Yong In Elite Taekwondo

My son always loves to come here. We were looking for a sincere teacher who really has a spirit of taekwondo and master song is that teacher. My son learns so many good behaviors from him. I really recommend this place!

I am a proponent of mixed martial arts — absorb the skills that work for you and reject the ones that don’t. I also believe that the three Olympics combat sports triumvirate of taekwondo, boxing, and judo are the proper building blocks of an exceptional combat athlete vs. the popular combination of muay thai + BJJ.
For kicking distance footwork, timing, speed, and tactics, I think TKD is unmatched and the proper place to do it is where the students spar full-​contact (with safety gear) a lot. If there’s no full-​contact sparring in the school you’re considering, you are likely wasting your time and money. I believe taekwondo is a skill that can boost a mixed-​martial artist to a higher level. Picking up taekwondo at a later age and getting good at it is generally much harder than doing the same thing for boxing and grappling, because high level kicking and footwork requires more muscle memory, proprioception, balance, flexibility, and agility. So starting kids off in taekwondo as a fundamental building block, I think, is a sound investment. Then, they can pick up boxing and grappling later.
This school is affiliated with World Taekwondo Federation and teaches Olympic-​style taekwondo. I prefer this over ITF taekwondo because Olympic taekwondo has kicking down to a science just as western boxing has done for punching. ITF taekwondo is essentially kickboxing, which is not a bad thing, but why not learn each tool properly (taekwondo for kicking, boxing for punching, and judo for grappling)?
The sabumnim (teacher), Mr. Song is the real deal. He knows, really knows taekwondo sparring, tactics, and the appropriate drills. BTW, I don’t like using the word ‘master’. ‘Master’ is probably a legacy of the silly kung-​fu movie era. Mr. Song is an alumni of Yong-​In University, which is known for their deep taekwondo education programs and producing many top-​notch taekwondo contestants, Olympic hopefuls, and coaches. This school opened not long ago, so Mr. Song offers significant personal attention to the students. It probably won’t be long before this becomes difficult for him as the school is growing. As a compliment, Mr. Song also appears to be passionate about taekwondo and doesn’t appear to be doing this from a business angle.
Be wary of taekwondo schools that say they are traditional. I don’t even know what that means in this context and I doubt the person running the school does either. Also, if you’re looking for self-​defense, martial arts is rarely the answer. The best self-​defense is being aware (ie, as in not having your face buried in your phone all the time), skills that de-​escalate troublesome situations. Also be concerned if the taekwondo school also «teaches» weapons and stuff. For weapons, you need to go to a qualified kendo or escrima school. If I were to nitpick about the school, my biggest gripe is that the pool of students that offer a challenging sparring session is not ideal at the moment since the school is relatively new, but I’m certain it will get better as the students improve. Ultimately, for learning taekwondo, I’m pretty sure this place is the best in the area.

I highly recommend this place. I have to say Master Song is little dry. -.-. (But really caring person for kids). With year and a half of his training, my 8 yrs old son’s TKD sparring techniques improved well beyond. My son started TKD at age of 4 and started sparring at 5. If u r looking for serious but yet not so violent martial art, this is the place.

I’m so happy that my son takes classes here. Master Song is an AMAZING individual! He is so patient and kind. My son started when he turned 4 and he has absolutely blossomed in this past year at Yong In Elite Taekwondo. He has grown in confidence, strength and skills. He has learned a lot about responsibility and respect. My son has an absolute blast at class really loves coming here. I don’t have to fight for him to come here after a long day of kindergarten. This is an affordable activity that is great for him. Master Song never pushes the kids further then they can go. He asks for them to focus and work hard and they do it bc they know they can. I cannot recommend this place enough! I love that there are no mirrors on the walls, like some other studios have, this way the kids focus on themselves and Master Song. They are not distracted by being able to see everything their parents are doing in the seating area. Come and check it out, you won’t be disappointed!

My 5 yr old son just completed one year and progressed tremendously. Not only has his skills improved, I notice a difference in attitude and respect. yes even at this age. Master Song is not only patient and caring of his students, but also very passionate about the development of his students and has a very hands on attitude. Master Songs ability to quickly pick up technique deficiencies can drive one crazy at times, but is critical if one cares about getting the techniques down early on in skills development. I was so pleased with the experience for my son, that I even joined for myself. Hope this review helps. I took one star off because I think the facilities could be improved (no mirror on the wall) — just trying to keep the review honest :)