America’s Best Tae Kwon DO Center

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.

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 Unilocal.Unilocal 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.

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 Unilocal 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).