Choose a school by watching a class and asking who teaches it, how children are grouped by age and how belts are earned. Here are nine questions to ask any martial arts school, each with Chung TKD's own answer.
Who will teach my child?
Ask who teaches the class your child will join, and how long the head of the school has taught. At Chung TKD, the school's professional instructors teach the classes. Grandmaster Howard Chung, 9th Dan, leads the school. He has taught Tae Kwon Do since 1970 and opened the school in 1984. He trained in the direct lineage of Supreme Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, widely known as the father of American Tae Kwon Do.
How are classes grouped by age?
Ask how the school groups children and when a child moves up, because a 4-year-old and a 12-year-old learn in different ways. Chung TKD has three programs by age: Pee-Wee for 2 and 3, Children for 4 to 6 and Youth for 7 to 13. Pee-Wee starts with Mommy & Me, and children move to the independent Pee-Wee class at 3½. A child moves from Children to Youth at 7, or earlier if the staff think they're ready and give their permission. There's more on each age in what age kids can start Tae Kwon Do.
Can my child try it first?
Ask whether your child can try classes before you sign anything, and watch how the instructors treat a beginner. Every new family at Chung TKD starts with two free trial classes, and a parent or guardian stays for them.
How does belt testing work?
Ask whether children test on set dates or when they're ready. At Chung TKD, there are no fixed test dates until brown belt. Below brown belt, a child tests when the instructors judge them ready, and from brown belt on, tests are on set dates. Grandmaster Chung runs every test, and the instructors demonstrate. Everyone has a seat and watches, and each test is harder than the one before. Black belt tests are big events, and the school's past black belts come back for them.
How does my child show progress between tests?
Ask how a child knows they're moving forward between belts. At Chung TKD, a child earns a stripe for a class in which they reviewed their belt's curriculum with an instructor. After a number of classes and stripes, the instructors check whether the child is ready to test. A child who needs a push gets extra attention.
What will my child learn?
Ask what each belt learns. At Chung TKD, color belts learn the ITF forms, called hyung, and the black belt forms are Kwang-Gae and Koryo. Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art. For how it compares with karate, read Tae Kwon Do vs karate.
What comes after the first belts?
Ask what the school offers children who stay for years. At Chung TKD, current students training toward black belt can join the Black Belt Club, which has its own class. The Competition Team trains students to compete, and the Masters Club offers leadership training after black belt. Both are by invitation.
How does membership work?
Ask how membership works before you sign anything. At Chung TKD, the school goes over membership with each family in person, and families sign a waiver when a child starts.
What if my child is nervous?
Ask what happens if your child hesitates on the first day. At Chung TKD, some children watch for a while before they join in. Plenty jump straight in, and many nervous children soon forget they were nervous.
Visiting Chung TKD
The school is at 1527 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040. Bring this list to the trial classes, and ask an instructor anything on it.
Questions parents ask
What should I ask a martial arts school before my child joins?
Ask who teaches the class, how children are grouped by age, whether your child can try classes first, how belt testing works and how membership works.
Can my child try Tae Kwon Do before we sign up?
Yes. Every new family at Chung TKD starts with two free trial classes, and a parent or guardian stays for them.
Who teaches the classes at Chung TKD?
The school's professional instructors. Grandmaster Howard Chung, 9th Dan, leads the school and runs every belt test.