I have signed up my ( just turned) two-year-old for the mini dragon's class. I feel she is a bit too young for the class. The class should be for three years and above not two. Things such as stretching and and following directions are a bit too advanced for a age 24 month old. At the end of class when they play with balloons etc she does enjoy it but I wish I would've waited another six months or year. They also change the class from 915 to 9 and we did not get the message so we miss part of the first class. But those two things aren't a big deal and so far we are having a fun time. The staff seem friendly enough and the class is pretty well structured. I like how they let both parents come in or there is a waiting room with a window where grandparents or the other parent can just sit and relax and watch your children. ( this class there must always be one parent present in the class) We are halfway done our eight week class and I would say so far so good. It's a nice way to get your children active. read more

For other reviewers saying that they tell you you'll get your black belt in two years and then they felt conned... it all depends on how much work you put in to your training. Having been involved with this tae kwon-do school for over half my life, I can say that it's one of the best out there. Unfortunately, I've had to use what I've learned in real life, and I can tell you that it works. Things have changed a great deal since I started when I was... 12? But that's what happens when businesses expand. The instruction I received personally has always been the best. In my opinion, you get what you pay for. The best teachers, the best facilities, and the best programs. I've met people here that I'm going to know for the rest of my life. The people who have been unhappy obviously don't understand the word "contract", or are the type prone to signing things without reading them, and I find that really unfortunate. read more

The staff at this school treated me and my children like gold until we signed a contract. They told us that we would get our black belts in three years. However, they DIDN'T tell us that in order to get your black belt, you have to sign another 2 year contract. So this is pricey at $100+/month. Most of the instructors were OK, if you get the ones who have been trained at the school since white belt. I found there is little discipline in the classes. Kids run around while adults are trying to learn. There is a big panic every few months when they have belt "testing" but don't worry. I always passed each belt level, even if my skills were not up to par. This school is associated with the International TaeKwondo Federation, not the World TaeKwondo Federation, so formal competition opportunities are limited. It seemed THEY ARE ALWAYS SELLING SOMETHING. You even have to pay to get into the graduation ceremonies. Oh and the marketing is genius. They can't wait to sign up your friends! I was told directly by the owner that the school is classified as "not-for-profit" however, the owner owns his own "management company" that the school pays to run it. The owner even has his own collection company to track you down if you don't pay. One good thing this school offers is the out-of-school care programs and day camps. I heard the teachers and owner, on more than one occasion, tell the students not to act or kick like "girls". When I confronted the owner about him using the term "girl" in a derogatory way, he minimized my concerns saying that it would make the children stronger. read more

The after school program idea is great and has improved my daughter's dancing. Some of their policies are just ridiculous. You cancel one regular day for the year you have to call remember to call that morning every week. My daughter was made fun of in class and when we finally convinced her to tell someone as this was inappropriate she was told by a teacher to grow up. We had to sign a year contract but so when the year is up we will be looking for another alternative. read more

The quality of the north side instructors is top-tier, with world class champions and competitors taking time to teach every student as best they can. Several times I have struggled with some aspect or another in class and asked for a better explanation. Not once has my question gone unanswered or left unclear, many times I've learned a great deal as to why we do something as well as the technical aspects of how to do it. I will sometimes however find myself struggling to fit class into my schedule and would enjoy more classes available through-out the week. This isn't a major concern since often times you are able to train between classes on your own or even with instruction. Lastly not only do I feel properly trained to defend myself but have met very many people that have become long-lasting friends outside of the martial art. read more

The school itself is clean, and well equipped. The instructors are generally knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It is a bit a pricey at $100/month, but it IS one of the biggest martial arts schools in the province. I attended the South Side school from 2006-2009, reaching the rank of blue belt (about 2/3 to black belt). The classes were generally 20-35 people, with about 2 or 3 instructors, so the instructor to student ratio was a bit lower then I would have liked. Still, the classes were organized, and generally quite fun. However, problems with the school's contract system forced me to leave the school. When I first joined, I was allowed to sign a one-year contract every year. But in 09, the owner of the school informed me that one-year contracts were being removed and that a three-year contract was now the minimum. The worse part about it was the fact that we were not told until we sat with the owner, prepared to sign another one-year deal. My father was upset at the owner for making a large policy change under the table. When asked why the students and their parents had not been informed in advance, the owner rudely replied, "I don't need you tell me how to run my business". And that was that. I do believe that the owner has since changed, but since the school is part of a larger chain of schools, I doubt much has changed. In short, I recommend this school, but be advised of the contracts. If you decide to leave for any reason (moving away, loss of interest, other commitments) before the contract ends, you will pay a cancellation fee in excess of $300. read more

