Call today to find out more about  
how your family can start building confidence
from the very first class!

Scroll down to the bottom to see examples on this page of what is okay
and not okay to wear to try a class with us.

Ask  how we can help your Parent Teacher Organization with fundraisers

You do not need to make an appointment to try a class
as long as it is during the first few weeks after a Belt Testing

●We typically have openings for new students in our programs for age 5, age 6, age 7-12 and Teens/Adults
our program for ages 3-4 typically has a wait list since it's the only program in which we keep class size to a smaller number

●Look at our class schedule for a class for your age that says "call for information"

●Check our calendar to make sure it is a day we have our regular class schedule
holidays, tournaments and other events may impact the class schedule

●Wear appropriate clothing for our program (scroll down page for examples)

●Stop at our front counter - more details below

For ages 7 and older, if you sign up for classes you are not signing up for a specific day of the week to take classes.
Ages 7-12 may come up to 3 classes each week and may choose any 3 each week from all the classes for their age/rank.
(for example a beginner student age 7-12 has class options that include Monday at 5:15 pm, Tuesday at 4:30 pm, Wednesday at 6:30 pm, Friday at 6:00 pm, Saturday at noon, and for the Summer Tuesday at 9:30 am and Thursday at 10:15 am. From all those options the student may choose 1, 2 or 3 classes each week and it does not need to be the same 3 classes from week to week and you do not need to tell us in advance which 1, 2 or 3 classes you will be attending each week.)
Students in the Teen/Adult (age 13 - adults) program may come to as many classes as they want to each week, though we do recommend at least 3 classes a week.

Below, we show what you may wear to try a class.

Trying a FREE Class (or a mini-trial) and our Introductory special
Every student starts with a free class (or mini-trial). We always offer an introductory special, which is a one-time discounted membership for several weeks. The intro special helps you determine if you and/or family members will be able to make a more long-term commitment to our martial arts program.

Expectations for behavior of visitors trying a class, current students as well as family members and guests in our lobby:
Our rules apply to everyone: students, visitors and family members, both on the workout floor and in the lobby
●Whether you are a child, an adult, a teen, a parent, a friend, a sibling ... if you are breaking our rules we will speak to you

●The stated times for us to unlock the doors or for students to stand at the back lobby doorway or for us to start class are exact ... if we say we will unlock at 4:15 pm and you show up at 4:12 pm you will need to wait 3 minutes for us to unlock.
Why are we so firm? 1) It' is important for students to learn the importance of rules, that we mean exactly what we say and time management and 2) we've learned if we unlock 3 minutes early today, that person will show up 10 minutes early the next time and then we soon have parents arriving 30 minutes early to drop off their child for us to watch so the parent can run errands

●Speak to and behave toward everyone with respect

●Conversation in the lobby needs to be kept to a low level so it does not disrupt class

●No cell phones or laptops or ipads, etc out if you are standing at the lobby windows or doorways
  AND no children sitting/standing on or in the gearbag cubbies at the lobby windows
(these are very distracting to students who wonder if you are taking their picture, and it takes space away from someone who wants to actually watch their family member in class; if you want to use your electronics, please have a seat against the lobby wall)

●If your phone rings or you plan to make a phone class, please go outside of the school ... you may not realize how loud your voice is, not just standing at the lobby window, but anywhere in our lobby

●No one in the lobby should call out to or wave instructors over to talk with them ... ask the counter person if you have a question and if they think it is necessary they will have the chief in

●No one in the lobby should call out to, wave at, high five or draw the attention of any student to themselves
  (students need to be focused on instructors and their partners during the entire class for safety)

●All Black Belts, especially instructors are referred to by their last name with Ms., Miss, Mr. or Mrs.
Only students currently in class, and the instructors, are allowed on the workout floor
(if you need your child to leave class early for some reason, ask the person at the counter and they will talk to the chief instructor)

●Students must wear the appropriate uniform to class once they join our program (and keep it clean); we provide a full white uniform (white jacket and white pants) as well as a t-shirt; we also sell additional t-shirts and additional white pants as well as color pants; we do not allow students to wear other pants or shirts to class and students may not wear sweat pants, pajama pants or long sleeve t-shirts under their uniform.

●Students must have clean body, hands, feet, face, hair (any hair long enough to be in their eyes must be pulled back); and keep toenails and fingernails cut short

●No jewelry, watches, fitbits, rings, bracelets (other than those that are for health notifications), necklaces, hoop or dangling earrings may be worn to class for safety reasons

What happens after the Introductory Special?
The Intro Special is a one-time-use offer that gives you several weeks beyond the free trial class to introduce you to Hilliard Taekwondo Academy and to decide if this is the program for your family. Martial Arts training is a skill-building and character-building holisitc "sport" that is a year-'round program rather than a seasonal activity. Respect, confidence, focus, courtesy, integrity, self-control, learning to keep trying even when something is really challenging or if you don't succeed the first time you try ... these important lifetime skills are not learned in a season. Just like physical skills that improve with consistent practice, these important character traits develop with consistent use in our program. At the end of the introductory special you choose which of our monthly-auto-billing option memberships works best for your family.

