Crawford's Tae Kwon Do

"I recently took my 9 year old cousin to a Saturday class and I was absolutely blown away with how comfortable Mr. Crawford made her feel. He most definitely made her feel welcomed given this was her very first karate class ever. Mr.Crawford coached all of the kids equally. I love the discipline that is taught in class along with making it fun for them. My little cousin had an amazing time. We will be back next time she’s in town ! Thank you both Mr.Crawfords for a wonderful first visit !"

"My name is Thirushan, and I've been a student at Crawford's Tae Kwon Do for 7 years. When I first joined, I was an undersized preteen who was being incessantly bullied. At that time, Mr. Crawford was running classes in his home with a small but committed group of individuals who represented the school well, both in demeanor and in competition. What I really loved about the school was that I could have a great workout, practice self discipline, engage in the arts, and learn how to defend myself within in short amount of time, and the community within the school pushed me to improve myself. Over the years, the school has gotten considerably bigger and is attracting students of all kinds, but amazingly, the atmosphere has not changed one bit! Students still come to the school and reform themselves, making their minds and bodies stronger. Without a doubt in my mind, I can say that this is because of Mr. Crawford's relentless dedication to making students better in all aspects of their training, both mental and physical. He pushes you to make yourself a bit better everyday. I personally can attest to that. My self confidence has soared, I have become leaner and stronger, and I have begun to explore the nuances of an art which, thanks to Mr. Crawford, I now know how to apply to the real world situations. So to anyone who is looking to start something worthwhile, I urge you to go to Crawford's Tae Kwon Do and try it out. It is a choice you definitely will not regret."

"My 6-year-old daughter and I have been at Crawford's Tae Kwon Do for a year, and we have had a wonderful experience. Mr. Crawford's teaching style combines an emphasis on self-defense, fighting skills, and self-discipline from a real-world perspective with an appreciation for the beauty of martial arts. In a year, my daughter's physical coordination and ability to focus have improved dramatically. I appreciate that Mr. Crawford is both firm with children in terms of how he expects them to behave, and also compassionate, caring, and funny. For myself, I have gone from a flabby middle-aged professor to someone with much better physical confidence and muscle tone. This dojo is open, welcoming, and family oriented, and its students are diverse and international. One of the things I appreciate most about Crawford's Taekwondo is the lovely community of parents who have also become students. I love coming to class. It has changed my experience of living in Lexington. The critical review makes no sense to me; I find the notion that Mr. Crawford is a bully to be ridiculous. This dojo is a place where anyone can pursue their individual goals, with an impressive instructor who is generous with his time and expertise, in an atmosphere of respect."

"My name is Tony Reyes (44). My daughter Loni has been attending classes at Crawford’s Taekwondo for over 3 years. During this time, she has learned self-discipline, confidence respect in the traditional ways of Tae kwon do. Who knew that a self-defense class could help a child focus in school, set her own priorities and teach self-respect? Soon after joining Crawford’s Tae kwon do we have seen big changes in our household and in school as well. Before I started attending Crawford’s, I had been on 4 different medications and a C-Pap (breathing machine for sleep apnea) and weighed 222 lbs. I began taking Mr. Crawford’s kickboxing class and slowly moved into his Tae kwon do classes. Throughout my journey with Crawford’s Taekwondo, I have been focusing on how to take these medications out of my life. With a combined efforts of diet, exercise and Mr. Crawford’s classes, I have managed (as of yesterday) to get off of one of my blood pressure medicines, a baby aspirin, and a cholesterol medication. This morning I found out that I might not need the C-Pap. Not only that, this morning I got on the scale and I weighed 202 lbs.!! I realized this morning I have lost a whopping 20 lbs.! At 44, you would think men like me would be discouraged and somewhat intimidated by the younger kids. At Crawford’s you’re not a number, you are an individual with individual goals and I believe Mr. Crawford can be that person to help you reach those goals. Taekwondo teaches you discipline, Kickboxing will give you the cardio workout of your life and will give you great sparring techniques. Mr. Crawford does not only give you the tools you need to defend yourself, but takes the time to explain step by step and why these techniques are important and how they should be used. He has a special talent with people in helping them to reach self-goals, whether it's to lose weight, become a skilled martial artist or just self-defense. Mr. Crawford promotes strong family values and insists that their younger students do well in school and respect their parents. Mr. Crawford believes in teaching children to be leaders and not followers so that when they are faced with decisions they have to make on their own, when you as a parent are not around, they will make the right decisions. He is an amazing instructor and fantastic role model. Mr. Crawford has helped teach my daughter to be independent and strong, which is especially important in these days. She commands independence and does great in school. I have seen many children under Mr. Crawford’s tutelage become very strong and independent. I have seen them transform from shriveling scared kids, afraid to try and do anything, to self-confident outgoing individuals. Mr. Crawford has trained several kids for competition and they have placed numerous times in both forms and sparring. If you are looking to better yourself, get your kids on a physical fitness program that teaches respect and self-confidence, or just want a great workout that teaches a skill, then Crawford’s Tae Kwon Do is the program for you."

"Crawford's Tae Kwon Do is not your average Tae Kwon Do school. It's quite a bit better. Before I continue, you probably want to how how reliable my review really is. Here you go: I am a third degree blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do, and I've been doing it for nearly three quarters of my life at this point. I have been to nearly every kind of Tae Kwon Do school you can think of. The kind that the high school wrestling coach teaches in his basement. The kind where the instructor taught in Korea first. The kind with a multi-million dollar lease, five branches, and a Top-Ten in the US rating. And now I train at Crawford's. What makes Crawford's great as a martial arts school is the idea that martial arts isn't just an activity you go to a couple times a week. Everyone does martial arts for a different reason. Some for weight loss and exercise, some for stress relief, some for self defense, and some to let their kids use up some of that never-ending energy in a safe environment where they will learn useful skills at the same time. Crawford's Tae Kwon Do is really the first school I have been to with the range of classes and instruction to help you achieve that goal. That being said, if your goal is solely to learn (and maybe compete with) Tae Kwon Do, Crawford's is still the place to be. Most schools focus on the word art in Martial Arts. They have flawless technique and still couldn't last in a fight, tournament or otherwise. At others, the only thing that matters is the next fight. At Crawford's, the focus is much more balanced. Tournament participation is encouraged, but so is the perfection of forms and techniques. To conclude: Of all the places I have studied Tae Kwon Do, and of all the schools in Lexington I have trialed or observed, Crawford's Tae Kwon Do is the best place in Lexington (and likely a quite larger area) for anyone to learn martial arts."