Not student focused - contract and dollar focused only ! After attending class for more than 2 years, our student was no longer able to go - we were told this by his Doctor. Despite having medical documentation, multiple disabilities, and low income - they coldly said they would still charge him for cancelling, an amount of $700. What is much worse than this, is that after more than 2 years of attending, when he was no longer in class, not 1 person called to ask if he was ok, or say they missed him in class -- after leaving messages for Master Wisniewski (who seems to run the school), I was never called back by him or anyone else -- and even when we brought the medical documentaion in, in person..... not 1 person asked about how he was or if he was ok. They were only concerned with the terms of cancellation - and the fee that was owed. heartbreaking ... read more

Both of my kids love this club and come home every day with big smiles and confidence. They are making lots friends and memories. I think is a very well organized and professional club! I would recommend this club to anyone. read more

I had both of my kids attend this school. My older one did learn here for 2 years but younger one did just over a year and it was conflicting with his other activities so we decided to quit on this. This happened in 2015 and they told me it will be cancellation fee of $1056 dollars. Which after lots of arguments and they threatened me to send this to collection agency I agreed to pay in 4 installments. And now after 2 years they found out that this company is sold to the new owners and they have not charged my master card since. Now they are asking again to do some initials so that they can charge this $1056 as a NON PROFIT ORGANISATION !!!!!!! They are JUST FOR PROFIT organisation. Be careful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You get the softer and best response before you sign the contract. Once you sign up for 2 years or 3 years the real colors will start showing. read more

If you are someone looking for a martial arts club that will provide your child with a balanced approach for both the mind and body. You are in the right place. Our son has been a member for five years. He has learned over that time that success is earned and not given out without determination and effort. read more

This school is awesome! The instructors and staff are wonderful-very respectful. It has done wonders for my young son in building his confidence and respect for others. I attend the classes for exercise - and it's intense! Though I am recovering from a MVA, the instructors don't push me too hard (though they challenge me) and never put me down for something I can't do as well as the others. My son will be getting his blackbelt when he's a bit older and my daughter will start soon. I highly recommend the school to everyone! read more

Awful place, i tried buying some shin pads and head gear from here and they just handed me a bag full of shit. If i could give this place a negative review i would read more

My daughter attended Daily Dragons at the south location last year and I don't have too many complaints about the actual program and instructors. I have an issue with the desk people and the hidden fees. She won in a sparring competition and received a medal and was told to go to to ask the desk for a patch. She didn't get it the first time she asked because it costs $6 for the patch SHE WON. Cute little things like that come up often. Minor but still annoying when you pay $450 a month for an after school program. Due to a miscommunication with a lady at the front desk, I pulled my daughter out for the summer months since the prices go up, only to find out that pricing doesn't change for daily Dragons despite the fact that she told me they do. My fault for not reading my contract that I signed 7 months before, but I feel like she should know the information properly before saying it out loud. They're really big on saying the CBC article was very wrong and that they're non-profit but you will constantly be paying from small things here and there. They were constantly late picking my daughter up after school (like 4pm instead of "No later than 3:30 so we can miss the rush at the school) one time they called me at almost 4:10 saying they were there and no one could find my child! I left work in a panic (5 minutes away) and the school had found her outside by the time I got there, I was still charged $20 for "failure to notify". read more

My son has just started attending the Tien Lung school North... I have been in contact over the last couple months and have been very pleased with how professional they are. I'm excited to see how things progress for my son :) read more

Great owner, great instructors, 2 great facilities! They teach you that you need to work hard and make commitments. I was a long time student and now my son is. read more

Our son and our daughter have been with Tien Lung Taekwon-Do in Edmonton for 13 and nine years. They both started out in the Mini Dragon program when they were two years old; and they are now both black belts. The instructors are amazingly dedicated; the fact that they live by their Taekwon-Do tenets is evident. The training can be overwhelming and tough, but they are there every step of the way to help their students succeed. We have witnessed growth in our kids' confidence over the years. We have seen them face many obstacles and they overcome them. Of course, as parents, we help them through all situations the best we can, the training and teaching from Tien Lung over the years have complimented so well. They are not quitters and they persevere. The Daily Dragon program has served us very well! This is a great after-school care program. Their Anti-Bullying Program is second to none! If anyone ever have a chance, watch one of their demonstrations! Aside from gaining knowledge and skills, the kids have made wonderful friendships. It is so heartwarming to see them support and cheer for each other at testings and tournaments. We have experienced billing errors and such, but they were never anything that could not be fixed. They have always been very good about it. read more

