Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do

What Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do does

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do is a privately held martial arts school operating primarily from a single physical studio in Arlington, Virginia, with a sister school in Falls Church, VA. The business was founded in 1962 by Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee and is currently led by Masters Barry Shackelford and Francis Pineda, who continue the founder's methodology. The school offers six core programs spanning the full age range: KneeHigh Ninja (ages 4+), Junior & Family, Teen & Adult, Adaptive (for students with special needs), Cardio Kickboxing (including hybrid formats), and Remote Training. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly tuition across these programs, with a publicly disclosed introductory trial priced at $200 for 4 weeks of training plus a uniform. Headcount is approximately 10 employees, and the customer base is entirely individual consumers/families with no enterprise or institutional contracts disclosed.

The go-to-market is community-led: marketing is concentrated on the school's website (arlingtonkicks.com), Facebook, and Instagram, with enrollment driven by word-of-mouth referrals and published parent testimonials. The brand carries notable legacy associations, including documented training of Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and President Joe Biden, and has accumulated regional recognition including recurring Best of Arlington awards (2015, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2025) and Sun Gazette (2020) and Gazette Leader (2023) awards. The underlying technology is a proprietary teaching methodology developed by Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, delivered through in-person instruction, with no disclosed digital platform, mobile app, or AI/ML components. The firm has no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no institutional ownership.

Name

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do

Legal name

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do

Website

https://jhoonrhee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do is a privately held martial arts school founded in 1962, operating from Arlington, VA with a sister school in Falls Church. It serves ages 4 through adults across six programs under a proprietary teaching methodology, with revenue from recurring monthly tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Instruction

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSADADAA

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

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Martial Arts & Self-Defense Training

SECONDARYHSADADAG

Kids & Youth Martial Arts Programs

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Martial Arts & Self-Defense Training

SECONDARYHSADADAJ

Competition & Tournament Team Training

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Martial Arts & Self-Defense Training

SECONDARYHSADAAAJ

Youth & Teen Personal Training

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Personal Training (In-Person & Virtual)

Keywords

• Martial arts instruction
• Tae Kwon Do training
• Kids martial arts
• Adult self defense
• Cardio kickboxing classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition and Training Fees: Revenue generated from enrollment in martial arts programs including KneeHigh Ninja, Junior & Family, Teen & Adult, Adaptive, and Cardio Kickboxing programs. Introductory trials available for new students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do operates a physical martial arts studio in Arlington, VA delivering in-person Tae Kwon Do instruction across six program lines: KneeHigh Ninja (ages 4+), Junior & Family, Teen & Adult, Adaptive, Cardio Kickboxing, and Remote Training. The school charges recurring tuition fees, with a $200 introductory trial package (4 weeks plus uniform) used to enroll new students, and emphasizes life-skills development alongside martial arts training.

Product overview

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do is a martial arts school offering a multi-tiered curriculum of Tae Kwon Do programs. The company provides six distinct program offerings: KneeHigh Ninja Program (ages 4+), Junior & Family Program (grade-school age), Teen & Adult Program, Adaptive Program, Cardio Kickboxing, and Remote Training. Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee founded the institute in 1962, and current leadership under Masters Barry Shackelford and Francis Pineda continues his mission of building confidence, discipline, strong character, and mental and physical fitness in students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KneeHigh Ninja Program Martial arts program for children starting at age 4, designed to develop good habits such as following directions, improving listening skills and attention, as well as respect for self and others, in a supportive environment.
• Junior & Family Program Program for older grade-school age students where they develop confidence and character by earning higher levels of Tae Kwon Do ranks, with options for parents to attend and train with their children in a family fitness setting.
• Teen & Adult Program Program for older teens and adults offering a balance of physical exercise, philosophy, self-defense, and a martial arts curriculum, with a strong sense of community built through dedicated practice and shared goals.
• Adaptive Program Specialized martial arts program designed for students with adaptive needs, providing a supportive training environment with tailored instruction for diverse abilities.
• Cardio Kickboxing High-energy cardio workout combining martial arts techniques with fitness training, available in in-person and hybrid class formats for fitness-focused students.
• Remote Training Virtual martial arts training program enabling students to participate in classes from home, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 students have studied the Jhoon Rhee method since 1962

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Evolve MMA: Asia-based martial arts organization combining in-person training at multiple locations with online instructional content and the Evolve University curriculum. Comparable as a multi-discipline martial arts school with digital content distribution, though focused on MMA/BJJ rather than traditional taekwondo.

Direct peers

• Premier Martial Arts: Franchised martial arts chain operating across multiple US states with programs for kids, teens, and adults. Directly comparable in taekwondo/karate-based curriculum, character-development value proposition, and franchise-driven multi-location footprint versus Jhoon Rhee's single primary studio.
• ATA Martial Arts (American Taekwondo Association): Largest US taekwondo franchisor, operating hundreds of independently-owned schools under a shared Songahm Taekwondo curriculum and belt system. Directly comparable to Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do in offering structured taekwondo instruction with belt progression, youth and family programs, and instructor-led classes, but operates at vastly greater scale via franchise licensing.
• Karate America: Traditional martial arts school chain offering age-segmented programs (little ninjas, youth, adult) with belt progression and life-skills focus. Closely mirrors Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do's six-tier program structure, subscription tuition model, and family-friendly positioning.
• YMAA (Yang's Martial Arts Association): International organization founded by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming offering traditional martial arts instruction across multiple disciplines including taekwondo-adjacent styles, with both school locations and published curriculum materials. Comparable as a legacy traditional martial arts brand with instructional methodology focus.
• Tiger Schulmann's Martial Arts: Multi-location martial arts chain with a proprietary karate-based curriculum, offering kids, teen, and adult programs with belt-ranking systems. Comparable in subscription-tuition model, age-segmented program structure, and life-skills framing, though anchored in karate/kickboxing rather than traditional taekwondo.
• Taekwondo America: Independent taekwondo school association offering traditional taekwondo instruction with belt progression and character-development curriculum. Direct competitor in traditional taekwondo instruction for youth and adults with similar instructional and community-building positioning.

Broad incumbents

• UFC Gym: National fitness/MMA gym franchise offering martial arts-inspired fitness programming, kickboxing classes, and youth programs. Comparable in offering cardio kickboxing and youth martial-arts-adjacent programming, but operates at much larger scale and is fitness-focused rather than traditional martial arts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jhoonrheearlington
• Instagraminstagram.com/jriarlington/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jhoon-rhee-tae-kwon-do

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do