My daughter (12) has attended Woodward's for two years after we decided to enroll her (much to her dismay); the decision was to help her learn self defense disciplines first and foremost before she graduates and heads out on her own. She has truly come to love it and has achieved her green belt (she could have been a blue or higher, but she had many confidence issues to work through first.) We have since also enrolled our youngest (6) in classes.
From a strictly self-defense point of view I would rate Tae Kwon Do closer to a 4 as a art due to the focus on tournament point-based technique. That is, there are some martial practices that are avoided (at least at the earlier ages and belt levels) which would serve well in defense as they would draw a foul in the sport.
However, from the perspective of working with children, there are some vital points to include. 1) The Woodwards are national champions, and that clout carries weight with the kids; they see their instructors living the life, not merely teaching it. 2) They, the other instructors, and their assistant students, have all been excellent with the kids. They understand how to motivate children, bring them out of shyness, and focus excess energy (I have a shy one and energy ball... quite possibly ADHD). 3) They instruct with kindness and are genuinely excited to help kids succeed. This means they don't just make training fun, they reign kids in to keep them respectful.
Having watched my daughter train every week for two years and my exceptionally energetic son for the past month, I have seen only positive results. They say that they will treat you as family at the Academy, and I think it has turned out to be quite an excellent family, indeed. read more