My self and both my boys go to Tien Lung South in Edmonton. We have a great time doing this activity together. It is rare to find an activity that both you and your children can do together. The instructors are excellent and have a good handle on the kids. They teach them how to be respectful to their seniors, defend themselves if need be and how to exercise properly. I find their rates very reasonable. For example this easter they are having a camp for the kids that go all week from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and if you are a member they only charge $100. $20 a day is a bargain and the kids are pumped to go. read more

I'm a member of Tien Lung and have been for a few years. They are an incredible school and all the instructors are top notch and in great shape. They have a wonderful philosophy and teach kids discipline and etiquette. Respect is very important and I highly recommend them. They aren't for the faint of heart either. Proper technique is very important to the heart of this school and the Master that teaches there prides the school on authenticity and philosophy of General Choi. A great family to be a part of and I've personally reached my goal of losing 75lbs just by faithfully going to class. Great way to get into shape. read more

-5 stars. I have never seen a not for profit that screws people over and over until now! I signed up for the Mini-dragons class with my 3 yr old son on the condition that there would be helpers in the class to assist my son as I have significant injuries from a MVA. I was assured that there would be four helpers and that it would not be strenuous for me at all. When we arrived at the first class, there weren't any helpers. I tried to do my best with my son and that resulted in agravating my injuries. It was way beyond what I was capable of doing. I felt that they didn't hold up their end of the agreement and wanted a refund as I was not able to do the class and I was told that there may or may not be helpers in the future classes. It took 3 weeks for the right person to get back to me and I was told their policy is no refunds even though I was assured by the admin staff that if I couldn't continue in the class that we would sort something out. The staff member wasarrogant, abusive and beyond rude to me. I wrote a BBB complaint. The same person contacted me again and agreed to give me a credit to be used when I am able to do the class or able to find someone else to do the class with my son. When I went to register my son for the next class I was told that I could not use the credit until I had my BBB complaint removed and until I wrote an apology for being disgruntled. I think that is called extortion. I am not prepared to do that as they did not fulfill their part of the contract. I am a single mom, with limited income due to my injuries, but I am committed to providing my son with the best life I can possible give him. The money for this class was not easy to come by for me. This company disgustingly chooses PROFIT over fairness or compassion. So congratulations for robbing a child out of his recreation budget just so that you can maintain policy. Policy without compassion or a sense of humanity, especially for a community focused not for profit, equates to a very poorly managed organization. Shame on you Tien Lung!! read more

I brought my kids to Tien Lung TKD School for several of their summer camps. My kids had so much fun and were so excited to go back. The staff are very organized and very good with the kids. I was very happy with our experience! read more

I'm a bit perplexed at the one relatively negative review here My experience has been very different. My son was in the school as part of their summer program, and he enjoyed it enough that he wanted to enroll in evening classes during the school year. The classes being "all-ages", I joined as well simply to be able to participate with him in an activity, rather than simply being a "Daddy driver" to yet another activity. What I didn't expect at all was how enthusiastic the instruction would be, and how much the instructors seemed to truly care about motivating their students. Even a 40-something sedentary white collar guy :-) In watching them deal with the younger students, I've been consistently impressed. The children are not coddled, and they are held accountable for misbehaviour -- they are respected, and expected to show respect in return. But at the same time, their effort and their successes are always celebrated, and the result is seen so clearly in how consistently excited they all seem to be there. To be honest, being part of the classes and getting to watch other authority figures interact with my young son has given me much food for thought with respect to my own parenting skills, and for this too I am grateful. As for the contract complaints noted in a previous review... Yes, there are contracts involved, but they were nothing but clear with me on that point once the introductory classes were coming to an end, including straightforward discussion about the rates, contract term, and severance provisions. But I understand why they opt for a contract-style business model. Tien Lung is a black belt school, in that they want their students to stay with the sport long-term, and to make more than a short-term commitment in passing. The cynical may say that this is a money grab. Having been part of the program for awhile now, I certainly don't see it that way. Frankly, I get it now -- when all of the students in your class, whatever level that may be, are all wanting to reach black belt standing, that's energizing to everyone. There are no slackers, no malcontents, and nobody just filling time. They are all there for the same reason -- to realize their potential in a journey in which they continually surprise themselves with learning to do things that they initially could not do. I can assure you that this environment could not exist in a school with a high drop-out rate and student turnover. I look at my son, who has been invovled with Tien Lung for several months now, and I see a child with more confidence, more self-control, and a better ability to respectfully listen. And when I look at myself, I see someone several pounds lighter and a good deal more flexible than he was a few months ago. Today was our first graduation ceremony, and father and son both left their white belts behind and put on their yellow stripe. One small formal step on the journey. Who knows how long it will take? Tien Lung didn't promise us a black belt, and they certainly didn't put a timeline on it. Our deal is a simple one: my son and I will keep coming with a willingness to learn and the resolve to try, and they'll keep encouraging and teaching us. What could be better? read more

