I cannot say enough positive things about YK! Grand Master Yoon and Master Brian are amazing and…read moretruly care about each and every student. They not only teach the technical skills of Taekwondo, but also instill important values such as discipline, focus, and respect. My child has learned so much about the Korean culture and customs, which has really broadened their horizons and helped them become a well-rounded individual. YK has a positive and inclusive atmosphere, where everyone feels welcome and supported. I have seen such a transformation in my child's confidence and character since starting at this YK. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a martial arts school that goes above and beyond in teaching not just Taekwondo, but also important life lessons.

You get what you put in. WE LOVE THIS STUDIO…read more I have read some of the other reviews that state their children haven't progressed. Well, maybe that's not the studio's fault. Do you only expect your kids to do school work at school? No? My children are in multiple sports and activities, and my wife and I have learned that if you only do the minimum that's what you will get. If you want your kids to do well, you have to push them. They are only with coaches, teachers, masters, etc. for so long, it is then up to you as a parent to work with them as well. I have made sure to speak to the instructors and masters so they push my son, but that being said... WE PRACTICE WITH HIM TOO. You have to, or else your kids wont grow. I have friends who have personally been to and have their kids at multiple other studios, there is often a fit between master and student, find one you like. We like the masters here, that's why we have been at YK for a number of years and have every intention to stay. I can say we will sign my youngest son here as soon as he is old enough.

Top notch instructors. Amazed at the traditional karate training. Observed the younger children…read moretraining and the patience shown to all students. A perfect mix of kata, kihon and kobuto. The tournament is a great way to boast confidence and self esteem, while demonstrating skills. I enjoy the classes and recommend the best training. Oss.

Master Pedro Cardenas is a very patient Master teaches discipline and techniques. My husband has…read morebeen going to this school for the past 25 years.

I signed up my 8 year old son at this academy since its local. My son has had low self esteem…read morebecause of bullying problems for a few years now, so i thought this would be good for him. I cannot take him because of work so i send my teenager or my mother, therefore i had no idea what was going on. After 3 weeks i get an call from Mr Cardenas(professor) in a very angry tone about my son. He went on to tell me how my son wasn't following instructions after 3 weeks and how he didn't know anything, basically emphasizing that my son was dumb. Now my son has always had problems learning, this is something i have struggled with and as a parent, its very emotionally draining. All of these things where told to the professor when i signed him up. My son made a negative comment that i do not condone, again he is 8, but Mr. Cardenas felt the need to call my son a "future criminal" my son is not violent or has never displayed violence anywhere, on the contrary i am angry he doesn't defend himself. I snapped at the comment, he apologized but he definitely showed disgust in my son trough his tone. This man and his wife never, ever crack a smile. they humiliate the kids if they are not following instructions. that is obvious if he felt bold enough to make such a disrespectful comment about an 8 year old child. I did discipline and lecture my child later that evening, and he finally broke down in tears about how much he missed his father that left him years ago, this hit me like a train. my son doesn't show interest in anything because he is emotionally challenged, but to MR CARDENAS he is a future criminal . my son or anyone i know will ever attend this academy. The only good i got out of it was finally learning what was affecting my son. the absence of a male figure in his life. way to go MR. Cardenas your humiliation cracked the code. I am now seeking counseling for my son

If you don't want your kids to learn martial arts this is definitely the store front to take them…read more Instructors are late. On certain days they won't even open the doors! I gave it four years, talked to the lead instructor and still no change. I would give it minus stars if I could. Shame on pathways. Really good at taking your money. They let the students run the class. No discipline. Don't waist your time or money.

Amazing staff from an established Tae Kwon-Do studio that's been around for decades. The focus in…read morethis dojo is on learning respect, responsibility and discipline beyond just getting a new belt color. Highly recommend !

My daughter started classes here two months ago. She absolutely loves it. They give great…read moreindividual attention and a super flexible schedule. It is affordable and I can choose from 4 different time slots each week to bring her. A couple of weeks after she started lessons I broke my ankle and couldn't drive her to her two classes a week so she was going sporadically when my husband or father could drive her there. They have allowed us to make up the missed classes with no penalty. I highly recommend Karate for Kids to all parents!

This has been the best activity we have enrolled our son in. He has something positive in his life…read moreand looks forward to class every time. It's improved our entire family. We love it!

