Koo’s Tae Kwon Do Academy

I have studied various forms of martial arts and was very active in collegiate TKD and even received advanced belts. I had both of my kids go through Master Koo’s programs as young kids, and also introduced many other young kids that either were shy or had disciplinary problems to help them gain confidence and focus.
Master Koo’s program is legitimate, taught in traditional Korean style — not watered down, commercialized TKD babysitting classes. I have witnessed kids coming in lacking self discipline, respect and focus and see them change once they walk into the studio.
Have also participated in their upper ranked training sessions and again from forms to sparring to equipment, this is one of the best for beginners to advanced levels.

This place is great. We enrolled our daughter in another program, but the student to teacher ratio was very high. Teacher’s at Koo’s are excellent and provide lots of guidance and 1:1 attention.

I took a systematic approach to filtering TKD studios in the 50 mile radius, starting with the foremost grandmasters affiliated with International Taekwon-​Do Federation. That research process narrowed down to the closest qualification in the East Bay — Grandmaster Koo.
If you’re looking for a studio to host your birthday party or want your children to participate in a trite activity as a rite of passage go elsewhere to a franchise where they will gladly take your money and market to you and your children.
My son and I appreciate the fact that the class sizes are relatively small and that there is real focus on individual feedback and correction. Moreover, Master Alex and Liz have a balanced method of teaching that is direct but yet well-​tailored for young children. I am always amazed by Alex’s teaching method. If you listen carefully to his instruction and words, he speaks with emotional intelligence that edifies yet corrects children without adversely impacting their sense of self yet instilling excellence. Great balance.
As a general statement not specific to Koos, I will caveat that children under 12 who «earn» their junior black belts is more ceremonial for the years of attendance and does not commensurates with their aptitude, skill or future potential. Where I believe that the real learning and the true test of great martial arts is when those children persevere with their black belt dans beyond their teens to sharpen their capabilities.
If your family expects more than mediocrity and are willing to commit to excellence, Koo’s is a real option that stands out in a crowd of noise (vis-​a-​vis TKD studios in shopping centers with watered-​down jazzercise martial arts for misbehaving kids).

As a Korean-​American mother of a 7 year old son who has had difficulty with self confidence, Koo’s Tae Kwon Do studio has been an answer to my prayers. We drive 35 mins to attend this school while passing dozens of other martial art studios for the following reasons:
Master Olson in the Danville studio is very age appropriate in his teaching and coaching methods. The lessons on the 5 tenets (modesty, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit) has helped my son in the past 1 ½ years to be more confident, responsible and goal driven.
I love that the classes are not only separated by skill set but also by age groups. The parents viewing area is open to observe all elements of the class and the transparency has been refreshing! You can tell that child safety, cleanliness and positive reinforcement is a priority for this school.
Finally, unlike other schools, the use of the Korean language, explanation on the culture and history of TKD has allowed my son to learn about his heritage along with the significance of what he is learning.
I highly recommend this school and instructors for any age!

Master Koo is a generous and dedicated teacher. He loves to teach. In fact, it is not uncommon for him to spend extra time beyond what is scheduled to work with the kids. On some occasions, he’s extended the class ½ to 1 hr. My child has been attending his school for the past year, and I can see the improvement. The only reason I gave him 4 stars instead of 5 is because their Crow Canyon gym could use some upgrading and the record keeping is less than perfect, however, I’m still staying with Koo.
If the Crow Canyon is not to your liking, than they have a sister facility in Danville, which is better maintained.

My son went to Koos for a semester, then quit because he had been sick for almost one month. But he asked me to return Koo’s Tae Kwon Do a year later. Surprisingly, Master Koo and his instructor still remembers his name and gave him lots of encouragement and detailed instruction.
The instructors are very cool and patient, they also spent lots of time on tenets of Tae KwonDo, which focuses on behavior, perseverance and modesty.
It is a very nice place for kids.

My son is 4.5 years old and has been attending Master Koo’s class for about 5 months and loves it. Master Koo and his instructors are extremely patient, attentive, respectful, and are excellent role models for all the kids. Master Koo and his instructors are great with the kids. My son is hyperactive and has a diffficult time focusing, I am just so amazed how much he has accomplished. They teach age appropriate life lessons and good virtues for the children. I am so happy that we found a good place for him.