I should first clarify that the actual school itself in Grande Prairie where my son attends has fantastic instructors and we are very happy with the classes themselves. HOWEVER, the main office (Edmonton ) customer care/service is the WORST I have ever experienced in my life! For OVER a month now I have been trying to take care of my account. My credit card was compromised and as a result I had to get a new one. My husband filled out a "change of payment" form when we got the new one (I was unable to go as I am on bedrest late in a pregnancy). A month later, no phone call or heads up or anything, we get a notice saying our account is overdue and still outstanding because apparently the form was "invalid" because I dint' fill it out, my husband did. I explained my situation and was told someone would email me a form to sign and email back. This didn't happen. I called 3 times asking again for it and still no one sent it. FINALLY, against my doctor's orders I went in and signed a form, AND tried to pay for the backed up payments AND late charges due to the paperwork delays, AND for the upcoming month while the form still needed processing time and was told they can't accept the payment at the school cause no one was available that was authorized to do so. So I made a payment online for all outstanding fees, AND upcoming month and I emailed AND called to ask for some kind of verification that this went through... that was 3 weeks ago and I have called almost every 2 days trying to make sure it is all cleared up and taken care of. I have ben assured multiple times that "they are very sorry for the delay" , and been put through the voicemail after voicemail and NO ONE will acknowledge me or call me back and our account STILL shows up as unpaid and overdue!!! We will be coming up on another month payment soon and I am concerned we will be late charged AGAIN, even though I have proof from my bank statement that the payments were taken from my account. Seriously, all it takes a is a phone call back to let me know, "Hey we received it, just processing, thank you etc". I absolutely do NOT trust them, I feel they are dragging this out longer than it should be to squeeze more money, they refuse to talk to me or call me back and my final conversation today with the front desk was "I'm sorry, we are really busy and there is nothing more I can do for you"...click. read more

My daughter have been attending this after school facility for about 3 years now. After this latest incident, I feel other parents should know what has happened. My daughter have been in a MVA involving a Tien Lung bus and a school bus. From my understanding of the vague details that have been shared with me, the Tien Lung bus had struck another school bus. I understand that accidents happen all the time. My concern is that I was not notified until 1 WEEK LATER. When I was informed, an incident report was waiting for me at the front desk. The staff had asked if I would sign an uncompleted form. Of course I demanded that the form be completed before I signed. They did, and when I asked for a photocopy of the form, I was told that they do not give copies of this form as it was an "internal document". As most, I did not feel comfortable not having a copy of a document signed by myself, I had asked if they can destroy this document. Surprise, surprise, they could not destroy "internal documents". I was also informed by the staff members that I could get a copy of the police report as that was everyone's right. When we called the police for the report, we found out that there was no report made as the damages were under $2000.00. Again, I called Tien Lung asking why they would send me to the police and ask for a police report that doesn't exist and they replied that they reviewed the file and there was no police report filed. I feel that everything that has transpired from this unfortunate event has been shady at best. There have been so many red flags that not only will I find alternative child care, but I feel parents should know what has happened to my family. read more

Our 8 yr old son "T" has been attending Tien Lung South for just over 3 years. He has grown in confidence, strength, and has already had to use his defense skills when a boy at school tried to beat him up. The instructors are firm but fair, kind, knowledgeable, and love working with their students. Tien Lung has never raised our prices and all extra costs (ex: badges, gear, etc) are not hidden costs. They dont charge for testing or for the new belt when they pass testing. They provide quality instruction and are committed to teaching their students. We commit to them by signing a contract with all the rules and regulations clearly stated. They openly answered all of our questions prior to signing the contract. Our son loves going twice a a week and never asks to stay home from class. He is proud of his success and looks forward to being in the leadership program when he is old enough. I highly recommend this program! read more