Teen martial arts (ages 12–17) at our Gilmer karate academy

Teen Martial Arts Classes in Gilmer, Texas — Ages 12–17

Teenagers train in their own class at our Buffalo St academy — traditional karate for ages 12 to 17, taught the way you talk to someone who is nearly an adult, with a free trial class to start.

FREE TRIAL Call 903-494-7040 Gilmer map ↗

Where the Gilmer program happens

202 Buffalo St, Gilmer, Texas 75644

Google Maps ↗Call 903-494-7040

A teens class, not a kids class with taller students

Our Gilmer teens class is for students aged 12 to 17 at 202 Buffalo St — the same building where our Gilmer kids, teens and adult karate classes train. It is a real class: bow in, warm up, technique taught in steps, partner work, correction when a stance is wrong, and belt and stripe tests that mark progress.

The line between the kids class and the teens class is held on purpose. A twelve-year-old and a seventeen-year-old are closer to each other than either is to a six-year-old or to a thirty-year-old, and the room works when everyone in it is in the same stretch of life. An instructor can set the standard at the level a teenager can actually reach, then hold them to it without managing a second-grader at the same time.

What a teenager gets from this that a school sport or a gym membership does not is a skill that is scored and ranked, with a visible standard attached. There is a correct way to throw a kick; an instructor will tell you when you did it and when you didn't. The belt is a record of what has been earned and the test is in front of the room, so a teen can see exactly where they stand and what the next rank asks for. And the adult holding them to it is not their parent — which matters more at fifteen than anything a parent can say.

Gilmer is a small town, and this is a local academy rather than a franchise: the Buffalo St building runs our after-school program for Gilmer, Harmony and New Diana schools and the evening karate classes. A teenager who starts in the teens class is training in the room where a younger sibling may already spend the afternoon.

Gilmer families

Who the Gilmer teens class is for

It is for teenagers aged 12 to 17 in Gilmer — and in Harmony and New Diana, if the drive into town works for your week — whether they have never done karate or trained as a child and stopped. Beginners start through the year, and nobody expects a thirteen-year-old or a sixteen-year-old to walk in already good.

It is also for the family already here. Kids, teens and adults train in the same Gilmer building, so a teenager can start alongside a younger sibling and the family makes one trip instead of two. If your child is 6 to 11, ask about the kids class; at 18 and over, the adult class.

Inside the class

What a Gilmer teens class involves

The shape of the class, without a schedule we can't keep up to date.

Technique, corrected
Stances, blocks, strikes and kicks, taught in steps and repeated until they hold up under pressure. An instructor tells a teen exactly what is wrong with a technique and how to fix it — that correction is the class.
Self-defense, practised honestly
Distance, positioning, and a first response, drilled with a partner. It is real training; what it is not is a promise that a few weeks of classes makes anyone able to handle every situation.
Fitness without the sales pitch
The class is physical and a teenager gets fitter doing it. We won't dress it up as a weight-loss program or hand out medical advice; the fitness arrives with the skill.
Control, with an instructor watching
Partner work teaches a teen to stop a technique short. Karate is physical and bumps happen — control is the skill being taught, and an instructor is watching the pair.
Three things a teen can add on
XMA, weapons training and competition teams are open to any student in our kids, teens or adults classes — no tryout, no invitation needed — and they run as separate scheduled classes at all three academies, Gilmer included. Call 903-494-7040 for which are running now.

Class days and times aren't printed here because they change. If you're driving in from Harmony or New Diana, call 903-494-7040 first so you're not making the trip on the wrong evening.

Getting started

How a Gilmer family gets started

01
Book the free trial
Every ProComp academy offers a free trial class. Sign up at procompsma.com/register.php, or call 903-494-7040 and we'll set it up for you.
02
Come to 202 Buffalo St
Come a few minutes early and watch the start of class. Ask what to wear before you come — the first class is a bow-in and basics, not a test.
03
Decide afterwards
There is nothing to sign to try a class. If it is a fit, enroll at procompsma.com and we'll get your teen on the mat for the next one.

BOOK A FREE TRIAL Enroll Here ↗Call 903-494-7040

Questions parents ask

Gilmer teen karate questions, answered

What ages are in the Gilmer teens class?

12 to 17. Little Ninja covers 3 to 5, the kids class 6 to 11, and the adult class starts at 18 — the lines are held deliberately, so teenagers train with teenagers.

We're out past Harmony. Is the teens class worth the drive into Gilmer?

That is a question for your family and your week, not something a web page should answer for you. The academy is on Buffalo St in town, the same building our after-school program serves Gilmer, Harmony and New Diana schools from. Call 903-494-7040 for the current class days before you commit to a regular drive.

Can my teen also do XMA, weapons training or competition teams?

Yes. Those are open to any student in our kids, teens or adults classes — no tryout and no invitation needed — and they run as separate scheduled classes at all three academies. Call 903-494-7040 for the days they currently meet in Gilmer.

Will this teach my teenager to defend themselves?

We teach practical self-defense and practise it with a partner, and a student who keeps training gets better at it. We won't promise that a set number of weeks makes anyone safe in every situation — that isn't true of any class, and it isn't what we tell parents.

Can my teen and my younger child train at the same building?

Yes. Kids, teens and adults all train at 202 Buffalo St, so one trip covers both. Call 903-494-7040 and we'll tell you whether the two classes sit close enough together on the schedule.

How much does the teens class cost?

We don't publish pricing on the website because it depends on the plan a family chooses. Call 903-494-7040 and we'll go through the current options — the trial class is free either way.

More at our Gilmer academy

Ask us about the Gilmer teens class

One phone call answers the questions this page can't: current class days, whether XMA, weapons or competition classes fit your teen's week, and what it costs.

CALL 903-494-7040 ENROLL HERE ↗

Other ProComp locations