Bird Road Taekwondo Dojo From Age 3: World Class Martial Arts

World Class Martial Arts opened on Bird Road in September 2019, and its founder brought an unusual résumé with him: before teaching children in Miami, Master Sangwon Jeong served as a bodyguard to the president of South Korea. The academy at 8596 Bird Rd, a few blocks west of Tropical Park, now runs taekwondo for students as young as three, with adult classes on the same floor in the evenings.

Master Jeong grew up in Cheongju, in central South Korea, and trained at Yong-In University, a school known for producing martial arts athletes and coaches. The academy's About page lists his membership of the Yong-In University demonstration team in 2002, a childhood education certification from the International Childhood Association in Korea in 2001 and his 2006 posting as a bodyguard for the Korean president.

He holds a 6th-dan black belt in taekwondo and a 2nd-degree black belt in judo, which helps explain why self-defense drills at the school include grips, balance breaks and falls as well as kicks. In 2016 he became vice-chairman of the Education Committee of the World University Taekwondo Federation, and he has sat on a committee for the overseas development of taekwondo. In Miami he appeared several times on Telemundo in 2012 demonstrating self-defense.

The academy has a public profile beyond its own mat. The Museum of Miami, formerly HistoryMiami, featured Master Jeong in an artist residency presented with the Miami-Dade County Asian-American Advisory Board and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. The museum's page says the school opened in Miami in September 2019 and has approximately 200 students.

That size is visible in the program list, which splits students into four age bands. Little Cubs are three and four years old, Little Tigers five and six, Juniors seven to twelve, and Adults thirteen and up. Starting at three is younger than most taekwondo schools in the area, and the Cubs class is kept short and playful, built around balance, listening and simple kicks.

Unlike many neighborhood dojangs, World Class Martial Arts publishes its membership plans. The 6 Month Starter costs $134 a month for two classes a week and is pitched as a way to discover taekwondo. The 24 Month Black Belt plan is also $134 a month but allows four classes a week and includes 10 percent off testing and gear, which suits families who are already sure.

A third option is 12 Months Prepaid for $1,340, with three classes a week. Uniform and belt-test fees are not listed separately, so ask about them before the first exam. Private lessons are available for students aged four and up and cover competitive fighting and self-defense.

Worked out per class, the plans are further apart than the identical monthly figure suggests. At two classes a week, the Starter's $134 covers roughly eight or nine sessions a month, so each class costs around $15 to $17. The Black Belt plan doubles the weekly allowance for the same $134, bringing the per-class cost to roughly half that, in exchange for a two-year commitment.

The prepaid year works out to about $112 a month for three classes a week, the cheapest monthly rate of the three, but it is paid up front. For a three- or four-year-old trying the Little Cubs, the six-month Starter is the low-risk choice; for a junior already aiming at black belt, the longer plan and its testing discount make more sense. Families with two children should ask whether a sibling arrangement is available, since none is listed online.

Every age group has a free trial class that you can book online. The Junior trial for ages seven to twelve lasts 40 minutes and the Little Cubs trial 30 minutes. Trials on Friday or Saturday are arranged by phone rather than through the online calendar.

The academy's instructions for a first visit are simple: no experience is needed, just comfortable clothes and a positive attitude, or comfortable workout clothes for adults. Plan to arrive a few minutes before the start so an instructor can show your child where to line up, and expect to train barefoot and bow on entering the training area, as in any Korean dojang.

The hours page posts a different window for each day, which reflects how classes are stacked. Monday and Friday run from 4 pm to 7 pm, Wednesday from 4 pm to 7:30 pm, and Tuesday and Thursday stay open later, from 4 pm to 8:30 pm, when the adult and older junior classes take place. Saturday runs from 9 am to 2 pm, and Sunday is closed.

Those Saturday mornings are the busiest time for younger students and also when the academy schedules many of its birthday parties, demonstrations and career day visits, which appear on its events page alongside competitions.

Bird Road is the local name for SW 40th Street, and the academy sits in the stretch between Galloway Road and the Palmetto Expressway. Tropical Park, the 275-acre county park whose northern edge runs along Bird Road, is a short drive or bike ride east and has lakes, sports fields and a running path that make a good warm-down after a Saturday class.

Heading west, Bird Bowl is one of the few remaining bowling alleys in Miami-Dade, a retro stop for a family afternoon. About a mile east, at the corner of Ludlam Road, a block of vintage stores lines Bird Road, worth a browse for parents killing time during a longer session.

World Class Martial Arts is at 8596 Bird Rd (SW 40th Street), Miami, FL 33155. Open Monday and Friday 4 pm to 7 pm, Tuesday and Thursday 4 pm to 8:30 pm, Wednesday 4 pm to 7:30 pm, Saturday 9 am to 2 pm; closed Sunday. Memberships from $134 a month; 12 months prepaid $1,340. Free trial classes for every age group.