If you care about the safety of your child, do not patronize this business. If you wish to trust your child with a staff that accepts accountability for accidents if/when they arise, then do not waste your time here. Long story, short, I witnessed my son being kicked and punched several times by another student, and it was never acknowledged or addressed by the staff. When I attempted to make the instructors (and management) aware of this, the response was lackluster at best. Let me paint the full picture of my dismay... My experience with this business is a classic case of what happens when you don't heed red flags when you should. Let me start by stating how excited I was to learn about Northeast Taekwondo about a year and a half ago. A few of my son's friends (slightly older) had attended and it is very close to our house and school. So after reading the Yelp reviews, I called and spoke to someone who advised me that the 3 year old group was full, and that he would put us on the wait list for when my son got closer to 5 (which was this September). I received a call about a year later, advising me that a spot had opened up, but when I confirmed my son's age (4 at this point), he said that he made a mistake and that we should expect another call in late August or so. Despite the confusion, we were content, having already enrolled my son in Aikido classes across town. So come early September, since I had not heard from the company, I got proactive and attempted to reach them by phone several times (5-6 times). I left a few messages, and never received a call back. I am a stickler about businesses returning customer inquiries in a timely fashion, so once I did not hear back, I wrote them off as unworthy of my business. A few weeks later, I finally received a call back advising me of open slots and an orientation happening on 9/25. When I advised Mr. O'Kelly of the un-returned calls, he never acknowledged the oversight or apologized; he simply implied that it was my fault by stating that it was best that I email in the future. Despite these small deals, I decided to still attend the orientation; mainly because of how close the facility is to our home and the kids' school. Right now we travel 30 minutes across town during rush hour, and I was looking to cut down on the commute. I also was excited about the prospects of starting my 3 year old out too. Anyway, we arrived for the orientation, and no one explained that the parents were supposed to sit, while the kids were to gather and participate out on the mats. The staff member who greeted us with the contract saw my son sitting next to me and never suggested he join the group. After a few minutes, when I saw other kids his age participating in street clothes I asked about it and only then was I advised that he should join in. This placed him in the back of class, where the instructors paid little attention to what was going on. My son ended up lined up next to an unruly child who was running around, being wild and disrupting the class. The instructors spent a lot of time trying to reel him in, but as their attention went back to the older, more skilled kids in the front of the room, they totally missed this child practice-punching and kicking my son. My son calmly asked him to stop, and after doing it a few more times, the unruly child found other ways to get in trouble. But never once did the instructors notice what happened, and address it. Another staff member was discussing payment with us in the back of the room, and when I stood up to address the punching and kicking, he basically ignored me. Because, the other child had ran to the front of the room, and left my son alone, I allowed my son to finish the lesson. So this was about 20-30 minutes in. The kids continued to do group technique drills and individual strikes on instructors with mats. It was then that I noticed that little to no attention was being paid to the kids in the middle and back of the room, and especially not the kids who were struggling. My son's form or lack of focus at times was never noticed or corrected and I just felt like his needs had fallen through the cracks since he was not either acting bad or overachieving. My husband and I walked away from the experience knowing that we would not be back, especially since our experience at DC Aikido has been the exact opposite. That said, I felt it necessary to bring these issues to the attention of the business owner, who was not present at orientation. So, I emailed him (per his request) and in as nice a way as possible, I voiced my concerns. Mr. O'Kelly simply stated that "it's not ideal for everyone." He never acknowledged/addressed the real issues at hand - namely the safety of my child, the negligence of his staff, and the promise to do better in the future. So, my family and I will steer way clear of Northeast Taekwondo and instead spend our time and money patronizing DC Aikido as we have for the past year. read more

I went with my sister yesterday for the Tiny Tigers class. For kids between 2 and 4. My nephew is in the class and the 3 instructors teaching it are totally amazing with these kids. I can't believe the things they have them doing. The class is 30 minutes and the amount of work they do in that time is really cool. I would defiantly recommend anyone to take there tiny tiger there and get enrolled. Learning discipline at a young age is always good. read more

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The teachers here are quite experienced, know that they are doing with the material, and teach in multiple ways to ensure that they connect across the age groups. I'm glad they know and teach the appropriate Korean with great pronunciations. Along with the discipline and expecting proper behavior I've noticed the students in class improve greatly over the last 2 years. read more

