not have been given social encouragement or support to yell, kick, punch, roll, etc. The instructors are great at knowing how to relate to different kids at different levels: kids sometimes need gentle encouragement, sometimes sternness and seriousness, and often humor, and helping kids have fun AND then buckle down to focus and learn is a real art.

Amherst Martial Arts is now offering virtual classes (for the duration of the lockdown), and they are excellent. Highly recommended!

Amherst Martial Arts is a wonderful and distinctive Tae Kwon Do (Korean Karate) studio. The head, or sabumnim, of the studio, or dojang, is Annie Schwarz, a 4th degree black belt, who founded Amherst Martial Arts in 1991. Annie has a terrific manner with children that is supportive and builds confidence, self-reliance, and camaraderie.

Both of my children began Tae Kwon Do here starting at age 6. The lessons were terrific for younger children, building gross motor skills, confidence, and self control. My younger child, now a frosh in high school, earned his black belt last summer. He continues to stay in shape and to develop his skills as a student, and he also teaches classes for younger students. He has since recruited me (returning to Tae Kwon Do after a 30-year hiatus).

The adult and older teen group which I’ve joined is lots of fun and very supportive. Classes run for an hour, begin and end with a moment of meditation followed by thorough stretching, and they are great, vigorous exercise. We work towards promotion via belt tests, but mostly we enjoy the workouts.

Amherst Martial Arts is completely gender neutral and non-macho in its approach. It is one of the best co-ed sports I’ve encountered. Annie also offers occasional women’s self-defense courses.

Lastly, Annie directs Kicks and Corrals, an Amherst-area summer camp which offers horseback riding, Tae Kwon Do, and swimming. Amherst Martial Arts students have guaranteed spots in this high-demand summer camp.