Hwang's Martial Arts — Local services in West Hartford

Though at times the classes have been really good, we generally found the curriculum inconsistent between teachers and as parents think our son's confidence has been harmed, rather than improved.

Brian and Dave have been great on Saturday mornings. But my wife, son and I have left Wednesday classes with Joe with tears and frustration.

My son turns six on in a couple months and simply cannot do what is expected of him and cannot keep up with eight and nine year old white belts. We enrolled him knowing he lacked not only focus and confidence, but is behind his5-year-old peers with balance and coordination.

While Mr. Brian breaks down the forms and works on each part, Mr. Joe ends each class with the expectation that students at least have a working understanding of the entire form. White belts are separated, but my son was in groups with older white belts. Anna – who has been incredible – has worked with my son one-on-one on Saturdays, but he falls woefully behind in classes lead by Mr. Joe.

We understand my kid needs to show more focus at taekwondo, in school and at home. That’s why we bring him. But Mr. Joe telling him recently that his focus is why he has 20+ stripes but does not have a black stripe, simply isn’t true and was a major blow to his confidence. My son admittedly gets frustrated too easily and gives up. He was in taekwondo to work on that. Instead, it has been...

My grandson started at age 4, he will be 6 soon. He is taking his belt test for his BLUE belt. I often bring him and love watching him. What do I like about it? When he started he would sometimes cry. The instructors were/are WONDERFUL. Yes, some are better than others, but they certainly know how to work with young children. They are encouraging, supportive and understanding. I saw it with my grandson; I see it with many other young children. They work on more than just the physical. To earn belts they have to work on things like confidence, respect, responsibility etc. They have to work on these goals and have to be signed off by the parents before they can take the belt test. They talk about and encourage bringing the positive into life, i.e. they talk about focus (eye, mind, body) in every day life. They talk about how the qualities (respect, confidence etc.) are not just for at class but in school and at home and with other people. The instructors encourage learning without instilling negative feelings. To move on you need multicolored attendance "stripes" on your belt as well as black stripes that you earn for learning a...

My daughter has been a student at Hwang's for several years and is working toward her black belt. The school currently has a variety of very knowledgeable instructors, so students can find a teacher with a style that works for them. As a parent, I appreciate that our membership includes unlimited classes. With daily class offerings - including Saturdays, it's easy to find classes that work with our schedule on any given week. The school has a brand-new location, a great teen leadership program and inter-school competitions that grow the students' confidence and allow them to demonstrate the skills they work so hard to acquire. They also have a free trial program. I love that my daughter is increasing her self-confidence and self-defense skills, while also having fun and getting a...