If you're taking classes at US Budokai Karate Association, there's a chance your future children will go there, too. After all, it's happened before. Budokai has been one of Albany's most serious martial arts academies since 1987, and instructors say they've recognized countless surnames on their class rosters, only to find out they taught the pupils' parents, too.

If you do have a child you'd like to introduce to karate, you won't have to wait long. Classes in the Tiny Tigers program accept students as young as age four, teaching them not only balance and coordination, but also focus and teamwork. In fact, all of the classes at the studio focus as much on building character as on developing physical skills. That's not to say, though, that students don't use the classes to get in shape. The cardio kickboxing class, for instance, uses up-tempo dance music to keep students moving and make squares work out by shaking their fists in disapproval.