Kendall Taekwondo Dojo Run by a 1992 Olympic Coach: USA Tae Kwon Do

USA Tae Kwon Do School is a family operation in the most literal sense: a 9th-dan grand master who coached the United States at the 1992 Olympics, and his son, a 6th-dan master who was on the 2024 US National Team. Their dojang now sits in a plaza at 14261 SW 120th St, Suite 107, on the southern edge of The Hammocks in Kendall, and it is built for families who want traditional discipline alongside competitive pedigree.

The school's About page lists a long competitive and coaching career. Grand Master Joong Keun Suh holds a 9th-degree black belt from Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo headquarters, and was a member of the Korean National Demonstration Team and a two-time Korean national gold medalist before moving to the United States.

In 1991 he was named US National Tae Kwon Do Coach of the Year, and in 1992 he coached the US Olympic team in Barcelona, the Games where taekwondo appeared as a demonstration sport eight years before it became a full medal event in Sydney. From 1989 to 1992 he was president of the Florida State Tae Kwon Do Association, and in 1997 he was head coach of the US national team at the World Cup in Cairo.

His own forms work kept going long after his coaching peak: in 2008 he became World Tae Kwon Do Hanmadang poomsae champion. Hanmadang is the festival Kukkiwon hosts in Korea each year, where practitioners of every age compete in forms, breaking and demonstration rather than sparring, so a title there rewards precision more than athleticism. The mayor of Tallahassee proclaimed May 23 as Tae Kwon Do Day in his honor, a reminder that his Florida career started in the state capital before the family settled in Kendall.

Master John Suh, his son, holds a 6th dan from World Taekwondo Kukkiwon and competed on the 2024 US National Team. Having an active national-level athlete teaching alongside a grand master means students see both ends of the art: precise traditional forms from the father and current competitive technique from the son.

The website says the family's schools have been open for more than 30 years and serve the Kendall and Hammocks area. The contact page has labeled this plaza unit its new school location since at least 2022, so it has had a few years to settle in.

Few local schools publish their etiquette as clearly. Beginners are expected to arrive in a neat, clean uniform. Jewelry, wristwatches and chewing gum are not allowed in class, and long hair must be tied back. Students learn to bow to the flags, to instructors and to each other, and beginners are required to attend at least two classes a week so the basics stick.

The FAQ also explains a Korean phrase the school uses as a motto, baek jul bool gool, roughly meaning never giving up even after a hundred setbacks, and pairs it with the line that a black belt is a white belt that never gave up. Discipline is defined just as plainly: doing the right thing, all the time.

Classes are designed for ages five and up, with a separate Little Tigers program for four- to six-year-olds that is capped at ten students per class. Beginner classes are capped at fifteen. The school notes that evening classes usually have more students than afternoon classes, so families who want a quieter first few weeks should aim for the earlier slots.

The curriculum includes family classes and a beginner's sparring class, which introduces contact gradually before students join regular sparring. Belt tests are held in a group setting and are open to the public, so relatives can come and watch. According to the FAQ, a committed student typically reaches black belt in two to three years.

Tuition varies by program and is not posted online. The school recommends that every new student begin with a two-week trial program before choosing a membership, and it offers programs both with and without a contract. To arrange a visit, call the school and make an appointment; the contact page asks prospective families to come in person rather than book online.

Class times are not published on the website either, so the same call is the way to find the right slot for your child's age and rank. When you visit, bring a parent's questions about contracts and testing fees, and let your child watch part of a class first to see the bowing and line-up routine in action.

Summer is when the school widens its program. Its most recent posted camp, for the 2025 season, took campers aged six to fourteen for full days of training plus extras that most camps do not offer: a beginner's Korean language class covering the alphabet and numbers, and sword and nunchaku training. Ask during your visit whether a camp is planned for the coming summer.

SW 120th Street forms the southern boundary of The Hammocks, a planned community of lakes and townhouse developments. East of the school, the Florida Turnpike and SW 137th Avenue frame The Crossings neighborhood, and a few blocks south lies Miami Executive Airport, the general aviation field known until 2014 as Kendall-Tamiami, where small planes are a constant sight overhead.

For a weekend outing after class, Zoo Miami and the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, which sits right next to the zoo and displays historic rail cars including a presidential Pullman, are a short drive south-east. Both make a good reward after a belt test.

USA Tae Kwon Do School is at 14261 SW 120th St, Suite 107, Miami, FL 33186. Programs: Little Tigers (4 to 6, max 10 per class), children's and adult classes from age 5, family classes and beginner sparring. New students start with a two-week trial program; memberships are offered with or without a contract.