New To Martial Arts?

" We want to thank you, your instructors, and your organization for the valuable life skills, including physical skills of course, that our daughter Jenny, has learned over the last five years in your kids karate program.

AS she has advanced through the various skill levels, her physical development and growth in strength, stamina and prowess have been remarkable. Notable as well is the way you, and your instructors, have encouraged her to set and achieve personal goals. We appreciate this excellent strategy in her personal development.

We are equally please with her considerable growth in her self confidence and her enhanced self esteem that have taken place over the years. A testimony to you really, to your sensitivity to the emotional needs of your students.

It goes without saying that jenny's overall health and fitness has benefited greatly from her involvement in you fine program.

Her crowning achievement, of course, was being awarded the "Black Belt" just a few days ago on the eve of her 13th birthday. A birthday present that could not be matched by anything that even mom and dad could give her! A sincere thank you. Keep up the good work."

-Alton & Donna Brace-

" From as long as I can remember I have been interested in the martial arts. So when my oldest son was seven (in 1991) I started researching karate schools in the St. John's area. It became quickly apparent that the Kenpo Karate system with its combination of Kata (forms), sparring (fighting) and advancement through the coloured belt testing system was the best way to go. Word on the street was that if Kenpo was the route to go the instructor to go with was Mike Foley. This was due to his level of skills and long term commitment to the sport. Later, I learned that just as  important was his unique combination of patience and quiet assertiveness with his young charges (both boys and girls).

I was so impressed with Sensei's Mikes instruction that I enrolled my other two sons when they came of age. All three became "good" black belts and have won numerous competitions at the provincial, national and international level. Nearly 20 years later they still actively participate in the sport and the club... often as instructors.

The following summarizes my experience with Mike Foley's Kenpo:

First, the instruction is top notch. Mike, along with his sons who also work in the business never compromise on the quality of the product. At this school if you don't deserve advancement you don't get it. Once you earn a Black Belt here you enter a rare fraternity (or sorority) and garner guaranteed respect for yourself and your belt from the martial arts community. 

The "system" Mike uses is closely connected with national standards and techniques. Always innovative and well connected (he often draws on national expertise through workshop and competition exercises) participation in his club can be for those who just want get into a good exercise program, learn self defense techniques or compete at the highest competitive level (there are several Black Belts in his club who have won medals at national and world championship competitions).

Another thing I observed over the years is that the self discipline learned through this system can have very positive affects on many other aspects of a young person's life. More confidence, more disciplined approach to school work, better social skills, less time to go down the wrong path and the camaraderie of life long and like minded friends. I used to say my boys had "school friends and karate friends". 

My final observation comes from 20 years of being around the martial arts and having been at dozens of competitions from here to California. NOT ALL SCHOOLS ARE CREATED EQUAL. For some it is an aside to a day job and so often the commitment is not there. What is the qualification and attitude of the person actually teaching your child... as opposed to the belt level of the person mentioned in the slick advertisement? 

Last but not least. Be careful not to enroll in a school that advances you on time spent or other factors (like over zealous nagging parents) than specific skills learned. A realistic assessment of your actual skills may be vitally important to your safety. Remember the adage "the ass who thought it was a deer came to learn the difference when it had to leap the ditch".

-Tom Hawco Sr.-

"I have been a martial artist since 1986. I trained with Sensei Mike Foley Sr until 1996. My son Joseph was born in 1995 and in 2003 he began to train with Sensi Mike Foley Sr and the FMA system. I believe that the FMA system is the best one for me and my family. It has provided my son Joseph with confidence, and good sound instruction Not only does he learn self-defense, the importance of self-discipline, respect, loyalty and self-confidence, but also he gets to have fun while he is doing it. We do not think that any program could offer more. I believe that FMA has provided our son with the best program in the province. Sense Mike Foley and his team  provide fantastic leadership and a "FUN" atmosphere.

FMA  activities provide good physical challenge and mental challenges that teaches core discipline to its participants that builds good self-esteem for them selves and respect for others.FMA helps improve kids' confidence, social and cognitive skills, as well as their fitness and coordination. All parents want the best for their kids. As a police Officer, I am aware of the advantage of the FMA system, having to defend myself with the skills acquired in my past training. Not just physical, but verbal skills. as well. I believe FMA enhances  our kids ability and confidence so that they hopefully avoid being victims of crime.

FMA  teaches us to set goals and to strive for them. This hard work ethic translates into our private lives as well. I recommend FMA to many of my friends and contacts on a regular basis. FMA is fluid and adaptive and can always help provide strategies to resolve many physical and mental challenges. FMA is the best..."