When I was considering gyms last year I thought' "If I am going to pay for fitness, I might as well learn something too." Since enrolling at NE TKD in February of 2014 I have lost 60lbs and significantly increased my flexibility, strength and balance. In addition to the confidence gained by learning self-defense techniques, I've been exposed to Korean language and culture. The instructors are patient and committed to excellence, and care about the students well-being. I enrolled my son in the youth program at 4 years old. He is now almost 6 and he loves it. By the time he is nine he will be a black belt; by 18 he will have mastered something. If you are looking for self-improvement and to change your life for the better, you owe it to yourself to take a trial class here. read more

Great TKD School. My son and I have been going there for 3 years now. It is a bit cramped and the facilities may not be fancy but GRAND Master O'Kelly is a top notch instructor. He is firm but fair. The other instructors are excellent and make you feel like you are part of a family. read more

I want to commend Grand Master O'Kelly and his team of superb and deeply dedicated instructors for their consistent, purposeful and structured approach to teaching real life skills through the art of TAE KWON DO. My son has flourished, both inside and outside of the dojo since he participated in a trial class almost 3 years ago. He graduates through each belt internalizing a great sense of self-confidence as he is celebrated for his accomplishments. His success is in no small part due to the principles he recites and absorbs during each class. He had grown by leaps and bounds since his days as a white belt, and continues to enthusiastically engage in each class. I absolutely recommend NORTHEAST TAE KWON DO!! read more

My son has been enrolled for some time now, and there aren't enough wonderful things to say about this place. Master O'Kelly and the full gamut of instructors are amazing with their students. I couldn't ask for a better place for my son. read more

Northeast Tae Kwon Do is great. We looked at and took classes at several other martial arts clubs in DC and chose Northeast. There are several aspects that put Northeast above other schools. The expectation for kids is that they perform at the same level doing the same techniques, patterns, and drills as the adults. The kids often exceed expectations. There is a culture of respect without being overbearing. People at the school are welcoming and friendly with many parents joining the ranks to keep up with their children. The school provides separate adult classes that are just as well attended as the kids classes. Sparring is controlled and good natured. Good, traditional technique is well taught and emphasized. Grand Master O'Kelly and the other instructors stress positivity in Tae Kwon Do and all aspects of life. Guest instructors like 9th degree Grand Master Bai (Master O'Kelly's instructor) are an occasional world class treat. read more

Northeast Taekwondo - Three year old at Tiny Tiger class - Taekwondo Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We love this Dojo! Grand Master O'Kelly and the other instructors are invaluable. Our son has learned so many life long lessons, which are being applied at home, and school. The best! read more

Grandmaster O'Kelly has an excellent martial arts school, Northeast Taekwondo! I studied at Howard University some years ago, along with other training. It is through this lens that I can say that after spending time visiting his school and listening to many excited testimonies from adult students and parents of students, Grandmaster O'Kelly's students are taught technically sound Taekwondo, fighting spirit, tradition, pride, fair play, a respect for others, how to give all to this martial art and how to have fun doing it! (His young people excel in their outside lives, as well!) He has many strong fighters, Black belts and under-belts, who are very impressive in mastering his program! They learn Taekwondo in a very comprehensive fashion, technique, (attack and defense), conditioning, skill, fighting spirit, competition and life skills. His Black Belts are very sharp and show a love and committment to the students, as Master O'Kelly has shown by his example. It is apparent immediately that Grandmaster Kelly through his instruction, motivation, life lessons, engagement and promotion of this martial art to the Northeast Taekwondo students (and so much more) that his long history, impact, dedication and hardwork in the Washington, D.C. area will never be eclipsed! Ever! Northeast Taekwondo is equal to all the great things that I have been told about it! Please visit to see his passion at work! (Master O'Kelly has a great marketing business model for his school, also. I can't say how happy I am to have a great school like this in Washington, D.C. for martial art practitioner's!) read more

Great school that I have been attending for around 10 years. The staff are friendly and dedicated to what they do. Everyone is very friendly including many of the students. read more

The people at Northeast Tae Kwon Do are awesome! There are always instructors close by to help you develop your skills. They accept everyone where they are at and help pull them up to the next level. Nathan is an awesome instructor! :-) read more