TESTIMONIALS

*In the process of uploading our testimonials - you can also find five-star reviews on Yelp, Google and Facebook.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS:

Mr. Cho’s teachings are tremendous for the physical and mental development of our 6 year old son. There are valuable lessons about respecting yourself and others; your body, realizing your potential, etc. They are delivered with clarity and conviction, which is refreshing in a complex world that our child seeks to make sense of. I feel like this is one of the best investments if not the best investment – I am making in time and resources for our son. It is with tremendous sincerity that I endorse Mr. Cho’s school.

Paul Jablon

We are the very fortunate folks who now have a true martial arts studio in Laguna Beach! My son takes Tae Kwo Do and is thriving. He is focused, attentive and striving for his best. He sweats, learns and is challenged by Mr. Cho but leaves very confident. The space is a perfect balance of calm and movement!

Patience Shutts

Mr. Cho is a wonderful Tae Kwon Do master who knows how to get best from his students, in particular the young ones. His mentorship and guidance on self discipline, perseverance and high achievements influence greatly my son Shayne on a daily basis. We are grateful for Master Cho being one of the important authority figures in Shayne’s life.

Suzana Corritori

My 3 year old son began classes with Mr. Cho and he loves them! Mr. Cho skillfully combines age-specific fun with the fundamentals of Tae Kwon Do. The classes provide a fantastic forum for our son to work on his strength, balance and self-esteem. My husband and I have already noticed marked improvement in our son’s motivation to try new activities that he may have been fearful of in the past. We highly recommend Mr. Cho’s classes for anyone willing to improve their inner and outer strength. Laguna Beach is lucky to have Mr. Cho in our community.

Melanie Silverman

My 6 year old daughter has been attending Cho’s Academy since it opened. She absolutely loves it and looks forward to each week’s classes. As many other parents have mentioned, it is so much more than a great workout and activity for kids. Mr. Cho teaches the importance of focusing, self-discipline and respecting yourself and others. These additional life lessons are probably the biggest benefit I have seen in my daughter. I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is to have Cho’s Academy in Laguna Beach. It is truly a community/family run business and all the extra community activities that they host are just wonderful for Laguna families!

Linda Mackay

My 7 year old daughter has been studying TKD since last October and I can not say enough about the benefits she is realizing from this wonderful experience. She wears her Yellow Belt with pride, and is looking forward to testing for Orange Belt in the coming months. I have been very impressed with the strength, balance, discipline, determination and confidence she has developed working with Master Cho.

Toni Kellerman

My 11 year son has just started at the Academy. Most will agree that Martial Arts have multiple benefits, the trick is to find the right instructor. The instructor is key in most activities but more so with Martial Arts as there isn’t the instant gratification you get from ball sports and the like.

Mr. Cho has the gift of being great with the kids providing a balance of fun and discipline. At the same time he can also take the student from beginner to the highest level. Personally I also like the fact that this is a family run business (as opposed to being part of a chain) with a long heritage in Martial Arts.

Mark Laptin

My son, Benton Barlow, has been a student of Jacob Cho’s for a year. It has been an amazing experience for him both mentally and physically. Mr. Cho provides an outstanding TKD program for children. It has been an excellent physical outlet for my active 6-year-old son. Benton has learned many TKD patterns and moves during the past year and has progressed from a white belt to a yellow belt. Due to Benton’s hard work and Mr. Cho’s guidance he will soon test for an orange belt. Benton is very proud of his accomplishments, and Mr. Cho is there every step of the way. Mr. Cho also provides outstanding discipline and structure in his program. He expects a lot from the kids and they always rise to the occasion. Mr. Cho is a great role model and teacher for the children in his program. I would highly recommend Mr. Cho’s TKD for boys and girls of all ages. My four-year-old daughter, Addison, will definitely be enrolled in Mr. Cho’s Montessori program. I know she will love the experience as much as my son Benton. Mr. Cho’s TKD will be a fantastic addition to the Montessori program.

Stacy Barlow

My children – almost 6 and 4 yrs – have been attending Cho’s Academy since it opened last fall. They train with Mr. Cho a couple of times a week, and look forward to every visit. They also get a kick out of shouting “hi Cho’s” as we pass by on PCH multiple times a day. I love how Mr. Cho interacts with the kids. He’s strict, but encouraging and at times silly which the kids adore. I really appreciate the pro-social character teachings Mr. Cho incorporates in his training sessions too. I feel like the kids are getting much more than just a good work out from Cho’s tkd and yoga programs. We’re also big fans of the monthly parent’s night out program, and our kids love these special “movie nights” too. Can’t say enough great things about Cho’s Academy and highly recommend them!

