Any recommendations for Taekwondo

[Anonymous]

stay away from Tai Yim Kung Fu in Kensington. One of the teachers is very verbally and emotionally abusive toward our ADHD/Sensory seeking son.

[Anonymous]

I would second Master Shane at Flying Kick. My 5 yo DS with low muscle tone and some sensory issues hated the first martial arts class he took (large class size, no individual attention) but he loved this one. It is not cheap, true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shane who works with, I believe, Flying Tiger in Bethesda is PHENOMENAL! He taught group lessons at my school and was amazing to watch.

Shane is with Flying Kick Fitness Center in Bethesda. He is a great teacher, and they have a great program, though the lead instructor/owner does not teach as often as he used to and the tuition is very, very high (they cater to the private school and Bethesda crowd).

I have AD/HD and have trained with Master A/Shane since I was five years old. I just started college this year and had been helping out at the studio since i was about 12. Taekwondo was a huge part of my life and my family's life and all I can say is that although Flying Kick does charge a high price, you get a really good deal (depending on the age group you pay for a certain amount of time, i think the minimum is 3 months and the maximum is a year, but your child can come to as many of the appropriate classes they want within that time). And I can tell you for a fact that all the instructors sincerely care about all the students and what they are doing. They also are really committed to working with kids with learning disabilities and emotional/mental disabilities. The thing that most people have an issue with is that no, there is no set amount of time between ranks; it depends on how much your individual child comes, how hard they work, and how fast they learn. They have a set curriculum for each rank, and will give a little leeway for younger/disabled kids, but honestly, the kids are usually happier if they wait and learn what they need to know. I loved my time at the studio and it really did help me and my brothers with our control and focus. If you're interested the website is http://www.flyingkicktkd.com
What I cannot stress enough is that you should give all the instructors a chance because I grew up with all of them and they are truly amazing.
I hope this helps!

PP, thank you for sharing.

We have three kids who've gone through Flying Kick. "Master A" as he likes to be called is a good teacher. His prices are very high indeed, but being in Bethesda, I think he thinks he can get away with it. I wish he would realize that this economy has hurt all of us. He also has a haphazard way of "promoting" kids - in other words, some kids seem to get the nod to take exams much quicker than others. He needs to pay closer attention to this, as it's infuriating when a kid a year into the program is elevated at such a rate that he is on the same level as my youngest, three years into the program. It must be increasingly difficult to monitor such progress as he only teaches a few days out of the week now, and his assistants, some of whom are not yet out of high school, shoulder much of the teaching load. All that said, he is a great teacher when he is there, focuses on developing not only martial arts skills but character, and has an excellent staff, particularly "Mr. Shane" and even the not yet out of high school are talented and devoted. I just wish he would charge less and show up more. But we're still there, so that should same something.

[Anonymous]

We love tae kwon do at the Flying Kick Fitness Center. We like all of the teachers, but were very happy to see a woman as one of the chief assistant instructors. In addition to being a role model of sorts, "Miss Cathy" is patient, explains things very well, and is great with kids.

[Anonymous]

We like flying kick too. I agree that Master A is the best of the teachers when he's both physically and mentally present. He's mentioned a few times that there is something going on in his personal life that has limited his teaching hours, so although we're disappointed that he has delegated more and more of his classes to others, we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Shane is much more consistent. Also don't have a problem with some kids moving up faster than others. I think some kids really do learn faster and i would rather have the promotions based on skills than on time served. However, different instructors there do seem to have different criteria for approving the kids for exams and that is a problem. Overall, though, I think it's a very supportive place and do recommend it to friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love tae kwon do at the Flying Kick Fitness Center. We like all of the teachers, but were very happy to see a woman as one of the chief assistant instructors. In addition to being a role model of sorts, "Miss Cathy" is patient, explains things very well, and is great with kids.

+1. Wish Master A would show up more. But Cathy and her son and Theren and Shane are amazing.