Reviews of Karate Excellence - At Villa Maria High School

I joined Karate Excellence because it was near my apartment, but I stay because of Sensei Sandra's warm and welcoming environment. I've trained at multiple dojos in the past, but this is the first one I've found that is for only women and girls, and the camaraderie is unlike anything I've ever seen in my past training. The students are all friends and all want to help each other succeed, and Sensei Sandra is great with students of all ages. She's also an exceptional coach at competitions, both encouraging and targeted in her feedback.

I highly recommend this dojo.

Il n'y a pas de plus rassurant que de voir mes filles s'épanouir en pratiquant le karaté à l'école de Karaté Excellence, dans un environnement convivial, chaleureux et professionnel.

Sensei Sandra est une excellente entraîneuse mais aussi une pédagogue efficace qui sait partager sa vocation et son amour pour cet art avec ses élèves, et qui cherche toujours à faire sortir le meilleur d'eux.

Je vous recommande fortement cette école!

L'école Karaté Excellence est un endroit précieux où ma fille s'épanouit en apprenant toutes les facettes de l'enseignement du karaté: excellence dans les techniques utilisées pour les katas et le kumité, persévérance dans l'effort physique, respect des règles associées à cet Art Martial. Par ailleurs, les cours délivrés par la Sensei Sandra Coffey sont articulés autours de très belles valeurs comme l'Entraide, la Confiance en Soi et dans le groupe, et le Respect d'Autrui. Ainsi l'ensemble des jeunes filles et femmes élèves chez Karaté Excellence se soutiennent et s'encouragent dans l'apprentissage de ce sport. Pour toutes ces raisons, je recommande vivement l'école Karaté Excellence.

I have been practicing karate at Karate Excellence for 5 years and I’ve had the best of times ever since!! I started karate when I was 10 years old and I was more than happy to find an all-girls karate school! The environment and support has helped my self confidence grow enormously! I’ve made many friends but I now consider them as my second family!

I recommend Karate Excellence to any girl/woman in Montreal!

The environment maintained by Sensai Sandra is welcoming and open. It's a great place to learn. Attention is given to good form, technique, and safety.

The facilities have plenty of parking, and large change rooms.

I attend the adult classes and my daughter attends the junior classes. I recommend both.

The Karate Excellence dojo is a real gem. Sensei Sandra, head instructor, is extremely dedicated to the students and manages to create a disciplined environment in which the students are expected to be equally dedicated and disciplined while still maintaining an atmosphere of fun and excitement. Sandra and her crew of helpers are able to assist those brand new to karate while simultaneously honing the skills of those more advanced. By far the best extra curricular experience we have had.

L’école de karaté Excellence porte bien son nom. Sensei Sandra et son équipe sont des passionnés qui donnent le bon dosage entre discipline et amusement, d’autant plus que l'apprentissage est adapté à chacune de ses élèves. Mes trois filles qui sont de caractères très différents adorent leur école de karaté. Je la recommande vivement :-)

I've been with Karate Excellence for a little over three months and I signed up for six more because I know I'm hooked already. Sensei Sandra is a great teacher who knows how to reach her students regardless of age or learning style. Even adults can gain a lot from the discipline and technique taught here. The whole team at the dojo are amazing at helping you refine your skills and the atmosphere at this school is fantastic. You're sure to feel supported and part of a enriching community with Sensei Sandra and her group at Villa-Maria. 11/10 Would recommend! I'm really happy here!

Sensei Sandra's school is all that we had hoped for our daughter. Here she’s learning Karate in a safe, fun and disciplined environment. But really, the girls at Karate Excellence are learning so much more, through the mentoring of Sensei Sandra and invited Senseis learning about hard work and respect in a wonderful sisterhood. I fully recommend this school!

Sensei Sandra's karate school is amazing. I watch the class each time my daughter attends and feel the great energy of all the girls. Sandra has a way of capturing the girls and teaching them challenging karate and self-defense, while more importantly emphasizing discipline and respect for the Sensei and fellow students. I recommend this karate school for any child. My daughter LOVES coming here !

