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86 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ 08840Monday to Thursday: 4:30 to 9 pm
Taegeuk Taekwondo
(732) 555-0106
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Taekwondo in Metuchen

Olympic-style taekwondo for teens and adults

Sparring rounds start in full gear with a coach between the partners, and light contact comes first. Join for poomsae, for sparring, or for both.

Try a classSee the schedule
  • Ages 10 and up
  • Classes of up to 20
  • Gear for every sparring round
Two teens in red and blue sparring gear and headguards face each other on a blue mat while their coach in black stands between them

Weekly classes

Find a class by day and age

Classes run 60 to 75 minutes. Pick a day, then narrow by age group.

Fall session

Showing 12 of 12

  • Monday

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

      Juniors

      Poomsae and kicking · Urvi Thakur · Main mat

      Ages 10 to 13White to green beltOpenTry a class

    • 6:15 pm – 7:30 pm

      Teens

      Kicking and sparring · Hind Mansouri · Main mat

      Ages 14 to 17All beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm

      Adults

      Poomsae and kicking · Yongsik Seok · Main mat

      AdultsAll beltsOpenTry a class

  • Tuesday

    • 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

      Poomsae

      Yongsik Seok · Main mat

      Ages 14 and upAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm

      Competition team

      Sparring · Ferdinand Vergara · Main mat

      Ages 14 and upBlue belt and upWaitlistTry a class

  • Wednesday

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

      Juniors

      Poomsae and kicking · Hind Mansouri · Main mat

      Ages 10 to 13All beltsOpenTry a class

    • 6:15 pm – 7:30 pm

      Sparring lab

      Ferdinand Vergara · Main mat

      Ages 14 and upGreen belt and upOpenTry a class

  • Thursday

    • 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm

      Teens

      Kicking and sparring · Urvi Thakur · Main mat

      Ages 14 to 17All beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

      Adults

      Poomsae and kicking · Yongsik Seok · Main mat

      AdultsAll beltsOpenTry a class

  • Saturday

    • 9:00 am – 10:00 am

      Juniors

      Poomsae and kicking · Urvi Thakur · Main mat

      Ages 10 to 13All beltsFull

    • 10:15 am – 11:15 am

      Poomsae

      Yongsik Seok · Main mat

      Ages 14 and upAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 11:30 am – 12:45 pm

      Sparring lab

      Ferdinand Vergara · Main mat

      Ages 14 and upGreen belt and upOpenTry a class

Sample classes.

Classes of up to 20. Times change by session.

How sparring works

Sparring starts with light contact

Every round has gear, a coach in the ring and a pace the sparrers have agreed to.

See how a round runs

  • Gear on first

    Headgear, a chest protector, a mouthguard and shin and forearm guards go on before anyone steps onto the mat.

  • Rounds with a coach

    A coach stands in the ring, calls the start and the stop and pauses a round when a sparrer asks.

  • Contact builds by level

    New sparrers start at light contact. Harder rounds come when the coach sees control, not when the calendar says so.

The belt path

Six belts, white to black

Each color adds poomsae, kicks and sparring. A student tests when the coach sees the skills.

  1. 01

    White belt

    Skills

    • Bowing in and out, and the ready stance

    • Front kick and the first blocks

  2. 02

    Yellow belt

    Skills

    • The first poomsae, Taegeuk Il Jang

    • Roundhouse kick on a target

  3. 03

    Green belt

    Skills

    • Three poomsae and a longer kicking combination

    • One-step drills with a partner

  4. 04

    Blue belt

    Skills

    • Back kick and turning kick on a target

    • Sparring rounds with a coach calling the pace

  5. 05

    Red belt

    Skills

    • Advanced poomsae, with timing and balance

    • Sparring with scoring rules, in gear

  6. 06

    Black belt

    Skills

    • Every earlier poomsae, and the black belt form

    • Teaching a drill and running a warm-up

Sample levels.

Every student moves at their own pace.

Belt tests and the year

When tests and sessions happen

A belt test closes each session, and families are welcome to watch from the bench.

  • End of every session

    Event

    Belt test

    Students test in their own class time, on the poomsae, the sparring rounds and, from blue belt, a board break.

  • Mid-session

    Event

    Sparring showcase

    Light-contact rounds in front of families, with a coach calling each one.

  • Late December

    Closed

    Holiday closure

    The club is closed for the holiday week.

  • Early January

    First day

    Winter session starts

    New students start at the beginning of a session, or any week with a place open.

  • Late March

    Event

    Spring belt test

    The test for the winter session; the order of testing goes up two weeks ahead.

Sample dates.

Dates are set each session and posted at the front desk.

Coaches

Who is on the mat

Four coaches share the week's classes, so every group has someone who knows them.

  • Taekwondo head coach in a white uniform with his hands clasped in front

    Yongsik Seok

    Head coach and owner

    Yongsik founded the club and teaches the adult classes and the poomsae classes. He speaks Korean and English, and leads every belt test.

  • Urvi Thakur, instructor, in a white uniform with her hair in a high ponytail

    Urvi Thakur

    Instructor, Juniors and teens

    Urvi teaches the Monday and Saturday Juniors classes and the Thursday teen class. She speaks Gujarati and English with families.

  • Ferdinand Vergara, sparring coach, in white hand wraps beside heavy bags

    Ferdinand Vergara

    Sparring and competition coach

    Ferdinand runs the sparring lab and the competition team, and goes with competitors to tournaments. He starts every new sparrer on light contact and builds from there.

  • Hind Mansouri, teens coach, in a white uniform and a black hijab

    Hind Mansouri

    Teens coach

    Hind coaches the Monday teen class and the Wednesday Juniors class. She keeps each class on its warm-up, its drill and its bow out, and tells parents what the next belt test asks for.

Families

What parents and students say

“Tournament weekends are organized. Coach Vergara sends the division, the weigh-in time and where to meet, so nobody is guessing in a parking lot.”

Renata O.Parent of a competitor

“I came to the Saturday poomsae class with stiff hips and no sparring experience. Nobody rushed me toward the gear, and the belt path showed what came next.”

Daniel K.Adult student

“Both of mine train in different classes. The schedule shows who teaches each one, and the coaches know them by name.”

Samira H.Parent of two students

Sample reviews.

Questions

What families ask first

How old does a student have to be?

Students join from age 10. Juniors is for ages 10 to 13, teens are 14 to 17, and adult classes are for everyone older.

Do I have to spar?

No. Poomsae and kicking classes never need gear. Sparring is its own class, and a student starts it when the coach agrees they are ready.

What do we wear to the first class?

A plain t-shirt and loose pants are fine, and we have uniforms to borrow for that visit. Sparring gear is covered at the sparring lab.

Can I watch a class?

Yes. Parents and family can watch from the bench along the wall. Please stay seated and quiet during belt tests.

Do students have to compete?

No. Tournaments are optional. A student who wants to go joins the competition team, and Ferdinand helps with divisions and entries.

What happens if we miss a class?

A missed class can be made up in another class for the same age group and belt level in the same session. Tell the front desk ahead.

Come and see a class

Pick a class, or call the front desk and we will help you choose.

Try a classSee the schedule