Powerspeed Taekwondo Dojo in North Riverdale, the Bronx

Powerspeed Taekwondo is a compact, energetic school at 5912 Riverdale Avenue in North Riverdale, the leafy northwest corner of the Bronx near the Yonkers line. It is Master Ron Caaya's school, and it fills its weekday afternoons with kids' classes, its evenings with teens and adults, and its Saturday afternoons with an elite sparring session for blue belts and up. New students can start with a free trial class.

Caaya is the owner and head instructor, and the school's site describes him as bringing more than seventeen years of experience and teaching over a hundred students. Powerspeed does not lean on a famous lineage or a wall of trophies in its marketing. Its pitch is that taekwondo is the heart of the school, taught by the same person who answers the questions after class.

What stands out on the timetable is how much sparring there is. Thursday and Friday sessions are labeled as sparring days across levels, Sunday morning has its own beginner and advanced sparring blocks, and Saturday ends with a two-hour Elite Sparring Class from 2 pm to 4 pm for students holding a blue belt and higher. Sparring is done in head and body protection, so parents can expect proper gear rather than bare-knuckle drills.

That focus makes Powerspeed a good match for kids who get restless with endless form practice. Sparring rewards timing, distance and courage, and young students who learn to keep their hands up and their eyes on a partner often carry that composure into school and other sports.

The online booking calendar for the week of October 18 to 24, 2026 shows a consistent pattern. On Monday through Wednesday, the first class starts at 4 pm for beginners, followed by Beginner to Advance at 4:30 pm and Intermediate to Advance at 5:15 pm. A longer class for intermediate and advanced students, aimed at teens and adults, runs from 6 pm to 7:30 pm, and a Mixed Adult Class closes the night from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Weekends start earlier. Saturday runs beginner classes from 9:30 am, a mixed session from 10:15 am, and a Beginner to Intermediate sparring class from 11 am to noon before the afternoon elite block. Sunday morning classes begin at 9:30 am and finish at noon. Classes are taught by Master Ron and by instructor Manuel Tejada.

The program list is broader than most single-room schools. Kids' taekwondo is split into ages four to seven and eight to thirteen, and adult taekwondo starts at thirteen. Teens and adults can also add Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, which suits students who want ground work or clinch fighting alongside their kicks.

Powerspeed also runs an after-school program for working parents and offers private lessons lasting thirty to sixty minutes, either at the studio or at your home. Belt tests come with certificates, and the site shows a December 2025 promotion photo of students moving up to the next belt, which gives a sense of how often gradings happen.

Because class names describe a range rather than a single belt, newcomers sometimes wonder where to start. A first-timer of any age belongs in a Beginner slot, such as the 4 pm weekday class for younger children or the 9:30 am Saturday class. Students transferring from another school with a colored belt can usually join a Beginner to Advance or Intermediate to Advance class after the instructor watches a few basics.

The free trial is booked through the school's online scheduling page, which lists each class with its time and the instructor teaching it. Booking a specific class rather than just showing up lets the instructor plan for an extra body on the mat and pair a new student with a patient partner during drills.

Adults who have never trained before should not be put off by the sparring-heavy timetable. The Mixed Adult Class at 7:30 pm brings grown-ups of different levels together, and because the dedicated sparring blocks are separate classes, a newcomer can spend the first weeks on stances, kicks and blocks before strapping on a chest protector. Tell the instructor about old injuries before the first class so drills can be adjusted.

For a first trial, wear athletic clothes and expect to train barefoot on mats. Standard taekwondo etiquette applies: bow when you step on and off the floor, line up by rank, and follow the instructor's counts during drills. Students who move on to sparring will need their own protective gear, including a head guard, chest protector, shin and forearm pads, and a mouthguard.

The room is small, so punctuality matters. Arriving a few minutes early lets kids change and stretch without interrupting the class already on the mat, and gives parents a chance to ask about the right level before the first bow.

North Riverdale feels more like a small town than a Bronx neighborhood, with apartment buildings, older houses and steep tree-lined streets running down toward the Hudson. The school's own site talks up its ties to the Riverdale community and the Riverdale block party, and Riverdale Avenue itself is a working main street of delis, pharmacies and small restaurants.

After a Saturday session, Wave Hill is a short drive south, with public gardens and long views across the Hudson to the Palisades. Riverdale Park follows the river's edge with wooded trails, and Van Cortlandt Park to the east offers miles of paths, playing fields and the old cross-country course where city runners race every fall.

Address: Powerspeed Taekwondo, 5912 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471. Phone: (430) 888-0089. Email: info@powerspeedtaekwondo.com. Trial: free trial class through the online booking page. Head instructor: Master Ron Caaya. Programs: kids ages 4 to 7 and 8 to 13, adults 13 and up, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, after-school care and private lessons.

Getting there: Metro-North's Riverdale station on the Hudson Line is the closest rail link, and local buses run along Riverdale Avenue. Good fit for families who want plenty of sparring and an owner-instructor in the room. Ask the Karpo APP to find a bagel stop or another taekwondo school in the northwest Bronx.