My daughter started Karate about 10 months ago. She is very shy and she was very hesitant to start and continue Karate. Sandra has been a wonderful teacher. Kind, patient and has continued to tell my daughter that she believes in her and that she can overcome her fears. She recently completed her first belt test and is so proud of herself. Despite finding it difficult she has overcome her fear with the wonderful support of Sandra (and the rest of the team). My daughter has increased confidence and is starting to believe that she can overcome anything. She is also starting to feel like she belongs to a community. Sandra does a very good job at community building and creating a team culture. I would highly recommend Karate Excellence.

Karate Excellence is really excellence in so many ways; in the teachings of Karate-respect and discipline, and in the empowerment. ..of my niece. Ever since my niece attended this dojo, she's been empowered in so many ways; the constant positive encouragements of Sensei Sandra Coffee and her team while showing the right moves has made her more confident in all aspects of her life. No wonder she keeps telling me ''I love Sensei''. True respect for oneself and others, empowerment, pushing for excellence is what you can expect from that school which I strongly recommend. I've heard the same testimonies from other parents about their daughter(s).

My daughter loves karate at Yoshukan Karaté Excellence and so do we. My husband is a professor and I work in educational technology. As educators, we are picky about our daughter's activities and Sensei Sandra is the Real Deal. She builds teams, offers role models, gives individual instruction and builds confidence in EVERY CLASS.

We are working parents and we always make time for our daughter to come to karate. This is a place to empower your daughter and help her feel strong and capable. The lessons are calibrated to teach to the level: challenging enough to strive yet adjusted enough for them to succeed. Each class my daughter leaves happy. --and so do we.

We subscribed our daughter to karate classes recently, and before her first day she was not sure that she was going to like it. But after the first meeting with Sensei Sandra our daughter fell in love with the school. It's a unique school with a great friendly environment where is respect for each other is essential. Sensei Sandra is a wonderful instructor who can be strict when it's needed and she also likes making jokes and cheering her students up. We are glad that our daughter is attending the karate classes with Sensei Sandra because it helps to raise her self-esteem up and it's an excellent way to contribute to our daughter's well-being and health.

My daughter being introvert & 'too compassionate' in nature, she lacks the conviction therefore I was looking forward to a karate class which will inject confidence in her to shape her personality and bring personal conviction. I tried different karate schools in Montreal before I came to know about Karate excellence but unfortunately I struggled to make her interested in those classes. Instructor in Karate excellence is the key differentiator from other schools that made Karate excellence stand out from others. Sandra, the instructor is a lady with amazing personality and she is not only the master in karate but also knows very well how to handle different kids and grow the interest in them. I look forward for my daughter to continue with karate excellence and would highly recommend to others.

I signed my 8 year old daughter up in the fall of 2015 for 6 months. Our membership is up and when I asked her if she wanted to sign up for another 6 months, she answered emphatically, "Of course I do!". Her teacher, Sensei Sandra, works closely with each girl, carefully watching their technique and pointing out specific areas of needed improvement. I find that one of the reasons why the students respond well to her is that Sensei Sandra is able to combine discipline and fun. Sandra often uses humour when appropriate, yet is serious about maintaining focus. Sensei Sandra also provides teaching opportunities for students who are at a higher belt level, so that the younger girls can get more one on one attention. Since she already is a focused child, what my daughter is mostly taking away from this is a sense of confidence, which is overall making her a lot less shy. My daughter sincerely loves coming here and willingly attends classes 3 times a week. She has made new friends and with Sensei Sandra as her teacher, our family has welcomed another positive female role model into her life.

I highly recommend this place. Sandra is a great instructor, she is nice, firm and fun in her classes. It has been a very good experience for my daughter, helping her to improve her concentration and motors skills, she really enjoys the class.

I can’t recommend Karate Excellence enough! Challenging both body and mind, Sensei Sandra is an incredibly dedicated and nurturing instructor who empowers every single one of her students to be more focussed, disciplined and self-assured. Since my daughter started in September 2015, I have seen such improvements in her concentration, organizational skills and self-confidence. She absolutely loves going and I’m so grateful that Sensei Sandra provides the perfect mix of technique, encouragement and fun.

