Master Kim’s Taekwondo Institute

Master Kim’s Taekwondo is definitely an encouraging, family oriented place. I always see students smiling and having a great time, and they help everyone with not just having fun, but build up self esteem. If i were to rate this place based on that alone, I would definitely give them 5 stars. Plus their new facility is really nice, and their staff is SO AWESOME! However, the reason I gave them 3 stars is based on their rank skill levels. While I would want my child to be built up mentally and emotionally, as they do very well here, I also want them to learn the physical skills as well. I noticed higher ranked belts still performing at lower ranked levels, and for me, if I am going to pay the money for my child to come here, I want them to succeed and advance AS they reach each skill and ability. You pretty much get a new belt every testing period as long as you hand in your paper and money. I feel it’s a not good for the student to think he/​she is at a new rank, when they might not really be at that level. I have been to other schools where if they didn’t feel you have mastered the skill for that rank, they wait to test you. But we ended up trying out Master Kim’s because of how good he is with his students and his community. So, I feel like this place is great if you or your child just want to have fun, or build up some confidence in life while learning some great skills and techniques. However, if you want to accomplish a higher level, and a more accurate level of skill and discipline, I’d suggest going somewhere else.

We heard from a friend that Master Kim’s was a great place for kids to learn discipline in a fun way, so we enrolled my 5 year old son in the 6 week trial program. Right from the start my son seemed to really enjoy the classes, which we attended twice a week (Tuesday nights and Saturday afternoons). It seems to be a great way to keep my son active during the winter months especially.
After 6 weeks my son wanted to continue taekwondo without any encouragement from us, which we were happy about, and it must be due to Master Kim’s great personality as Master Kim really seems to connect with the kids, and he is very enthusiastic and genuine.
My son just received his yellow belt, and has now been going to Master Kim’s for about 3 months. We hope he continues to stay interested in taekwondo because it’s different from other sports in the way it teaches discipline.
I do wish Master Kim’s Penfield Rd. location had more seating for parents to watch the classes, but there is a nice playroom for younger siblings to play in which is a decent trade-​off for lack of seating space.
Kudos to Master Kim for running a quality establishment.