Ahn's Taekwondo Dojo on Avenue A: Free Trial, After-School Kicks

Ahn's Taekwondo NYC sits at 20 Avenue A, a few doors up from Houston Street in the East Village, and from about 3 pm on weekdays the sidewalk outside fills with kids in white doboks being walked over from nearby elementary schools. By 6 pm the room changes hands: on Monday and Wednesday evenings the mat belongs to adults only, which makes this one of the few neighborhood dojangs where a grown beginner never has to share a line with eight-year-olds.

The school was founded by Grandmaster Anna YS Ahn, a Kukkiwon-certified 8th-degree black belt who, according to the school's About page, was born in Korea into a family of taekwondo grandmasters and has trained for more than 40 years. She also founded Ahn's Taekwondo Group in the United States, and the East Village academy describes itself as carrying on the legacy of Grandmaster Jae Yoon Ahn and Grandmaster Jae Ro Ahn, both 9th-degree black belts.

That lineage shows up in small ways once you watch a class. Students bow on entering and leaving the floor, answer instructors with a clear Yes, sir or Yes, ma'am, and fix their belts before lining up. The academy says character development is valued as highly as physical skill, and the printed rules on its schedule sheet back that up: full uniform top and bottom with belt, be on time, and use the correct bowing and answering every class.

The current schedule took effect on September 8, 2026, and it is built around the school day. Weekdays open at 3:00 with the after-school group, then split by rank rather than by age. Little Tigers, for children aged three and a half to five, meet at 3:40 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus 12:10 on Saturday. The Intro class for ages five and up, covering white through yellow belt, runs at 4:10 on Monday and Wednesday, 4:50 on Tuesday and 5:30 on Thursday.

Orange through black belts take the 4:40 slot on Monday and Wednesday and 4:20 on Thursday, while Friday at 4:50 is reserved for black belts. Evenings are where adults fit in. Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 are Adults Only, 18 and over, and Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 are Teens and Adults, 12 and over. Saturday mornings start at 11:00 with an All Belts, All Ages class, followed by an Intro session at 11:40.

Two Friday blocks are closed to walk-ins. The 5:30 Tournament Team and the 6:20 Instructor Team are invitation only, and the sheet says so plainly. If you are new, plan your free trial around one of the open slots, and pick the class that matches your age and belt instead of the one that happens to suit your commute.

The red blocks on the timetable are the Black Belt Club, or BBC, which meets at 5:20 on Monday and Wednesday, 4:20 on Tuesday and 5:00 on Thursday. Despite the name, it is open to students from orange belt upward, or anyone the masters recommend. The program alternates by week. A weeks cover demonstration skills, weapons, self-defense, Taekwonrobics and advanced technique, so expect choreography and board work as much as kicking drills.

B weeks are full-contact sparring, and the schedule is explicit that full sparring gear is required, so a student moving into BBC should budget for headgear, a chest protector and pads before the first B week arrives. The kids' program also advertises chances to compete in local and national tournaments, and the invitation-only Friday team is where that competition track lives.

The trial costs nothing. The school's home page lists a free taekwondo trial class, and its current Back to School special adds a free uniform when a new student signs up for membership. Tuition itself is not posted on the website, so membership pricing is a conversation you have at the front desk after class, not something you can compare online in advance.

For the trial, the FAQ says comfortable athletic wear is fine; you train barefoot on the mat, so leave socks and jewelry in your bag. Arrive ten minutes early to fill in the waiver and let the instructor know about any old injuries. Kids, teen and adult classes run 50 minutes and preschool classes run 30, short enough that a first-timer can finish without being wrecked the next day.

The school recommends at least two classes a week for steady progress, and the schedule sheet adds a rule worth knowing early: you must attend the required number of classes to be eligible for your next rank promotion test. Skipping weeks before a test is the fastest way to find yourself watching instead of testing.

Much of the weekday crowd arrives through the after-school program. The Neighborhood School on East 3rd Street lists Ahn's Taekwondo among its after-school options, with instructors collecting children from nearby schools and walking them to Avenue A. That means the 3:00 to 4:30 window is the busiest and loudest part of the day, with parents waiting by the door and shoes stacked along the wall.

Adults who want a calm first visit should aim for the 6:00 evening classes, when the after-school crowd has gone home. Saturday at 11:00 is the other easy entry point, with all belts on the floor together and a more relaxed pace. On Saturday afternoons the room is often booked for birthday parties, which the school runs as 90-minute packages with taekwondo and games.

The nearest subway is the Second Avenue station on the F line at Houston Street, about two blocks away, so the commute is short from Midtown or Brooklyn. After an evening class, walk north up Avenue A to Tompkins Square Park, where the dog run and the elm-shaded paths are busy until late, or head west toward Veselka, the Ukrainian diner at 144 Second Avenue, for pierogi and a bowl of borscht after a sweaty hour on the mat.

Families with younger kids often cut across to Sara D. Roosevelt Park, a long green strip along Chrystie and Forsyth streets with playgrounds, a community garden and plenty of benches. It is a good place to let a Little Tiger burn off the last of the energy before dinner.

Ahn's Taekwondo NYC is at 20 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009, in the East Village. Phone (917) 828-5351, or email the school through its website. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 3 pm to 8 pm and Saturday 9 am to 1 pm; the school is closed on Sunday. The trial class is free, and new members currently receive a free uniform with enrollment. Bring water, train barefoot, and wear the full dobok with belt once you join.