Excellente école de karaté grâce au sensei Sandra et aux instructeurs invités (tous excellents!) Nous sommes toujours informées des compétitions, des tournois. Très bon suivi d'encadrement pédagogique.

C'est une très belle discipline qui développe la concentration, l'attention, la mémorisation et surtout la confiance en soi!

Ma fille de 10 ans adore ;-) !

Mes deux filles ont beaucoup de plaisir à l'École - Yoshukan Karate Excellence. L`Une elle n'a dit un jour que de toutes ses activités parascolaire, le karaté était parmi ses 2 activités préférées. Elles aiment toutes les séances de cours mais l`une préfère les séances de combats et l`autres les séances de Kata. Toutes les deux adorent les compétitions et travaille fort pour passer au niveau suivant dans les ceintures.

Pour moi l’École - Yoshukan Karate Excellence développe la communication, la concentration, le respect, la culture du Karaté, l’estime de soi, d’auto-défense en situation réelle et imaginaire.

Mes deux filles adorent cette discipline, car l’École - Yoshukan Karate Excellence développe la concentration, l’estime de soi et la force. L'École enseigne entre autres le respect et les rudiments d’auto-défense en situation réelle.

My daughter has joined to Karate Excellence recently and she loves it. Sensei Sandra is a very nice, patient and responsible teacher with a high degree of professionalism. I highly recommend the Karate Excellence for girls and women!

Our 10 year old daughter has been with Karate Excellence for almost a year and our appreciation grows with every passing week. Sensei Sandra is an excellent teacher and is able to bring out the best in all her students. Not only is my daughter learning karate and self-defense techniques but is building confidence and improving her ability to focus. We are so happy to have found such a wonderful community for our daughter to thrive in.

Ce qui m'a d'abord plu dans cette école, c'est l'ambiance accueillante; on s'y sent vite intégrée. La Sensei est très à l'écoute de ses élèves et les traîte avec considération. L'enseignement dispensé est de très grande qualité selon moi. L'élève est amené à se questionner sur le pourquoi d'une telle technique et rien n'est laissé au hasard. La Sensei adapte son enseignement au rythme et au tempérament de chacun, et pousse l'élève à se dépasser, toujours dans le respect. Je recommande cette école à quiconque sans aucune hésitation.

I recently joined Karate Excellence, and I'm loving it. Sensei Sandra is very inviting, and is dedicated to making sure all of the students are learning and having a good time. She has a wonderful approach with everyone. The fellow students are very friendly, and always willing to help newbies improve their skills. I highly recommend this dojo to girls and women!

I am not very knowledgeable about martial arts but I can comment on the atmosphere of the dojo. The female-only environment is a definite asset especially for girls who may be shy or intimidated by boys. The Sensei is warm and inviting. She is patient with younger members of the dojo and provides fun activities, which teach basic skills in a non-threatening manner. I have noticed that her expectations of the older members rises accordingly. She is able to engender focus in her students and seems very interested in stressing proper technique. When my daughter started she only would go to one class a week but now she usually attends three. It is definitely something to which she looks forward.

I'm so happy I found this school. I can't even find one negative thing about it. Karate itself is actually a very good thing for your health and all, because of how it teaches discipline, self-control, self-defense, and increases your fitness. But there is one major, major quality about this particular school that makes it stand out; the social environment. Most girls who wish to join karate are scared to do so because of the idea of being judged (or something of that sort). But the Senseis that teach here - particularly Sensei Sandra, the founder of our school - are so respectable and honorable. And the only-girls environment is so friendly and nonjudgmental that you never, ever have to worry about silly things like getting judged, and you can fully focus on what's being taught. The school has one of those very rare extremely-educating-but-also-extremely-fun environment to it. I think that's why joining this school was, in my opinion, one of the best decisions I've ever made.

The instructors are extremely helpful and pushes you to your full capacity. I have made many great friends here as all of the students are really close. I am more confident, strong and happy because of Karate Excellence. I genuinely love this place!!

Seinsei Sandra est une excellente pédagogue. Elle démontre un excellent leadership auprès des filles. Elle est très organisé et la communication avec les filles et les parents est excellente. Ma fille adore sont cours de karaté. Elle s'améliore et s'amuse beaucoup tout en gagnant de la confiance en elle. Je vous recommande ce cours sans aucune hésitation.

