World Taekwondo - Haidong Gumdo Academy
About
World Taekwondo - Haidong Gumdo Academy on Union Hills Drive
World Taekwondo - Haidong Gumdo Academy, founded in December 2008 by Grand Master Choi as Choi's Traditional TaeKwonDo Academy, is a traditional Korean martial arts school at 9001 W Union Hills Drive in southern Peoria. The school teaches two complementary Korean arts under one roof: traditional World Taekwondo (WT) kicking, blocking, and forms, and Haidong Gumdo, the modern Korean sword art practiced with wooden bokken in the dojang.
Kids Martial Arts Programs
The kids taekwondo program follows the WT Olympic-style curriculum, with the Korean sword art available alongside:
- Stances and basic blocks
- Taegeuk poomsae forms
- Full range of kicking techniques, from front and roundhouse up through spinning and jumping variations
- Structured one-step sparring and controlled kyorugi with protective gear as students advance
- Haidong Gumdo sword work with wooden bokken
What's Included
- Two distinct Korean arts (taekwondo and sword) under one roof
- Five tenets of taekwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit
- Standard color-belt path from white through poom/black with stripes between
- Optional tournament participation
- Trial classes available for new students of any age
Experience
Grand Master Choi's seventeen-plus years running the academy in the same Union Hills location have built a multigenerational student base across the West Valley. Instructors weave the five tenets into how children handle setbacks both on the mat and in the rest of their lives. The school serves families across Peoria, Glendale, and the northwest Valley.