Champions Martial Arts Upper West Side — Local services in New York

As an UWS parent I fully recognize how dizzying it can be to try to sort through all the afterschool/extracurricular options for kids. I wanted to share the reasons why our family has been so happy that we put our kids in Champions UWS. First of all we love taekwondo as an activity because it teaches physical confidence and builds strength and competence; we had our daughter in gymnastics for the same reasons but ultimately decided to switch her to TKD because being realistic, she's not going to the Olympics and I'd rather she spent her time (and our money) learning a discipline that has potential to be useful for her in the future (obviously hopefully not but you never know). At almost 7 she can through a pretty mean punch (never at other kids lol, they are also taught time and place). Our son, who is a few years older also benefits in the same way and in addition Champions encourages the older more experienced kids to participate in teaching the younger kids; they hold leadership trainings to help the older kids learn how to mentor. It's a great opportunity for kids as young as 11-12 to learn empathy and patience with younger kids while they are reinforcing their own skills. We really appreciate that Champions works hard to create a community among its students in general. They hold a lot of events, pizza nights, holiday themed parties (with or without additional charges depending on the event). Our kids have a great relationship with Master Wi and the other instructors; respect is emphasized at this studio but they also foster a fun and friendly atmosphere. As a parent I've found communication to be seamless; messages or concerns, schedule changes, etc... are always promptly responded to and addressed. This is key since coordinating two kids' busy extracurricular schedules sometimes feel like balancing a house of cards in a windstorm. As a whole, we've been really impressed with how much our kids have learned but more importantly our kids love it and are always eager to spend more time...

Our children have been attending CMA Upper West Side for almost two years. Even though we live in Hudson Yards, we happily commute to this location on the 84th Street at least four times a week. Prior to that, we have changed two CMA locations and have observed classes at at few. When we came to observe the class at Upper West, we immediately realized that we were at the right place. There are at least two people teaching the kids (a master and an instructor, sometimes interns join them). The classes are a combination of group training and personalized practice, and are very instructive, consisting of practice in kicking, stepping, forms, breaking, and morals. The kids are not even a minute bored during the class. Both of our kids are now black belts, but they are excited to attend the classes to get 2nd Dan Black Belt, and are also staff members assisting little kids. Our children participate in the tournaments and even demonstrations at the basketball games at Barclay’s Center. There are also parents-night-out parties almost every month for the kids to play and parents to get a dinner out. Our kids are extremely satisfied with this school, and we highly recommend it to everyone who wants their kids grow physically and...

I signed my rambunctious 5-year-old son up to take beginner Taekwondo with Master An at The UWS Champions Martial Arts shortly after this location opened up last fall. My son took to TKD immediately, largely because Master An & his staff are so phenomenal with the kids. Early on, each child learns physical discipline, manners and respect for others, self-protection and even some Korean, but the main reason we love it so much is because Master An himself shows so much respect and kindness toward the kids as well. He immediately knew every child by name and consistently calls them by their names no matter how many kids are in attendance. He makes each girl and boy feel seen, cared for and special. Since Covid, he has been so careful to reopen slowly and safely, limiting the number of kids who can attend at once and cleaning and disinfecting between each class. I honestly didn’t hesitate to send my son back into the studio. Master An has given my son so much joy and self-confidence and I’m so grateful he is a part of such a welcoming,...