Testimonials

What our students have to say about us…
We are always happy to discuss the benefits of our programs, but to really understand what we do you need to hear it from our students, peers and parents.

"RMAC is more than just a martial arts studio, they are family. RMAC teaches discipline, respect for self and others, compassion, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and confidence. All of the instructors are there to help each student meet their individual goals, teaching them what they need to succeed. It is wonderful for adults and fantastic for children, it gives them the tools they will need to see them through the important aspects of interacting with others and striving to be the best they can be. My son has grown exponentially over the past five years …truly a fantastic place to be."

Shannon Mitchell

"I have been teaching for eighteen years, and I am very happy to announce that in 2004 Mr. Rodness became the first American to achieve the rank of Full Instructor in JKD Unlimited. He joins Augusto Baracco, of Italy, as the only two who currently hold this level. Yes, I have extremely high and stringent standards, to the point that I have been criticized for my steadfast approach to quality. I must say that I am glad that I held out, as I have the privilege of working with amazing individuals like Mr. Rodness.

I congratulate Mr. Steve Rodness for his accomplishment, and I am very happy for all of you at the Rodness' Martial Arts Center. You have the best kind of leader; one who leads by example."

Burton Richardson
President, JKD Unlimited

I wanted to take a moment to thank you. First off, everyone is great but the catalyst for this email was an event that happened with my son Tanner during belt testing yesterday. As I’m sure you’re aware, Tanner is a pretty timid kid and not very athletic. He absolutely hates to be in the spotlight. It’s even worse when he makes a mistake in from of everyone (as he did during belt testing.)

So, we decided Martial arts would be a great way to build his self confidence and get some exercise. After looking at several different centers we picked Rodness because you seemed so devoted to developing the confidence of the kids, with heart AND discipline. I’m happy to say we made a great choice.

So back to the incident that prompted me to write. During the testing, the students were asked to perform a move that, apparently, Tanner was not confident with. Julie and I noticed him struggling and knew if he didn’t pull it off he’d start to get upset. Sure enough the tears started and he lost it. At that point, Mr. Rodness wisely advised Tanner to sit down and get his act together. Knowing how these things typically go, we expected Tanner to be so embarrassed that he would sit out the rest of the day and perhaps become so embarrassed that he would no longer enjoy Taekwondo.

That’s when the Rodness Staff stepped up again. As Tanner sat there crying, Stacy Wong quietly went over to Tanner, sat down with him and worked through the move. Building his confidence and, most importantly, snapping him out of his tail spin. Moments later Tanner was back up, plugging away and smiling like nothing happened. Then, as the session ended Mr. Rodness took time to praise Tanner for getting back in the game. This too was huge because it’s a conversation we have often. The fact that it came from Steve, who he thinks of as a real life Super Hero, made it that much better. We talked about it all night and Tanner was beaming with pride.

The bottom line is that Tanner has come a long way and I attribute much of his growth to all the great folks at RMAC. God bless you and keep up the great work! Thanks again to Stacy and Steve for handling this incident so well for our son!!!

Scott Silsbee