From kicks to bricks: Taekwondo school gets its first home base

The sounds of children practicing their kicks and yelling “Hiya,” echoed throughout Powerspeed Taekwondo's new headquarters at 5912 Riverdale Ave.

Ronald Caaya, known to his students as Master Ron, founded the school six years ago. But despite a growing client list, it never had a permanent location. Since its launch, the Taekwondo program has operated out of sublet spaces in Riverdale and Kingsbridge. Now, it has found a home to call its own.

Its new spot was previously home to the Female Fight Club, which has since moved a few doors over. Prior to securing the vacant spot, Caaya typically operated from 5720 Mosholu Ave. and the Riverdale Neighborhood House.

“This [space] is three times, four times bigger than [the Mosholu Avenue] one,” he noted. “We were looking for a while before we found it, but it was very convenient for everybody because it’s close to the old one.”

Caaya discovered his love for martial arts as a nine-year-old in the Philippines where he was born. The Taekwando instructor was unable to afford proper classes so, he learned from anyone willing to teach him and practiced wherever space allowed.

His passion eventually led him to earn a college degree in physical education and a coaching job at a Filipino high school where he led a Taekwondo team to national competition success.

In 2007, Caaya emigrated to the U.S. He continued teaching physical education but said it never quite matched his love for martial arts. Around 2015, he started working as an instructor or assistant instructor at various gyms across New York City. One day, a thought popped into his mind -- ‘You know what, why don’t I just start my own gym?’

In 2019, that idea became reality when Caaya launched Powerspeed Taekwondo out of the sublet Mosholu Avenue space, not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. His lease was month-to-month which allowed him to walk away without a financial hit.

He kept the school afloat by offering virtual classes on Zoom, though attendance did fall. As restrictions eased, he brought students back together for in-person sessions at Van Cortlandt Park. Eventually, he returned to indoor instruction and began rebuilding his clientele and did so with great success.

“The other places were getting too small. So, we had to spread out classes and open so many sessions,” Caaya recalled. “It would be 30-minute sessions like back-to-back from 4 to 7:30 p.m.

The Riverdale Avenue location alleviated that issue. The expanded space allows for a more balanced schedule of group and private classes for children, teens and adults.

Caaya estimated he currently serves up to 90 students and predicted the number will grow to about 130 by the start of the school year. There’s typically a lull in the summer, he added, with many kids away at camp or on vacation. But enrollments really get going in the fall when the need for after-school programs is in full swing. most prominent.

 But he’s also looking to diversify his student pool.

“I'm trying to attract more adults, because a lot of people think that this is only for kids,” he expressed. “Somebody came here and gave me the idea, ‘why don’t you do [classes] with seniors too? I really like that idea, because it’s also something to keep their mind active.”

One of the offerings he is most excited by are his private classes with special needs individuals, mostly those with autism. The goal of those sessions is to transition the students into group classes at a comfortable pace.

Looking ahead, he hopes the new space opens the door to more sparring, competitive training and tournament prep at the state and national levels.

“We’ve finally got room to grow,” he said. “Now we can really go all in.”