My sole issue is the way the contract is written... I reviewed it numerous times and did not see that I had to move a certain amount of miles, in addition to providing a new Driver's Licenses and utility bill at my address to cancel. Please read the entire contract and ask questions directly to the company over the contract. I relocated from Woodbridge, VA to Upper Marlboro, MD on June 1, 2021, in which my son attending Taekwondo in Woodbridge, VA was a no go. I called on June 8, 2021 to cancel the contract was told by the Accounts Manager that I had to provide documents showing I moved, but the organization would not accept what I offered. I am beyond pissed and want a refund for the months they charged me. A contract is a legally binding document and all terms have to be explained in a thorough manner. The Accounts Manager was also very rude during the initial conversation, but the last conversation We had today, she tried to act like she didn't remember me, despite having a log of our previous conversation. Master Nam is a nice man, but the organization he works for is doing shady business. I would provide more context, but I will save it for another time if necessary. I WANT MY MONEY REFUNDED! read more

Master Nam is awesome. Our son struggles with paying attention to any 1 action item. When he is focused, he is on point. The trick is keeping his focus on any one thing at a time. Some of this I attribute to him simply being a precocious 8-year old, and the other is just his lack of attention to any one thing at any one time. When my wife and I decided to put him into Taekwondo, he was only 4 years old. While he ebbs and flows with how he takes in basic movement, form and instructions, there is no doubt that the lessons are working on him overall in a good way. In spirit, in physical fitness, discipline and most importantly, in confidence. He truly has come a long way. Master Nam's approach is well suited to teaching the students at this Dojang and our son has definitely benefited from it. Has our son struggled from time to time? Yes he has. Our son is very expressive and wears his emotions on his sleeve. He gets frustrated easily and will start to cry when he's instructed to do push ups, but he's been better at holding the tears back more recently. When I told him that I had to do pushups when I was in the Army, I told him while it may look like punishment, it was simply to make me refocus my attention. It wasn't personal even though at times it came across to me like it was personal. So he shouldn't take it personally when Master Nam makes him do push ups. The push up is just a direct result to your coming up short in something and rededicates your focus on that one thing so that you do it right the next time. All this to say, when our son messes up a form, or basic movement or he is not paying attention and he's told to do a push up, the act itself isn't what frustrates him. It's that he did something wrong that made the master inform him to do a push up. He does push ups all the time at home so it's not hard for him to do it. This dedication to discipline is to build up confidence. This is important for a youngster growing up into a very unforgiving world. To start these teachings off early will go a long way for our son as he navigates through life. Master Nam is instilling all of these positive qualities into our son and the other students in ways that will pay huge dividends going into life. And along the way, they are learning an incredible skill set. Thank you so very much Master Nam. read more