Master Mr. Richard Temmerman aka MR.T loved Growing up with Me. Temmerman as my instructor. He…read moredidn't just amazingly teach the art of martial arts and Taekwondo, he taught discipline, self control, respect, self respect, awareness. always remember fresh pressed GI. Also nails trimmed and clean or you're sitting out. I'll never forget county fairs tournaments, also shows at shopping malls. Tournaments in different states. Was an amazing experience and self discipline he was a great instructor, mentor, and became someone I looked up to and still do... little chuckie love ya MR. T ps you haven't aged I got more gray then you lol...

It has been a long time since I have been to Midtown Martial Arts, but I will never forget it…read more Master Richard Temmerman was a father figure to me when I had none. He taught me discipline, respect, and compassion. He also taught me how to defend myself. I have had to use my training before for self defense.. and to this day, I am extremely thankful to Midtown Martial Arts and Master Temmerman. The classes here were hard when I took them years ago. On day one, I couldn't do a push-up. By the time I got my black belt, I was doing pretty decent push-ups on my knuckles. I was able to break a wooden board in half with my bare foot. I was able to do so much! I learned for the first time that I was more than just a chubby redheaded kid. I was strong. I could do anything I set my mind to. I have since moved across the country and gotten married and started my own life. But I will never forget Master Temmerman, his lovely wife, and stepsons who were all so very friendly and helped me through my journey. Seeing that Midtown Martial Arts had no reviews on Yelp made me sad. I don't think I will be returning to Elburn anytime soon, but I will always have great memories of this Tae Kwon Do studio.

I started training here a year ago after moving to the Chicago area from out of state. I was in the…read moreprocess of training for my black belt, which I was going to test for with my previous club. After losing a few months practice due to the move, Master Nakane got me back up to the level I needed to be for my black belt in a few short months. After earning my black belt, I continued to study with Master Nakane, and I'm glad I did. My class is small and is all adults, which has allowed me to learn a LOT in a short amount of time. (Although I think there is a children's class before the adult class.) The atmosphere of the class is a nice mixture of traditional martial arts formality and fun. Besides the class in Downers Grove, Master Nakane teaches a biweekly class in Evanston as well as a class at Northwestern. If you've ever thought about studying Tae Kwon Do, this is the place!

Amazing instructors! We have been going here for over a year. Now that we moved farther away, we…read moredrive past two other academies just to go here since the instructors are so good with kids.

Simple AWESOME!! Master Jung has the most amazing way with the kids, and his instruction is simply…read moreamazing. We've been coming here for 4 years and I watched my daughter go from crying in her first class at the age of 3, to now being a black belt and telling her friends she can't play because She's going to TKD. I would and do recommend this place to everybody. I can't praise them enough...

I had my son join Tae kwon Do so that he can learn how to defend himself. After paying $139 a month…read moreand an additional $60 every 2 months (to pay for the belt test, which did not make sense, whether they learn the kata's or not they give them the belt so the parents are PAYING for the belts instead of the kids EARNING THEM) i quickly noticed that the kids are not learning self defense. When i questioned Master Jung about this his response was that Tae Kwon Do was not for self defense but that he teaches self confidence within a kid and how to make them feel good about themselves. Well for $139 a month i can pat my son on the back and tell him he is great but that is not going to help should he get in a fight. The so called black belts looked as though they could not fight there way out of a paper bag. Making the kids FEEL GOOD is great but how are they going to feel when they find themselves in a place were they have to defend themselves and they get beat up! that burst of bubble will have the kids questioning everything else in there lives. When i sent the email that my son will no longer attend his dojo, i still got charged the following month, even though my son had not attended. I also received an email that i will be charged an additional month as they had a two month cancel policy. So they charge me $279 for a kid who is not even attending the school. Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art. It combines combat and self-defense techniques with sport and exercise. For a Master to tell me its NOT used for self defense but only for self confidence REALLY made my head spin. I took 2 years of karate in college and i learned more in my first month than my son did in the time he was at this school. If you want your kid to FEEL all warm and snuggly inside this is the school for them, but if you want your kid to actually LEARN something about SELF-DEFENSE then i would look else were. BYT when i asked about the 1980's trophy and if they actually do have sparring with other dojo's so that the kids can actually practice what they learned the master again said NO not really as that is not what they teach....REALLY! Very unhappy mom