Learn Tae Kwon Do from a Living Legend’s Legacy

Since the founding of the Jhoon Rhee Institute in 1962, more than 80,000 people in the Washington, D.C., area have taken classes, including over 100 U.S. Congressmen and Senators, as well as famous figures like Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and George Allen. Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee — widely known as the Father of American Tae Kwon Do — emigrated from Korea to the United States in 1957 and built a martial arts system that combined physical training with a deep emphasis on life skills: confidence, discipline, focus, and respect. Today, the Arlington studio is owned and operated by Masters Barry Shackelford and Francis Pineda, who together bring more than 60 years of Tae Kwon Do experience to a program that has remained true to the Grandmaster’s founding mission while evolving to serve modern Arlington families. The Arlington studio trains over 600 students of all ages — from four-year-old “Knee-High Ninjas” to adults in their 70s — and also offers cardio kickboxing classes for aerobic fitness.

The program’s impact on children in particular is what keeps families returning and referring neighbors: parents consistently report visible changes in behavior, attitude, focus, and self-regulation within months of beginning — outcomes that make Tae Kwon Do as valuable an investment in a child’s character as any academic enrichment program. The adult program offers an ideal balance of physical exercise, philosophy, self-defense, and martial arts curriculum, with a strong community culture that makes the studio feel less like a gym and more like a team. Located at 2449 N. Harrison Street, Suite LL-2 in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center in North Arlington, open Monday through Friday 2 to 9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. First classes are free. Visit arlingtonkicks.com to register or learn more.