Complaint Review: MAHATO KARATE (Instructor Michael Graves) - Wilmington Delaware

I find this hard to believe as I was a former student. I trained in Mahato Karate back in the mid 1990s when the school was on Lancaster Pike in the Cannery next to Dear Head Hotdogs.  I remember learning discipline, honor, integrity and most importantly commitment to oneself.  I remember Michael Graves as being a revolutionary and still is a head of his time.  He utilized the art of Mixed Martial Arts by teaching multiple diciplines he learned throughout his vast experience as a expert martial artist.  He was very focused and expected the same from his students and did not tolerate any boasting from his students and I remember him making an example of me for showing off in class.  I remember every experience from Mahato Karate.  I am very proud to have had the opportunity to have found a Great Instructor in Michael Graves through a former co-worker Mr. Dave  Rustler. The second black belt under Sensei Graves.  Forgive me if I have misspelled your name Dave but I thank you and your brother John for telling me about such a legend in Sensei Michael Graves.  I have been all over the world.  I joined the Military in 1998-2008 have taken Martial Arts in Guam, England and in South Carolina and nothing can compare to what Mahato Martial Arts can provide anyone.  Michael is the real deal and I speak as former student and brown belt.  

First of all my attitude is like it is because of the fact what happened at his school! You can believe what you like because obiviously you are very good friends with Mr. Graves so your defending him which makes perfect sense however what i stated here is 100% true and yes with Mr. Graves attitude someone does need to wipe the floor with him however i'm not gonna bring myself down to that level and do that! But in the future with his terrible attitude if he confronts someone and does the same thing to them as he did to me degrading what i know and the school i trained at and uses some physical force with the wrong person and claiming he was just demostrating it was nothing personal I"m sorry to break the news to you but that person will know the difference between it being personal and strictly demostrating to the class a technique that everyone will be practicing that day! My martial arts background has nothing to do with the attitude i have about Mr. Graves. I think thats great you have a good background in the martial arts like you listed for me to view however i to have alot of training in martial arts 25+ years to be exact! I just want to say one thing the truth must really hurt or you wouldn't have come forth and said some derogatory remarks back to me! It just validates that the statement that i made in my compliant is 100% true! Remember a true martial artist is humble and very respectful to others and welcomes other students with different styles doesn't reject someone that they don't like for no good reason! Remember also an open mind is better than a narrow mind! But clearly you and Mr. Graves and his staff demostrate is a narrow mind! Bows humbley to everyone and God Bless everyone.

  My current training in Martial Arts is @25-30 years. It's hard to say exactly, because I have trained @ 25 years in Aikido, @ 12 years of Karate, @4 years of Iaido,  @ 9 years of Kenjutsu.  I have been to about 80-100 schools from New York to Virginia and have met teachers and students from all over the United States, Canada and over seas.

  I have been a student of Michael Graves for 10 years. I started with him in 2000 and trained with him until 2003 when I moved away, but still to this day we communicate and I still go back and train with him in DE whenever I can. I have recieved my nidan from him in 2006, but before that I received my rank in Aikido in 1991 from NY Aikikai from Yamada, shihan. I have also trained in other styles of Aikido, Iaido, Kenjutsu, and Karate. I have met people who have trained in Goju-ryu, Shotokan, Isshin-ryu, Hapkido, Tae Kwon Do, etc, etc, etc.

  And the only reason I am posting this information is because when I was searching for information about Shuri-te Karate I saw this Ripoff Report.  So I can tell you I know that this ripoff report is totally incorrect and inaccurate. This is all speculation I really think it is another instructor who sees Mahato Karate successful and his not as successful, or maybe he stinks in Karate and found that out at Mahato Karate and doesn't have the courage to train hard and work hard and get better; he rather complain , and/or whoever it is has an ego problem or is a baby and needs to grow up. It could be a combination of all of the above.  

  Michael Graves knows I train in other martial arts and has never had a problem with it. There are also other students and instructors at the school who have rank and are instructors in other martial arts also. I can tell you from first hand experience that there are instructors and other schools that are very intolerant of other schools and their teaching and Michael Graves has not once that I have ever seen been intolerant to me or the other people at the dojo. Trust me I have been at very intolerant dojos and Mahato Karate is NOT one of them, I have been at intolerant dojos and if the person thinks Mahato Karate or the instructor(s) are intolerant he's sadly mistaken.

  Also for the comment "I feel someone really needs to wipe the floor with him". If you think all these things about the school and Michael Graves then why don't you do it yourself and stop whining.

  I can go on and on about this RipOff report but true martial artists don't whine on a website they have the courage and ability to speak up, I have told Michael Graves I didn't like something that was going on and I said something, I didn't post it on website. I mean if you are paying for classes have the courage to speak up if you don't like something. It's like going to a restaurant and getting a bad meal. You tell the waitress right then and there, if not you are stuck paying for a bad meal.

  Also I have seen 4 other ripoff reports reporting the same thing I show up at the school to this day and no bad behavior is ever seen by me. Now I can't say the school is perfect, we strive to seek perfection. I have no stake in the school, I train now in DC area, but Michael Graves will continue to be my teacher and I will continue to do Shuri-te Karate under him, as well as do other Martial Arts.

  Also for the person who wrote about her 11 year old daughter, all schools are not for everyone, you have to find the one that fits you best.

.

Hi my name is Cathy and my 11yr. old daughter had problems with the mahato karate instructor Michael Graves not gonna say anything to hurt his business but what i will say is all these former complaints are 100% valid after what i endured with mahato karate.

My daughter was very happy to stop attending mahato karate school!
I enrolled her in a great school and she's very happy and the teacher is wonderful with her!

I have known MR. graves for over 15 yrs and have been to many tournaments with MR graves. And have met other teachers and students from other school that not only like Mr. Graves but also have utter respect for him and his school and training. MR. Graves is a very caring person who is not all about the money but more about his students and their grades at school and their attitude at home and the way they carry themselves around others as far as his martial arts history. I have met his instructor from Arakansas, Shehan Jerry Barbar, not only is he a certified martial artist, he is in the karate hall of fame. I personally was there at his induction and had the honor to sit and eat with many masters of the martial arts. I have nothing but utter respect for MR. graves and his way of training martial arts, he is truly LEGIT. I dont know this individual that is bashing mahato karate but his facts couldn't be more wrong, maybe he is the one that is clueless and un-educated in the ways of martial arts. Martial arts is way more then just learning to defend yourself its about learning peace of mind and body, your inner che for this. I have learned in the many years that i have been with Mahato karate. Maybe this indivdual didn't really give MR. Graves a fair chance to show the ways of Mahato Karate, sounds like to me this person made judgment to fast and is being unfair by trying to bash Mr. Graves in fact, i am kinda leaning towards the fact that he is from another school that possibly isn't fairing all that well, i dont know about that but sure sounds like someone that is trying to steal business from Mr. Graves. But as for the facts you can search for yourself at either the usnkf or usankf sites and search hall of fame. Mr.Graves also takes the most extreme steps for safety in training his students, SAFETY is always first at Mahato.take care everyone have a great and wonderful day.

proud parent of mahato karate school. claymont delaware