-Darrell Edward Long-

" We started our son in karate with the hope that he would have some fun with other kids his age and help build his self confidence.  In the past year and a half, our 8-year-old has grown in his confidence, discipline, focus and respect, skills and lessons that will serve him for a lifetime. And, of course, he's also learned a great deal of technique. 

The Foleys are great with the kids and very encouraging.  Our son loves to go to karate class and it is one of the few times we don't have to argue with him to put down his DS! "

-Carl & Pam Layden- 

" I want to express my sincere appreciation for everything you and Foley’s School of Martial Arts have done for the boys. My boys started karate when they were only 4 and 6 years old. Today they are 10 and 12 years old and have the privilege of being brown belts. When I joined them up initially I thought it would be a good physical activity for them. Of course they thought it would help them become “power rangers”. The experience at your school has exceeded any expectations I had. The benefits go well beyond learning self-defense and improving their physical health. The confidence they have gained through karate shows through in so many other areas particularly socially and academically. In my opinion the self-discipline they have developed through karate is perhaps the most impressive gain. This was striking to me recently as I watched them push them physically and mentally push themselves under your guidance during their brown belt test. Thank you so much! "

-Dr. Kellie LeDrew, Associate Professor of Psychiatry-

"When our little girl was 7 we put her in Foley's Martial Arts school hoping that she would gain confidence, respect for herself and others, and to help her protect herself.  She has gotten all of these things plus more from the Foley's.  She is learning these things and don't even realize it because she is having so much fun.  The instructors at Foley's Martial Arts School demand respect and while achieving this the children learn self discipline and self confidence, all the while having fun"

 -Greg and Vicki Flight-

" I started training in martial arts at the age of 11yrs old.  At that time I was living in a neighborhood that had a statistically very high crime rate.  Drugs were particularly readily available.  My commitment to martial arts came as a result of the quality of training that I was receiving and the amazing instructors that were there, including Mike Foley.

At any time my life could have made a turn for the worst.

Mike became my sole instructor from the time I was 18yrs to 29yrs of age.  I trained with him solely because he was the best.  He is very good at what he does.  The gift to teach and teach well is rare and Mike definitely possesses it.

I was a dedicated student because of the instructors and the attraction for the art.  Mike was and still is one of the best instructors I have ever had the pleasure of training under. I can say this now as I have moved and trained with several other instructors in the Ontario region, including national and international champions like Steve “Nasty”Anderson.

So all this said let me tell you where I am now.  I am a sergeant with the Kingston Police in Kingston Ontario.  I have worked for the police for 20 years.  One of the attractions that the police department (The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary) had for me as a candidate for the position of police constable at 19years of age, was that I had a black belt in Karate, was in extremely high physical condition (having beat all other candidates in the fitness tests-of 1500 candidates, scoring 110% of a 100% score-with bonuses for exceeding the highest standards), and I had references such as Mike Foley.   I contribute all of this to Mike and Chinese Kenpo Karate.  Another major issue was that I had no brushes with the law.  My dedication to the art kept me from the drugs and crime that was all around me.  I have carried what I have learned from Mike with me.  I have competed internationally and have won gold in three international Martial Arts competitions in the US and Europe.  I am still training and intend to compete in a fourth international competition in 2011.  Mike was the reason that I became such a successful competitor in the sport and in my life.

I could write here for a long time about the benefits that I have had as a result of Chinese Kenpo Karate and my instructor and friend Mike Foley.

Needless to say and without a doubt, I would not be where I am today without them.  I am eternally grateful to Mike for all the time and energy that he has put into me, in my training and in building my character.  I guarantee you that you will not find a better instructor in the eastern region than Mike Foley and Chinese Kenpo Karate is a great well rounded art that offers so much more than just how to kick and punch."

-Carla Stacey Borel-

" My first contact with Mike was, I am thinking probably in 1992.  My son, Scott, would have been 8 years old, and he expressed an interest in taking karate lessons.  From the outset, I was impressed with Mike's approach and attitude.  There was no sales pitch, no false hopes, no promises.  Just an invitation to bring Scott along and "see how it goes"

Well, it went far in excess of any expectations.  Scott, who had taken absolutely no interest in sports of any kind, became absorbed in the sport, and, by age 15, had attained a black belt level.  He subsequently added his 2nd and 3rd degree accomplishments to that before leaving for university.  Time restrictions and other commitments have prevented his involvement since then, however, he maintains an interest and will, when he is ready, resume active participation.

As parents, both my wife and I were more than satisfied with the instruction given to our son over the years.  We watched as Scott grew from a somewhat reserved boy into a confident young man, and Mike's interest and teaching played no small part in that development.  I think what impressed us most was the fact that there was never any pressure to participate, however, if you chose to participate, it was and is Mike's philosophy that in order to take something out, you have to put something in. 