5 stars means it's as good as it gets. This place REALLY deserves the full 5 stars. Go in and visit them! I was hesitant to because When I saw "America's Best" as part of their business name, I was skeptical...but still decided to drive over and check the place out. ONE THING THAT JUST BLEW me away...kids maybe 12-15 years old successfully JUMPING OVER a stick that is held at an ADULT'S shoulder level. WOW... WOW I can't wait for my son to get to that level. Some of the things I want to note: 1) The Do-Jang is air-conditioned. It may not be really well air-conditioned, but it is. Some of the Do-jangs that I've visited don't air-condition their work space! When the kids are in their uniform and giving their 100%...it gets hot. It's nice to have it cooled a bit. 2) Master Nam gives the students a 1 minute water break when they're switching gears...that way, he can prep (bring in kicking/punching gear), and the students can get some liquid in their bodies, without losing focus and wasting lesson time. 3) Master Nam and his assistants are hard-core TKD instructors. They expect 100% out of everyone...that means even the wee-little 4/5 year old kids who are in the same class as the 15+ year old students. EVERY STUDENT in that class gives their best. THEY ALL IMPROVE. 4) Every student who moves up in belt really does deserve that belt. There are way too many TKW masters who just move a student up in belt because they've been there a set amount of time...whether that person deserves to wear that belt or not. That will not be the case w/Master Nam...You EARN your belt and you can wear your belt with pride...whether it is yellow, red, or black. 5) My son's TKD background: for 6 months, we started TKD in CA where my son didn't seem to be progressing. They played games with him instead of actually training him. It got old and frustrating for me. They were just playing with the kids, not seriously training them in TKD so we left. I drove by tons of TKD places and finally found a GREAT place where I would have LOVED to have my son continue, but 8 months later, we had to leave...due to a military move. During that 8 months, he improved significantly, and went up one belt. We moved to NV, worked with another master for about 10 months...that was a terrible experience...moved once again, took a break and restarted TKD with Master Nam. We've been here a short time, but once again, I see improvement in my son's TKD movements. 6) Many masters will fail to disclose full info to the parents, but he does up front. There was quite a lot, from how/where payments are sent, the belt system, expectations/ consequences... 7) When you sign up for a trial program for about $10, he'll give you two one-on-one lessons, and one class/group lesson. 8) If you sign up during your trial period, he'll give you a discount price. After the trial period, you pay the standard fee. His prices are fair for the area. It's UNDER $140/month. I was used to paying only $100/month in CA & in NV...but here in VA, the norm seems to be $160, $149 in the woodbridge area. but from what I've seen, obviously, I think that Master Nam's studio is better than those elsewhere. It stings to hear the Master yell your child's name in a you're-not-doing-something-right way, but it's a good kind of sting. it's like when you're working out and the next day your body hurts (if you don't drink that yucky protein shake)...or so my husband says. Anyways, he pretty much yells everyone's name so you don't feel like your child is being singled out, but brought to correction when he/she is off. He has A LOT of students, and I've seen some of his classes get really full. BUT, he has two assistants work with him. Let me tell you, they are like HAWKS making sure that the students do their moves properly. My son's class is smaller and had less than 20 students in it. REALLY...I'm surprised that NO ONE has posted a review of this place before me. Really, SHAME ON ANY YELP USER who goes to his do-jang for not writing a review! I guess they just wanted to keep it a secret. But I let the secret out now! Just be sure to tell Master Nam that Jacob's mom told you about his place and you just HAD to check it out for yourself. really...you'll walk away impressed (and with a 2-year contract). read more

At the beginning I thought it was too hard for my son, but he got good and worked harder and he has made so much progress! The masters encourages to do better each time, my son loves his class and gets ready right away before me. I highly recommend it. read more