Shelley Wineke

My son, Nicholas, studied at Mr. Cho’s Academy this past summer and it was a wonderful experience. We are part time Laguna Beach residents and if it were possible, I would enroll my son year round. It was Nick’s first time studying Tae Kwon Do and he wants to continue, I attribute this to the motivation and encouragement of Mr. Cho. Nick even wanted to take private lessons to learn as much as he could before returning to Las Vegas for the fall.

I wanted my son to further develop his maturity, ability to focus and respect level in a fun & safe environment. Our expectations were definitely exceeded as Mr. Cho called the students to class each session with the clap of his hands. Watching the students fall in line and give their full attention to Mr. Cho, I knew he was in good hands. Nick was given the opportunity to work hard physically while getting the message along the way that respect, good grades and diplomacy were the keys to a successful future.

Tae Kwon Do readily lends itself to any sport. Nick learned great core development and flexibility while studying the principles of TKD. I know that as he prepares for football, basketball and baseball this school year he is more ready. I also expect that he will be more prepared in his mental as well as sportsmanship and leadership abilities.

We highly recommend Mr. Cho’s Academy and look forward to going back when we are in Laguna Beach again.

Becky Visconti

My 9 year old daughter and her cousin have been taking the TKD classes with Mr. Cho since Cho’s Academy has opened. The biggest benefit I’ve seen is their self confidence and self esteem level has skyrocketed. Thank you Cho’s Academy!

Valarie

My two daughters, 9 and 12, have been training with Mr. Cho for some time now, and the new studio is a wonderful place for them to learn. Mr. Cho is very skilled at balancing formal martial arts training while respecting a child’s need for fun, confidence and support. And, my daughters are having a lot of fun! It is surprising to me how much they look forward to each class, even though they attend several times a week. They love it. Each daughter is very different from the other, and both benefit in so many ways specific to their needs. They attend because it is good for them, not because our family has some specific interest in self defense for them. Their confidence has increased, strength, they have become closer, and they are challenged. Mr. Cho also does an excellent job reinforcing good messages for the kids – do your homework, listen to your parents, find time for fun, etc. The influence of yoga on the environment and classes is evident, too – living in balance is an emphasis. This studio feels like a family, warm and caring. Good job, guys! Keep up the good work – our family looks forward to the years to come.

Brian Pratt

My two sons (aged 7 and 6) have been attending Cho’s for several months. We wanted them to learn discipline and focus as well as develop their self-confidence.

Both objectives (and both kids) are advancing well and it’s been fun for the whole family. Mr. Cho is very professional and very amiable… We all love the place!

Jonathan Savitch

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Mr. Cho, you have a terrific martial arts program and have worked tirelessly to balance discipline, work, fun and joy. Training with you has been the single most rewarding part of our family’s life in California and we miss it even more than we anticipated. I have literally traveled around the world the past several years and visited many martial arts schools. Yours is unique–it is clearly a family recipe seasoned even more with your own style and temperament. We appreciated every moment we had and recognized the care and attention you’ve placed in creating the Cho’s Academy TKD program.

We’ve enrolled the kids in a martial arts school here in Montclair, but it’s just not quite the same.

Keep doing what you do so well. We miss it and will endeavor to live up to the example you’ve set. Cho’s now has great press here on the East Coast and all of us would be happy to support the school from here in any way we can.

Stay in touch.

Jonathan Savitch

My two boys, 7 and 6 both are involved with Mr. Cho’s Academy. There have been consistent and strong leaps in their emotional and physical growth since the start. I personally like the old school respect Mr. Cho practices with the kids. Too many parents (including myself) don’t say no to their children without a negotiation. Too many parents (me too) shoulder the responsibilities of their kids, where it’s really time to step off and let them take the heat if they forget. Mr. Cho finds that wonderful balance of fun, warmth, understanding, discipline and hard love. He demands respect from our children with a result being our children love him completely and await his next direction. It’s a relief to see, a pleasure to be around.

Jen Savitch