Hwa Rang Kwan Martial Arts

The hubby stumbled upon this studio by chance! He has always been searching for a traditional Grandmaster of taekwondo, which is a rarity nowadays since most have retired… I can’t comment on past reviews, but based on what I have seen NOW in 2015. The instructors are personally coached and instructed by Grandmaster Shin, who teaches traditional Taekwondo including the art of Hapkido. I was invited to their 50^th anniversary ceremony in Concord recently; and to my surprise, witnessed so many students coming from countless studios that are associated branch of Hwa Rang Kwan Martial Arts at the event! The students demonstrate respect to their instructors, pride of being a Hwa Rang Kwan, and strength when they performed; this tells me that this studio will teach any student who loves to learn martial arts to their full potential or perfection. I highly recommend you go check it out!

Highly recommended me and my son’s favorite sport — Taekwondo.
We have been stay here for 5 years .
It’s the best place for kids and whole family.
You will find out while you are here :)
And enjoy Taekwodo everyday

My daughter has been practicing at Hwa Rang Kwan for about 15 months, and we couldn’t be happier with the entire educational atmosphere. This is a dojang that addresses the growth of the person wearing the belt, not the accumulation of belts. GrandMaster Shin and Mrs Shin care about each student and encourage attention to detail, focus, self-​regulation, and initiative. I now have an 8 year old who understands that if she’s feeling crazy and out of sorts, going to meditate in her room for a few minutes will probably help! As a mother, I appreciate her learning self-​defense, but the emphasis is truly put on personal development, and in the end, that will be the most important lesson.

I practised Taekwondo for 2 years at USC in Los Angeles and when we moved to san carlos, I started looking for a place to enroll my 3 year old daughter.
We have now been going there for almost 2 years. I also started practicing alongside my daughter and we both have purple belts.
I couldn’t recommend GrandMaster Shin more highly. Where on earth would you get a 9^th degree Dan to teach your children. He has been teaching since 1965! I have been attending almost every class with my daughter and I have been blown away by the tremendous love and care Grand Master (and Mrs Shen) have for the children.
And finally, the cost. you can attend 5 or 6 days a week for a ridiculously low price. The Dojang is huge, well ventilated and clean. Very unlike the many other dojangs I visited before settling with this one. Most of the other Dojangs are small, in strip malls, crammed with kids and waiting parents.
I highly recommend learning from GrandMaster Shin.

My kids went to Grand Master Shin’s school for several years on and off.
The good. Grand Master Shin has a great back ground. I think overall he teaches a good school. If that running a Tae Kwon Do school is about — he would get a 5 star review. The school isn’t perfect. There can often be some staff turn over. But — overall, I would rate this highly.
The first time I signed up my kids, Grand Master Shin wanted a couple thousand dollars up front. He talked about commitment. And, I committed. At that time I had enough money lying around to do it, and I rolled with it.
The most recent time, Mr. Shin agreed for me to pay monthly. Funds were very tight, but again — my kids wanted in. He asked me to fill out a half completed contract form. Said it was to charge my card automatically. I said OK, after all — by this point I had known him for years. I clearly explained that I didn’t know how long my kids would be in. I was off work for 2 years, and my kids might be moving in a few months due to a custody dispute. And they wouldn’t attend in the summer. Again, he said no problem. I told him I would let him know what happened.
Move the clock forward. I give written notice at the end of May that the kids wouldn’t attend in the summer, starting mid-​June. He said I would pay for June, which I agreed to. Grand Master Shin has a business to run, I understand that I paid for a few weeks I didn’t use.
Then come September, before school beings — my credit card is hit with a charge. Before I step inside the building again. My kids moved out of town, so they wouldn’t attend. I call him, he says he will see what he can do. I stop payment with the credit card company, and he disputes it. Provides a fully completed contract, some lines crossed out — and the credit card company allows the charge.
The credit card company provides a document showing that he cancelled the contract after that charge. And then today — I receive a collecting letter from an American Martial Arts Association, whomever they are. Stating I owe $ 2700 on a contract.
Where is the honor?
I should give one star. It gets bumped by one, even after all this, as I believe Grand Master Shin overall runs good classes for the kids. There is value in his program. But I would encourage you — if you have any doubts whether you want to fill out an auto payment form… perhaps you should look for another school. I have paid this school many thousands of dolllars over the years — and this is how Grand Master Shin chooses to handles his business affairs. Today, I am just very disappointed. And now I have to deal with collection efforts of some American Martial Arts Association — at a time when I am struggling financially to start.

I am a 53 year old woman & currently have my purple belt in tae kwan do. I never thought it was possible, but Grandmaster Shin encouraged me. If it wasn’t for him, i would have quit the first week. I stuck it out & realized he was right. My 14yr old daughter has her green belt. Wow, it’s such a great experience & we feel so much better. It’s really inspiring that you can learn no matter what age you are. Everyone has great attitudes & always willing to help you learn as well. I am so glad I stuck it out. I have something to be proud of.

After checking out several other schools, I was impressed with how good all the students are at basics – good/​solid punches, kicks, stances, etc – as well as the general good attitude people have towards learning. The teachers make the classes fun for the kids and rewarding for the adults. There were also guest teachers from Korea which was really interesting.

I trained at this school for about a year and found it to be one of the best experiences ever. The instructors are excellent and Grandmaster Shin himself will teach a class here and there. I learned a lot during my experience and hope to rejoin the school when I return to the area.

I signed up for the Taekwondo class. Master Shin gave me a letter, asked me to put my name, credit card# and sign. The letter looked suspicious, but I was told that I only neeeded to sign so that my credit card can be charged. So I signed with no doubt…(was pretty stupid at that time). I canceled my class aster two month. Now the AMS (American Martial Art Associations) keep calling me and asking me to make payments. They insist that I signed a one year contract with Hwa Rang Kwan. They said that they will send me the contract, I waited for more than a month and didn’t received anything other than their bills. I refuse to pay, and they are going to put me in collection now. I called master Shin today, and he also says that I signed the contract.
People please stay away. Don’t sign anything just because he ask you to.
FYI: If you still want to enroll, the cost is $ 150/​month.

Grandmaster D K. Shin founder and president of Hwa Rang Kwang is a 9^th Dan black belt in both Taekwondo and Hapkido. Very friendly atmosphere for newcomers, youth and adults. Learn from the Grandmaster who has over 50 years experience. Kickboxing is going to be added this year! Great way to keep in shape, and learn martial arts.