Mike had a knack of knowing each student's strengths as well as individual student's weaknesses, and his individualized instruction was geared to shore up those weaknesses within the student, not to expose them.  He knew how to challenge each individual, and knew both the skill level as well as the rate of progress of each one, no small accomplishment in classes of up to 25-30 students, which was often the case.

As students progressed through the various belts, Mike would challenge them to assume leadership roles, and it was not at all unusual to see senior students tutoring juniors, an activity which not only raised the skill level of the junior, but did wonders for the confidence and self esteem of the senior "instructor".  Mike was always careful, however, to ensure that he was not asking any student to take on more of that type of responsibility than they could handle or were comfortable with, and he was always present with the overseeing eye to ensure that things were running as they should.

His own personal dedication to the sport was highlighted when, and, again I am guessing, in 1996 Mike suffered a heart attack.  He was hospitalized for a time, and, naturally, some of the senior students stepped in and conducted classes in his absence.  A short time after his release, we were watching a class when I jokingly remarked that it would not be long when Mike would be back, such was the oddity of his absence.  Imagine our surprise when Mike walked in some time later!  I don't recall what we said to him, but we probably told him to get out of the gym and back to bed where he belonged.  His interest was such, however, that he could not stay away.

In all the hundreds of hours we have been in Mike's presence while he has instructed, we have yet to hear him raise his voice.  He didn't have to.  His students knew instinctively that they needed to listen carefully and perform each maneuvers properly.  Having said that, there was always time for a laugh, and one of Mike's ploy's, particularly with the younger students, was to have them chant the steps of a particular kata in a foreign language, often Japanese, an activity which not only gave the students a sense of the origin of that particular discipline, it also became a fun time of learning as well.

We always had a sense that the younger students did their best for Mike, however, as they progressed, the challenge was more to themselves.  When Scott became interested in performing a weapons kata with, of all things, a sword, I know that Mike had some misgivings, as did my wife and I, however, rather than discourage him, Mike supported him by ensuring that the kata was done with safety as a priority.  The fact that he was able to perform a rather impressive kata at several major tournaments became yet another confidence booster for Scott and a source of pride for my wife and I, and, I know, for Mike as well.

The martial arts training manifests itself in other areas as well.  By 2004, Scott had already decided to pursue a career in Acting, and in June of that year, he attended the American Modelling and Talent Convention on Orlando, Florida.  One of the many performances he was required to give involved a monologue, and I was more than impressed when an observer approached me after his performance and asked me if Scott was involved in the martial arts.  When I told him that he was, indeed, a 3rd degree black belt, he was not surprised, stating that he, too, was involved, and that it was quite obvious from the crispness and definition of Scott's movements that he had that background and training.

Just as Mike never put pressure on his students, he did not put pressure on his own boys, and it is a tribute to that approach that all are now involved in his martial arts schools as trainers with him.  I know for a fact that a couple of them got away from the sport for a time and pursued other interests, but all have become accomplished martial artists, as well as exemplary individuals, in their own right.

I recall that Scott took several months away from the sport when he was in high school.  While Mike maintained an interest in Scott, there was never any pressure to return.  I am guessing that Mike's experience has been that it is counterproductive to apply undue pressure to perform, and that participation has to be a product of self interest rather than external force.

I think, though, the most impressive aspect of Mike's teaching is the emphasis that, while the martial arts is a form of physical self defence, and while an intelligent knowledge of the martial arts is a wonderful boost to individual confidence and self esteem, the best defense against conflict of any kind is, first of all avoidance, and, if that is not possible, to talk.  As a now retired police officer of over 35 years, I cannot recall ever having seen a true martial arts student involved in a physical fight.

I don't know if all martial arts disciplines teach that approach, but I have heard Mike on numerous occasions emphasize the importance of exploring alternate means to avoid a physical confrontation, and there is no doubt in my mind that over the years, Mike's students have heeded his counsel and probably spared themselves some trouble in the process."

  -Cliff Yetman-

"We have been members of Foley’s Martial Arts for the past two years and have enjoyed every moment of it. Our daughter who is 6 years old is not only making great friends, but more importantly she is learning lifelong skills. She is learning discipline, focus, self-defense and how to work hard and is developing the physical and mental skills she will need as she gets older. To learn these skills at a young age will help children become strong and successful individuals. Mr. Michael Foley Sr. and his instructors  teaches this to kids of all ages which is so important at this time of their lives.  They are learning what it takes to be successful and it can be attributed to what is practiced in his dojo every week. We are very happy that we have found Foley’s Martial Arts Club and are grateful for its teachings."

-Joseph Manning, Hydrographer-