Jhoon Rhee Arlington opened in March of 2005 with one studio and less than 20 classes per week. Over the years we’ve had two expansions, doubling our square footage, and now offer over 50 classes per week for students of all levels.
After ten years and hundreds of students, Masters Barry Shackelford and Francis Pineda still get the most joy out of introducing new students to the unique martial arts style of Grand Master Jhoon Rhee. “His approach to Tae Kwon Do instruction is more than just a martial art,” explains Master Shackelford. “It teaches life skills that can serve anyone of any age.”
In November of 2014, we awarded our 100th black belt. “It’s amazing to think that we’ve had that many students put in the amount of hard work and dedication necessary to earn a black belt,” Master Pineda noted. Master Shackelford elaborated, “For a student to earn a black belt they are required to do much more than simply come to class and learn forms and sparring techniques. Candidates have to complete the black belt curriculum, demonstrate good behavior outside of class, provide leadership within our school, and routinely show academic progress in school while maintaining a minimum of a “B” average. Most of our black belt candidates, in fact, have straight A’s.”
The youngest black belt in our school’s history was Braden, son of Master Shackelford, who received his belt at the age of nine. Our oldest Black Belts earned their rank in their fifties.
We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the last decade, including all of the students we have helped to develop not only their martial arts skills, but their life skills as well. We are extremely excited about the decades to come.
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