Je suis la mère d'une fille de 9 ans. Ma fille a commence le karaté il y a de cela un an au Karate Excellence et elle adore! Ce sport l'aide à se concentrer et à developer un grand sens du respect. De plus, sa coordination est améliorée et son équilibre aussi. De nature un peu timide, elle l'est beaucoup moins car elle a acquis plus de confiance en elle avec le karate. Je suis très contente qu'elle y aille deux fois par semaine!

Merci à Karate Excellence!

Ma fille prend des cours de karaté au Dojo Karate Excellence depuis le mois de janvier 2014 et elle adore. La découverte du karaté s'est faite un peu par hasard pour nous grâce à une classe d'essai. Sensei Sandra apporte une touche toute particulière à ses cours, sachant tirer le meilleur de chacune sans les brusquer. En bout de ligne, la méthode de formation est bien adaptée aux filles, mettant l'accent sur le respect de chacun et le développement de la confiance en soi.

For 5 years, my parents wanted me to practice martial arts - karate in specific - and I always refused to even participate in a free class because it was almost only made of boys. From what I've heard, Karate Excellence is the only dojo in Montreal that is reserved for girls and women. At school, boys are more free to laugh at your mistakes while in these classes, laughing at others is not tolerated which helps build confidence and self-esteem. Wonderful teaching, environment and sport!

My daughter likes to dance, she has good rhythm, but she didn't want to do the ballet thing. Enter the world of Karate. We discovered this well run, “girls only” Karate school, where I find the movements are akin to a "Combat type of Choreography". The girls learn disciplined movement with a purpose, respect for others, self-discipline, and receive positive reinforcement from Sensei Sandra, and best of all they are bonding and I find my daughter looks forward to her weekly training with more enthusiasm than any other of her extra carricular activities. This September, my daughter will be entering Villa-Maria High School, and we are excited to know that she will be able to go straight from school to Karate twice a week.

I was looking for a good environment for my 6 yr old daughter to learn martial arts and this is it! Sensei Sandra offers an encouraging and challenging environment. The spirit amongst the students is unbeatable. After only a few months, my daughter is fully self-motivated and is now committed to getting a Black Belt...she is really blossoming in this atmosphere of toughness and sensitivity.

Je recommande totalement karaté excellence! Ma fille a pris des cours avec Sensei Sandra lors de son camp d'été et après la première classe, elle m'a demandé de lui inscrire pour le cours complet. En même pas trois mois, elle a incroyablement évolué et j'ai pu voir des changements dans son comportement aussi. Elle est plus organisé, propre et a une grande posture du corps. Je trouve karaté un sport très bon car il développe le corps mais aussi l'esprit! Chaque enfant devrait essayer! Merci, Sensei Sandra!

I totally recommend Karate Excellence! My daughter took some classes with Sensei Sandra during her summer Camp and after the first class she asked me to subscribe her for the full course. In not even 3 months she has amazingly evolved and I was able to see changes in her behaviour also. She is more organized,tidy and has a great body posture. I find Karate a very good sport as it develops the body but also the mind! Every kid should try it! Thank you, Sensei Sandra!

My seven-year-old daughter and I have been part of the Karate Excellence School for four months, and we absolutely love it. Sandra Sensei is an excellent teacher who creates a challenging but very positive, motivating and fun environment. I am impressed with how much we have both learned so far. I highly recommend this school to girls and to their moms!

My 10 year old daughter absolutely LOVES Karate thanks to Sensei Sandra's passion, dedicaton and exceptional teaching skills.

The students are taught movements, techniques, and the philosophy of Karate with dignity and respect creating a positive, friendly and challenging environment for all.

In the past year, my daughter has earned so much more than her striped yellow belt. She has gained strength, flexiblility and above all greater self-esteem.

I highly recommend Karate Excellence for all who want to stay physically fit, learn a martial art and self defence.

J'ai inscrit mes 2 filles aux cours de karaté donné par Sensei Sandra Coffey et elle sont totalement ravis de participer à chacun des 3 cours données par semaine.