Our family enrolled our children at Moorpark Karate & Krav Maga in October 2023. Overall, we appreciated many aspects of the school and the time our children spent training there. However, our experience surrounding the school’s long-term “elite program” agreement left us disappointed and concerned about how verbal assurances were handled.
When a Verbal Promise Isn’t Honored: Our Experience with Moorpark Karate & Krav Maga
What We Were Told Before Signing
In July 2024, we were approached by Jason Flame about enrolling in the school’s elite program, which required a three-year commitment.
Before signing, we expressed hesitation several times about entering such a long agreement. We explained that family circumstances, health issues, education, and work obligations can change unexpectedly over time.
According to our conversations with Jason Flame, we were verbally assured multiple times that:
- The purpose of the agreement was to motivate students to stay committed through black belt training.
- The school understood that “life happens.”
- If unforeseen circumstances required our family to leave the program early, the remaining balance of the agreement would not be pursued.
Those assurances played a significant role in our decision to move forward with enrollment.
Circumstances Changed
In 2025 and 2026, our family experienced several serious personal and medical challenges.
- In April 2025, I was diagnosed with cancer.
- In May 2025, one of our three sons experienced a serious medical crisis.
- We continued paying for and participating in the program for as long as possible in hopes he would recover well enough to return.
- After another hospitalization in 2026, it became clear that he would not physically be able to continue training in the near future.
When discussing the recent request to withdrawal, we were told by Jason Flame that the school had been “lenient” by allowing an early release from the agreement for our son with the medical challenges above.
Additional Concerns About Contract Enforcement
In May 2026, we requested a temporary pause for our older children, who were balancing full-time college and full-time employment. We explained that they hoped to return and complete their black belt training once their schedules became more manageable.
At that point, we were informed that the agreement would be strictly enforced and that leaving the program early would not be permitted. We were also told that the challenges our children were facing were simply part of adulthood.
Why We’re Sharing This Experience
Our concern is not that a business has contracts or long-term commitments. The issue, from our perspective, is that the verbal assurances provided before signing did not align with how the agreement was ultimately enforced.
Had we been told from the beginning that the contract would be enforced without flexibility regardless of life circumstances, we would have made a different decision about enrollment.
Advice for Other Families
For parents considering any long-term martial arts, fitness, or enrichment program:
- Request that all important promises or exceptions be included in writing.
- Carefully review cancellation and early termination terms before signing.
- Do not rely solely on verbal assurances regarding flexibility or hardship exceptions.
- Ask specifically how medical, educational, or family emergencies are handled.
We value the training our children received and appreciate the positive experiences they had at the school. That is what makes this outcome especially disappointing. Our hope in sharing this review is simply to encourage transparency and help other families make fully informed decisions before entering long-term agreements.