U.S. Taekwondo Center

What U.S. Taekwondo Center does

U.S. Taekwondo Center (USTC) is a privately held, family-owned martial arts school operating five physical training centers in Colorado Springs and Monument, Colorado, serving approximately 1,200 active students with 32 full-time and part-time staff. Founded in 1986 by Grandmaster Sang Chul Lee, the first U.S. Olympic Taekwondo Head Coach in 1988, the company delivers age-segmented Taekwondo instruction across Mini Masters (ages 3-6), Basic Program (ages 5-16), Family Programs (multi-generational, ages 4-100), and Adult Programs (ages 16+), supplemented by a field-proven U.S. Fighting Systems self-defense curriculum grounded in FBI Uniform Crime Report attack statistics.

The business generates revenue through three streams: recurring membership and tuition fees across all programs, event registration fees for in-house and hosted tournaments (Masters Challenge, Break-A-Thon, Rocky Mountain State Games, U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang), and corporate sponsorships for events. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through five retail locations, supplemented by school-based after-school enrichment programs, free introductory lessons, waived registration campaigns, and community events such as the annual Break-A-Thon that has raised over $300,000 for local charities in the past decade.

Operationally, the school is led by Grandmaster Lee as Chairman, his son Master Jay Lee as President and CEO, and co-owner Sammy Pejo as Technical Director and Executive Director. All instructors hold Kukkiwon certifications, and the company maintains partnerships with USA Taekwondo, the World Taekwondo Federation, the WooSong Foundation (scholarships), and Angels of America's Fallen (free training for children of fallen military and first responders). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the customer acquisition model relies on freemium entry (free trial lessons, waiver questionnaires) and word-of-mouth rather than paid digital channels.

Name

U.S. Taekwondo Center

Legal name

U.S. Taekwondo Center, Inc.

Website

https://ustaekwondocenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

U.S. Taekwondo Center is a family-owned martial arts school operating five training centers in Colorado Springs and Monument, Colorado, serving roughly 1,200 students across age-segmented Taekwondo programs, self-defense training, and hosted tournaments under a direct-to-consumer membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Martial Arts Schools (Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, etc.) (HSADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Youth Martial Arts Programs (HSADADAG), Law Enforcement / Military / Security Defensive Tactics Training (HSADADAI)

Keywords

• Martial arts training
• Taekwondo classes
• Self-defense instruction
• Youth martial arts
• Family fitness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Monument

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership/Tuition Fees: Recurring membership fees for Taekwondo classes across child, adult, and family programs. Classes offered at multiple skill levels from beginner through black belt. Age minimum 4 years old.
2. Event Registration Fees: Fees for participation in tournaments and events including Masters Challenge, Break-A-Thon, Rocky Mountain State Games, and US Open Taekwondo Hanmadang.
3. Sponsorships and Corporate Partnerships: Tournament sponsorship, event sponsorship, and corporate partnership opportunities that provide visibility through logo placement, participant materials, hospitality areas, and promotional announcements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

U.S. Taekwondo Center delivers in-person Taekwondo instruction and self-defense training to children, adults, and families across five physical training centers in Colorado Springs and Monument, Colorado. The core offering includes age-segmented training programs (Mini Masters for ages 3-6, Basic Program for ages 5-16, Adult Programs for ages 16+, and multi-generational Family Programs) supplemented by a field-proven U.S. Fighting Systems self-defense curriculum. The business also hosts community tournaments and fundraising events.

