Ann Arbor Tae Kwon DO School, Ann Arbor | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I would give this place zero star if I could. If you don’t want to spend your time and money to have yourself and your child be mentally abused, then forget about this place. The so-called Master John, owner of this business, is very mean, rude and totally nonsense. When I called them to find out if they were still taking children of 5 years old, I was told that they’d need to see my child first to evaluate if he was ready. So I brought my son in. The owner sent my son to the class to follow other kids right after we arrived, and he called me to his office to talk. He started with something like “You are absolutely in the right place to make your child so much stronger, focused and self-disciplined.” I was like “Didn’t you tell me that you need to evaluate my child first to see if he is ready? But you haven’t watched him practicing for a minute.” But I didn’t speak out. He then asked if my son plays any sport. I told him soccer once per week at school. He then shook his head saying it’s not good for my child as it’s so hot outside and I should keep my child indoor to practice Taekwondo. Excuse me – there are so many people in this country who love outdoor activities. Are they all dumb?! I told him my son went to another local Taekwondo school for a few months before we moved to Ann Arbor. He immediately began to speak poorly about the other business emphasizing how bad they were because the owner didn’t come from South Korea. He then walked to the class where my son was following other kids and the instructor to practice Taekwondo, watched for a few minutes, and came back to his office to tell me how slow, less focused and bad at following instructions my son was. He then concluded with “he basically learned nothing from the other Taekwondo place.” He then asked me how old I was. Although very uncomfortable with this sort of rude question, I still told him my age. He then said “See, you were already 30 years old. Studies found that if the mother is at least 30 years old when she gives birth to a child, that child will be less bright and has shorter attention later.” I walked out of that place more than annoyed and couldn’t believe such a nonsense person can operate a business for over 10 years. You don’t have to belittle others to make yourself look good – it simply does the opposite. One doesn’t have to be originally from South Korea to be good at Taekwondo. I live less than 10 min’ drive away from this place. But I’d rather drive my kid 30 min to go to another place to learn Taekwondo even if this owner is No.1 in the world.

I have been a student and then an instructor at Ann Arbor Tae Kwon Do for 7 years now, and I can truthfully say that the experience has made me a better, more well-rounded person. I feel that the school as a whole and Master Instructor are both dedicated to teaching students how to perform all techniques the right way, as opposed to the easy way. The classes provide an environment of honest feedback and continue to push students to give 100% effort in order to see results. I believe that no one is ever finished learning a martial art, and needs to adapt to varying requirements of each Master Instructor. I think that any student who is committed to learning Tae Kwon Do from a Korean Master will be able to gain a great deal of self-discipline, respect, strength, and perseverance from attending Ann Arbor Tae Kwon Do School.

This place is terrible. The owner is rude and made me feel so uncomfortable. I worked really hard to be less than a year away from my black belt in another city. The instructor told me that before I could even consider what rank he’d put me at, I’d have to spend at least 6 months “getting in shape.” Not a great confidence booster. I saw the start of a kids class before I walked out, and I don’t understand why parents would subject their children to that. You can learn the art from someone that isn’t a total dick. When I asked him about other schools in the area, he shot them all down saying they were expensive and low quality. Now he’s listed on Living Social, but the linked website from living social is not his normal one, and the address on that linked website doesn’t match the LS deal.