Don't waste your time unless you like dealing with a used car salesman. This place is so shady that you will walk out frustrated. When you go visit Master Nam, he will not answer any questions about anything. He will not tell you how the classes are broken up, how many students, how many times a week, what time, or even how much it is. He stated that the program my son will go into will depend on many factors...my son is five years old with no martial arts experience...how many programs can he possibly go into? Ummm..ok, I'll look past that one and move on. Next, he offers a special promotion offer he's having right now (so he's never offered that before?) for $9.95 where he will offer two 30-minute private lessons, and one group lesson. After the lessons, he will analyze my son's ability and fit him into a program. So I ask, "How much would that be on average?" Master Nam of course do not disclose how much but states that if the program he offers is too expensive, he will give my son another program. Seriously, what!? Ok, red flags and spider senses tingling! I ask again, around how many times will he practice per week and around what time? My son also does swim lessons so I need to deconflict his time. Of course, that depends on the program...I saw that one coming. By this first visit, my wife and I clearly knew something was not right but since the lack of Tae Kwon Do competitors in the neighborhood, we decided to try the trial lesson and of course paid $10 cash. We try the "private lessons" and after the first lesson, Master Nam already started pressuring my wife to buy his uniform on his next lesson and sign up for a contract. This was after one lesson!!! Okay, so then what program and how much? Yeah, no answer. To sum it up, do not get conned by him. Master Nam may or may not be a great Tae Kwon Do Master (I will never find out) but he is a terrible salesman and very untrustworthy. I didn't get the sense that he was very organized. Now as a parent, do I really want to trust my son with this guy? As an adult, do I want to do business with this guy? He probably sees my son with dollar signs and not as a child. The review below is idiotic at best. She leads off with stating that she saw kids 12-15 yrs old jumping over sticks at adult height level...no kidding, its Tae Kwon Do. You will see that at every dojo. Since this is not her first dojo, why is she so surprised? Then she claims that this dojo has air conditioning...really? It's VA, name a dojo that doesn't have an AC. There's only like four Tae Kwon Do dojo in Woodbridge and they all have AC!!!! She also states that Master Nam and his instructors are hard core Tae Kwon Do instructors and everyone improves....ok, does she work for Master Nam? NO KIDDING!!! Of course everyone improves...I sure hope so. Then she generalizes "other" Tae Kwon Do masters just giving belts and how these kids really earn their belts...ask Master Nam what the criteria/skill set/qualifications are needed to test for the next belt and he will not tell you. My first day there, I saw a fat kid with a red belt that could not kick past his waist!!! She also states that Master Nam will not disclose full information to the parents but he does up front...WHAT??? Did Master Nam write this review or what... And my favorite part of her review: "If you sign up during your trial period, he'll give you a discount price. After the trial period, you pay the standard fee. His prices are fair for the area. It's UNDER $140/month. I was used to paying only $100/month in CA & in NV...but here in VA, the norm seems to be $160, $149 in the woodbridge area." Oh man, I better sign up now...idiot. Oh and don't forget her disclaimer, you will walk away impressed and with a 2 year contract. Bottom line, if you are stupid or careless, go there. If you are smart, use other ways of finding Tae Kwon Do dojos other than yelp. Yelp does not list all. I will not name the place I found but you can find it google in Woodbridge and they are honest and up front from the moment you walk in. You will walk out after 10 minutes with every question answered and no high pressure sales tactics. read more

I took classes here as an adult from 2010-2013ish. I never took classes elsewhere so I can't compare pricing schemes and such. However, for the 3 years I did attend I was very impressed with Master Nam's teaching style, to his dedication to his students' improvement and to tae kwon do as a martial art worthy of dignity and respect. He treated us with respect and challenged us to push ourselves. As adults it's easy to get lazy, mentally and physically; in class we were reminded to give our 100% effort, to focus, and to build confidence in our skills. I can't imagine how beneficial this would be for children but it was also a welcome reminder for us adults! I definitely felt like I had to earn my belt during testing, it wasn't just about memorizing forms, he also emphasized the quality of movement etc. If you are serious about TKD, check it out. read more

Master Nam is the best Tae Kwon Do master I ever met. He is very sincere and really cares for his students. He never sees his student as a money symbol and I have proven this several times as a former student of Master Nam. He does not gives away belts just to make profit from his students. If he thinks that you don't deserve to be promoted to the next belt, he will let you know until you prove to him that you are worthy. I checked more than 10 schools in Northern Virginia, mostly in Woodbridge, Fairfax, Springfield, and other locations. I can tell you that most of the schools, they always have belt testing and you have to pay the fees and some parents falls for it thinking that their kids are achieving something which is not. I have seen a lot of trial students that is a black belt in other schools but when they transfer to Master Nam they are lower than black belt because the forms they know is not even a black belt form. Most of the schools will make one forms into three short forms so that it will seem that their kids have been learning a lot of forms but they really don't and just pay for the price. You see, other people misunderstand Master Nam but only his real students can tell who he is. You have to visit his classes for you to see. He disciplines his students and make sure they do what they need to do. Before you believe other negative review, visit the dojang first and see what is real and not. He has students that has been there for more than 15 years and I can tell you that it says a lot about him being a Master. read more