KTKD Flushing Taekwondo Dojo: Olympic Sparring in Queens

KTKD Flushing hides in plain sight at 130-30 31st Ave, on the lower level of the Promise International Ministry Building in north Flushing, Queens. Families find it through word of mouth, then stay for the coaching bench: the school's sparring program is run by masters who trained and coached at the top of Korean competition. New students get an easy start, because KTKD advertises one full week of free trial classes rather than a single sample lesson.

KTKD, short for Korea Taekwondo, has been operating since 2008 under founder and executive director Master Regina Im, a fifth-degree black belt. Grandmaster Seungrok Kim, a sixth-degree black belt, is the co-owner. The school describes itself as Kukkiwon certified, which means its dan ranks are issued through the World Taekwondo headquarters in Seoul and carry over to Olympic-style clubs anywhere.

Part of the KTKD story happens outside its own walls. The About page says it was the first and only official taekwondo educational vendor for New York City public schools, and it claims more than 40,000 students trained through its programs over the years. A Patch profile from earlier years put the figure at 25,000, so treat the larger number as the school's own running count. Either way, a lot of Queens kids met their first front kick through KTKD instructors in a school gym before ever visiting the Flushing studio.

The reason serious competitors drive in from other boroughs is the sparring staff. Master Sunhong Baek is listed as the former head coach of Dong-A University's elite sparring team in Korea, and the sparring team page calls him World Champion Master Baek and a recipient of the KTA Best Sparring Team Coach Award. Master Seunggu Choi is described as a former member of South Korea's national sparring team.

Team KTKD is by invitation, not open enrollment. Students who show the footwork, conditioning and attitude in regular classes get asked to join, and the team trains in a 50-minute sparring block on Thursday evenings at 7:20 pm. Expect electronic-scoring style drills: fast back-leg roundhouse kicks to the trunk protector, cut kicks to stop an advancing opponent, and a lot of bouncing footwork in front of the mirror.

KTKD spells out its expectations on a page written for new parents, and they are simple. Arrive five minutes before class. Answer instructors with yes sir or yes ma'am. The weekly timetable repeats the same reminder in bold, so late arrivals get noticed.

Uniforms are earned, not handed out at the door. According to that same page, children receive their dobok after a few classes, which turns the first week into a small rite of passage. The complimentary class offer also mentions a white belt ceremony and board breaking, so a first-timer can leave with a split pine board and a story for school the next morning.

The current Flushing timetable carries the line Effective 08/31/2026 and sorts students by age and level. Little Champion classes are for ages five and six, with sessions on Tuesday at 6:30 pm, Thursday at 5:05 pm and Saturday at 11:30 am. Children seven and older start in Level I, which runs every weekday at different times plus Saturday at 10:40 am, so a family can pick the slot that fits around homework and music lessons.

Adults have their own block. The adult class meets Monday at 7:50 pm, Tuesday at 7:55 pm, Thursday at 8:15 pm and Saturday at 9:00 am. That Saturday morning session is the one to try first if you are an adult returning to training, because the room is calmer and there is time to talk with an instructor afterward. Friday evenings include an instructor class for students on the leadership track.

Posted front-desk hours on the Flushing page are Monday 3:30 pm to 8:45 pm, Tuesday through Thursday 2:30 pm to 8:45 pm, Friday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, with Sunday closed. A couple of late classes on the image timetable run past those office hours, so plan pickups around the class time rather than the desk time.

KTKD also runs a leadership team for older students who assist in beginner classes, seasonal camps when school is out, and birthday parties built around kicking pads and board breaking. A second branch operates in Corona on Northern Boulevard, which is handy for families who move within Queens and want to keep the same curriculum and belt record.

One practical perk sets the Flushing location apart from most Manhattan dojangs: free and ample parking. In a part of Queens where street spaces disappear by late afternoon, that line on the location page is a genuine selling point for parents juggling two kids and a car.

The studio sits in the quieter, residential end of Flushing toward College Point, a short drive from the busy Main Street core. After a Saturday class, head south to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a lap around the Unisphere, or let the kids burn off whatever energy is left on the park lawns.

Hungry families can continue to the food courts and dumpling counters of downtown Flushing, or browse the newer shopping and dining complexes at Skyview Center and Tangram. On a Mets game day, Citi Field is close enough that traffic on the expressway will tell you before the schedule does.

Address: KTKD Flushing, 130-30 31st Ave, Flushing, NY 11354, on the lower level of the Promise International Ministry Building. Phone: (718) 662-8606. Front desk hours: Monday 3:30 pm to 8:45 pm, Tuesday to Thursday 2:30 pm to 8:45 pm, Friday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Sunday closed. Trial: one week of free classes for new students.

Getting there: the 7 train ends at Flushing-Main Street about a mile away, so most families drive and use the free lot. Bring water, loose clothes and a positive attitude for the first class. Ask the Karpo APP to line up a post-class dumpling stop in downtown Flushing or compare other taekwondo schools across Queens.