West America Tae Kwon Do

West America Tae Kwon Do offers morning Tae Kwon Do training sessions that include beginner Tae Kwon Do skills along with practicing manners, listening skills, and respect. The program also includes daily field trips such as bowling, visits to parks and beaches, and time at an arcade with laser tag.

• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Year-round classes with weekday afternoon and evening options, plus a Summer Camp running weekly from June 22, 2026 to August 14, 2026; Little Ninjas classes are half-hour lessons.
• Price: Little Ninjas drop-ins are $30 per class.

West America Tae Kwon Do was founded in 1983 by Master Roger Carlon and is a family owned and operated business that has been running in Mill Valley since 1983. It is the oldest martial arts studio in Marin and is described as a family-run dojo specializing in traditional martial arts training. West America Tae Kwon Do offers Spring, Summer, and Winter Tae Kwon Do camps and occasionally hosts Mid-Winter Break and other holiday break camps, and it is currently taking applications for an After Care Program for K–8th graders. Introductory lessons for beginner students are free, with children’s introductory lessons offered Monday through Friday from 3:30–4:00 PM and teen and adult introductory lessons offered Monday through Friday from 6:15–7:00 PM. The Little Ninjas class is structured for 3.5 to 4.5 year olds as a parent or guardian participation class, and Little Ninjas drop-ins are $30 per class.

The leadership team includes Sensei Roger Carlon (Owner and Master), Sensei Chantal Carlon (co-owner, Head Instructor), and Sensei Roger Carlon Jr. (Sensei, co-owner, Head Instructor). Master Roger Carlon holds multiple black belts, including 7th Dan WTF Kukkiwon Black Belt, 6th Dan Shoju-Ryu, 6th Dan Shorin-Ryu, 4th Dan Shotokan, 4th Dan Okinawan Karate, 2nd Dan Goju-Ryu, 2nd Dan Hapkido, and 1st Dan Okinawan Kobudo, and he has over 45 years of experience working with students of all ages. He was the 1987 World Wako Open Forms Champion, the 1985 Midwest Point Sparring Champion, and has been honored twice by the Pacific Sun as “Teacher of the Year.” Sensei Chantal Carlon and Sensei Roger Carlon Jr. are both 4th Dan WTF Kukkiwon Black Belts, Kukkiwon Certified Instructors, and multi-time AAU National Champions, and both are International Hanmadang Champions (1999). The instructors at West America Tae Kwon Do have competed and won championships nationally and internationally many times.

West America Tae Kwon Do is a Black Belt School, and Master Carlon has practiced and blended ITF and WTF systems of Tae Kwon Do with Okinawan Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu Karate, as well as aspects of Kobudo, Aikido, Judo, and Japanese Jiujitsu into the system. The dojo states that it continues to produce premier black belt students and honorable citizens in the local community and that its goal is to guide and build well-rounded students and individuals in a fun and positive environment. West America Tae Kwon Do states that it strives to instill the traditional martial arts tenets of Respect, Discipline, Integrity, Perseverance, and Honor, and that its goal is to help each student reach their full potential in their training. The dojo community is described as welcoming, and it states that everyone is family there. West America Tae Kwon Do is a Proud Kiddo! Business Partner for 40 years and states that it continues to produce honorable citizens in the local community.

West America Tae Kwon Do has been voted Best Martial Arts school in Marin from 2023–2026 and received the Marin Independent Journal Reader’s Choice award in 2024.

Last updated June 14, 2026.