Can we sign up without trying a class first?
The purpose of the free trial class (and the mini-trials we offer before the start of a next session) is so we can see how the potential student interacts in class with instructors, other students and our equipment as well as their ability to focus and follow instructions safely and respectfully. It also give you the opportunity to see how we work with students. Our goal is to ensure that students can participate safely in our program (for their own safety as well as that of the other students in the class), not to see how well they can do martial arts or how athletic they are. Most of our guests who try a free class ARE able to participate safely, but every once in awhile we need to acknowledge that we that we are not a good fit for this person at this time.

What is the difference between a "regular" trial class and a mini-trial-class?
During the first 3-4 weeks of a new session, when new students are able to begin and participate in classes, we allow potential new students to try a class for their age group. After the first 3-4 weeks of a new session our current students have learned most of the skills for their current belt rank and have shifted to working on the details to prepare for the next belt rank testing. When we used to continue accepting new students into our program after this point we realized they felt as though they are way behind, became more easily discouraged and were less likely to continue in an activity that is designed to make them feel more confident. As a result we've found that it is much better for new students to start our program as close to the first class after our current students have tested and been promoted to new rank as possible. Once we are past the "new students can start" date, we offer 15-minute appointments that are either before our first class of the day starts or falls during a regular class but is not part of the class. During a mini-trial an instructor works with the guest either one-to-one or with up to 4 guests. We have our guests try a few of the types of activities we teach in class to give us an idea of how well they follow instructions and how they interact.

We are often asked if we accept students with certain diagnoses. We not accept or decline students based on any diagnosis. The purpose of the free trial class (or a mini-trial "class" we offer before the start of a next session) is so we can see how the potential student interacts in class and it also give you the opportunity to see how we work with students. We have students who have diagnosis such as autism, ADD, ADHD, etc. Our goal is to ensure that students can participate safely in class. Potential students who are considered "typical" as well as those with a diagnosis may not be able to focus well enough to be able to participate at this time.

Our Programs:
Little Dragons ages 3 - 4
Little Ninjas, age 5
Ninja Juniors, age 6
Juniors Program: Ages 7 - 12
Young Teens: Ages 11 - 15
Teen/Adult: Ages 13 - Adults
Adult only: Ages 18 and up


More details about class days and times are on our Calendar and Schedule page.

Below are examples of what is okay and not okay to wear to try your free trial class with us. We are a family-friendly program and require all students and prospective students to wear modest, appropriate clothing. We do reserve the right to not allow someone to try a class if we determine their clothing does not meet our guidelines.

Once we accept a new student into our program they are expected to wear only our uniforms to class. We provide a full white uniform, a belt and a workout t-shirt at the time of joining. You may also purchase additional workout pants (white, red or blue) and additional workout t-shirts from us to wear to class. Workout t-shirts may be worn with our white or color pants. The uniform jacket may only be worn with the white uniform pants. Students may not wear sweat pants, pajama pants, long sleeve t-shirts, etc under their uniform pants and t-shirts.

We also have students with food allergies, especially peanut and tree nut allergies. While we do sell snacks that contain peanut products in them, we ask students and visitors to refrain from bringing nuts or peanut butter into our school, and we ask you to wash hands & faces before coming to the school.

For the expectations we have for appropriate behavior from students trying class as well as siblings, friends and parents in our lobby, please see Our Expectations.


What is okay / not okay to wear for a trial class
We allow only modest clothing (loose-fitting short sleeved t-shirts and loose fitting long pants or
baggy shorts that come at least to the knee; we do not allow crop tops, mesh tops, tank tops,
tops that have the sides slit open or that are sheer enough to see through; we do not allow yoga pants or
leggings or tight fitting running pants ... and we do reserve the right to require you to reschedule your
trial class if we feel that your clothing is not appropriate. Yes, we understand that "other" places, like the gym or running clubs etc allow clothing that is on our "not okay" list ...  but we are not "other" places.  :)
(once you become a student you must wear the provided uniform to every class):

Why don't we take new students all throughout a session?
We have belt rank testing every two months (at the end of each session) for students who have earned the necessary skill stripes to be eligible to test to try to earn the next belt up in rank. Students who start after the first 3 weeks of a session typically are not ready to participate in the upcoming belt rank testing and may become discouraged when all their friends are preparing for testing, and then may quit because they feel they are not as "good" as everyone else. Waiting a few weeks to try a class may seem like "forever" for someone who wants to start NOW, but we've found students who start at the beginning of a session tend to feel much more successful and confident.