Product overview

U.S. Taekwondo Center offers a unified suite of Taekwondo instruction programs and community events. The core service consists of age-segmented training programs: Mini Masters (ages 3-6), Basic Program (ages 5-16), Family Programs (multi-generational, ages 4+), and Adult Programs (ages 16+). These programs are complemented by Real World Self-Defense Programs based on U.S. Fighting Systems curriculum. The organization also provides free trial lessons and educational reports as marketing resources, and hosts recurring community events including the annual Break-A-Thon, Masters Challenge Tournament, and Rocky Mountain State Games. The product portfolio functions as a single integrated martial arts school offering rather than a platform with separate modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mini Masters Program A child Taekwondo program for ages 3-6 that introduces fundamental principles including listening skills, respect, social skills, coordination, balance, and self-defense through play-based lessons at U.S. Taekwondo Center's training centers.
• Basic Program A youth Taekwondo program for ages 5-16 that develops confidence, discipline, respect, physical fitness, and practical self-defense choices and techniques against strangers, attackers, or bullies, offered as an after-school activity at U.S. Taekwondo Center locations.
• Family Programs A multi-generational Taekwondo program for ages 4-100 where children, parents, and grandparents train together in the same classroom, with self-defense techniques tailored to each age and athletic ability for shared stress-relief, character-building, and family bonding.
• Adult Programs Taekwondo instruction for adults ages 16+ offering a path to first-degree black belt and beyond, with health benefits including stress relief, increased physical fitness, improved overall health, greater strength, more energy, and improved concentration, supplemented by U.S. Fighting Systems self-defense curriculum.
• Real World Self-Defense Programs Field-proven self-defense training based on U.S. Fighting Systems curriculum covering disengagement, de-escalation, and physical techniques against 10 categories of common attacks including verbal abuse, grabs, kicks, punches, chokes, blunt instrument attacks, knife attacks, gun attacks, and multiple attackers; taught to military, law enforcement, correctional officers, security professionals, and civilians ages 16+.
• Break-A-Thon An annual fundraising event since 2006 where students use their Taekwondo skills to raise funds for local nonprofits through board breaking, corporate sponsorships, and community participation, having raised over $300,000 in the past 10 years for charities including Children's Hospital Colorado, The Home Front Cares, and TESSA of Colorado Springs.
• Masters Challenge Tournament An annual in-house tournament between U.S. Taekwondo Center locations for all ages and belt levels, featuring traditional and creative poomsae, creative board breaking, sparring, power breaking, jumping high kick, team poomsae, and demo team competition with 500+ state participants annually.
• Rocky Mountain State Games Taekwondo A Taekwondo tournament and festival featuring sparring, board breaking, traditional and creative poomsae, spinning hook kick, jumping high kick, power breaking events, and demonstration team competitions for white belt and above from the U.S. and around the world.
• Parent Night Out Events Periodic evening events at Monument and Stetson Hills locations providing child care through Taekwondo activities, games, crafts, and pizza while parents enjoy a kid-free evening.
• Free Trial Lesson A complimentary one-on-one introductory Taekwondo lesson available to prospective students, with options for children, adults, or families, designed to convert prospects into enrolled students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students train at 5 locations with 1,200+ active students and 32 staff members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WooSong FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012WooSong Foundation is an independent non-profit created by some of Grandmaster Lee's students in 2012 to provide scholarships for students who want to learn and experience Taekwondo but do not have the financial means to participate. The foundation's name is Grandmaster Lee's nickname - 'Woo' means 'want to be friends' or 'friend' in Korean, and 'Song' means 'pine tree' or 'evergreen.' The foundation supports students in adopting a firm foundation of loyalty, respect, and trust.
• Angels of America's FallencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Taekwondo Center is a sponsor of Angels of America's Fallen, an organization dedicated to honoring fallen military and first responders by caring for their children. The organization provides mentors, coaches, and instructors for these children along with developmental activities. USTC provides full Taekwondo scholarships for children in the program.
• U.S. Fighting SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationU.S. Fighting Systems provides the self-defense curriculum taught at U.S. Taekwondo Center. Led by former Marine, corrections officer, and police officer Dave Young, the USFS program provides tactical, field-proven, self-defense training for law enforcement, military, and civilians. This curriculum covers 10 categories of common attacks in the United States based on FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics.
• KukkiwoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Taekwondo certification partner for black belt rankings. All U.S. Taekwondo Center instructors hold Kukkiwon certifications and the organization hosts Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Hanmadang events.
• USA TaekwondocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSA Taekwondo is the National Governing body of Taekwondo in the United States as recognized by the US Olympic Committee. Grandmaster Sang Chul Lee served as President of USA Taekwondo (formerly USTU) from 1997-2004.
• World Taekwondo FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Governing body of Taekwondo as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Grandmaster Sang Chul Lee served as Vice President of the World Taekwondo Federation from 2002-2005.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tiger Schulmann's Martial Arts: Large multi-location martial arts chain offering karate-based training for kids, teens, and adults. Comparable to USTC in business model (membership-based, multi-location, family-oriented programs) and customer base, though it leans on karate/kickboxing rather than Olympic Taekwondo.
• U.S. Martial Arts Center: Regional martial arts school chain with similar children- and family-oriented programming. Comparable to USTC in target market (children, families) and class-based membership model, though smaller in scale.
• Premier Martial Arts: Franchise martial arts chain offering Taekwondo, kickboxing, and self-defense across multiple states. Directly comparable to USTC in Taekwondo instruction, multi-generational programming, and franchise-style growth model.
• Karate America: Multi-location martial arts school chain focused on children's karate and character development. Comparable to USTC's youth programs (Mini Masters and Basic Program) in terms of curriculum emphasis on discipline, confidence, and after-school enrollment.
• ATA Martial Arts: American Taekwondo Association — the largest Taekwondo-focused martial arts organization in the U.S. with affiliated schools across multiple states. Directly comparable because it offers traditional Taekwondo instruction to children and adults via a multi-location, membership-based model similar to U.S. Taekwondo Center.

Broad incumbents

• Kukkiwon: World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea — issues black belt certifications and oversees the World Taekwondo Hanmadang. Comparable as the certifying authority whose curriculum and ranking standards USTC instructors follow.
• USA Taekwondo: National Governing Body for Taekwondo in the U.S. and a USTC strategic partner. Comparable as a broader incumbent that defines the competitive structure of the Taekwondo instruction category, but not a direct operating competitor to USTC's schools.
• Gold's Gym: Global fitness center franchise with broad adult fitness offerings. Comparable in the fitness/recreational sports center category (NAICS 713940) but serves a wider audience with general fitness rather than specialized Taekwondo instruction.

Emerging players

• UFC Gym: Multi-location fitness and MMA training franchise combining martial arts with general fitness. Comparable as an emerging participant in martial arts/fitness that targets some of the same adult self-defense and fitness consumer segments as USTC.
• Checkmate Martial Arts: Growing martial arts school chain offering Taekwondo, kickboxing, and self-defense for kids and adults. Comparable as an emerging multi-location player with similar programming and a focus on character development for youth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/officialustc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/1ustc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ustaekwondocenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/ustaekwondocenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Taekwondo Center