Master Mohamed Elshikh opened International Martial Arts in 2001 in Woodbridge, NJ. Over the past 17 years, the school moved three locations and now has it’s own private building and parking lot at 54 Cutters Dock Road, conveniently located two blocks behind Strawberry’s Pizza. In June 2016, Master Elshikh opened the Randolph location at 3 Middlebury Blvd. In March 2017, the Belleville location was renovated and re-opened as IMA again. Click on the class schedule links to see what days and times our taekwondo and IMA FIT classes are offered at each location.

Unsure if taekwondo is right for your child? Have your child wear comfortable play clothes and come in for a free trial class. We’ll ensure your child has fun, enjoys the sport, and we’ll even sneak in a disciple and skill lesson too – a win-win situation all around! Here are the top 5 reasons to try our school:

• Our instructors are certified, so we are well-versed in proper forms, as well as techniques
• Our primary focus is always on improving our students’ physical, mental and emotional health
• We offer classes for all ages and fitness levels, and we offer the convenience of multiple classes every week
• We encourage excellence at all levels, and strive to provide a positive environment that allows each student to achieve specific goals and milestones
• Our classes are small enough that we can provide individualized attention to each student

And parents, we also specialize in training children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Please speak with Master Elshikh on how we can tailor our program to meet your needs. Remember, you can build an amazing life if you build it on a solid foundation.

Safesport Certifications

CLick on the thumbnail to enlarge and read the certifications.
 

Master Mohamed Elshikh

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Master Mohamed Elshikh reached many achievements in his 23 years of studying the martial arts and 17 years in business:

• Trained at Yong-In University in Korea in 2010 in the Sparring Department
• Trained and competed in the Egypt Open in December 2010 and received 3rd Place Sparring
• 6th Dan World Taekwondo Federation Black Belt Certified
• 3rd Dan Hapkido World Ki-do Federation Certified
• 1999 New Jersey State Taekwondo Championship – 1st Place Sparring
• 2001 New Jersey State Taekwondo Championship – 1st Place Sparring
• 22nd Annual Pan Am Taekwondo Han Moo Kwan Championship – 1st Place Sparring
• December 2014 World Taekwondo Federation Citation of Recognition
• Host of the Metro Open Taekwondo Championship – one of the largest and well-attended tournaments on the east coast with international referees attending
• Host of the TrueScore East Coast States Championship – one of the largest TrueScore tournaments with international referees attending
• Member: World Taekwondo Federation, Hanmin Jok Hapkido Association, Kukkiwon Federation, NJ State Taekwondo Association, USA Taekwondo (USAT)
• President, New Jersey State Taekwondo Association
• President, TrueScore East Coast States
• Instructor of Martial Arts for the Woodbridge Recreation Department at the Woodbridge Community Center
• Instructor of Martial Arts for the RWJ Rahway Fitness & Wellness Center at Carteret

Master Miguel Martinez

Master Martinez has been doing martial arts since the age of 3 and a half and has been teaching for over 15 years. He is a 2nd Dan black belt in Shotokan karate; dojo 4-time champion in kickboxing point fighting; 4th dan black belt in Taekwondo; 3-time state championship in NJ in sparring, breaking, and forms at the Metro Championship, Junior Olympics, NAGA Champion Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioner. He is also a fitness trainer. Master Martinez studied under Master Elshikh for many years and then taught at the former Linden location. He rejoined the IMA family in the Randolph location in the summer of 2016.

• 2nd Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate
• 4th Dan World Taekwondo Federation Black Belt Certified

Master Manuel Nieves

A Woodbridge native, Master Nieves has been Master Elshikh’s student since 2002. As Master Elshikh’s right-hand, Master Nieves was been teaching classes in Woodbridge since 2009 while he continues his studies in taekwondo and pursues his undergraduate degree at Middlesex County College. Today, Master Nieves teaches in the Belleville location.

• 4th Dan World Taekwondo Federation Black Belt Certified
• 1st Dan Hapkido World Ki-do Federation Certified
• 2011 Yong-In University President’s Cup Championship – 3rd Place Sparring
• 3-Time Grand Champion of Yong-In Taekwondo Championship
• 3-Time Grand Champion of Metro Open Taekwondo Championship

Master Cristopher Aldama El Escolta

Master Escolta has been training in Taekwondo for many years and joined the IMA family in 2017 in the Bronx, New York location.

• World Taekwondo Licensed Athlete
• Kukkiwon Certified Black Belt
• Certified Master License of World Taekwondo Academy
• U.S. National Referee of USA TAEKWONDO
• Director of East Coast Taekwondo Certified Referees Corps
• 7 Place US Open G-2 Ranking
• 2015 ATU Nationals Gold medalist
• 2014 ATU Nationals Silver medalist
• 2013 Kukkiwon Nationals Gold Medalists
• Former Executive Protection Specialist

Instructor Myles Allyn Rada

Instructor Rada has been studying Taekwondo for many years under Master Elshikh and other local Masters. He joined the IMA family in 2017 in the Rutherford location.

• World Taekwondo Federation Black Belt Certified

Instructor Passent

Instructor Passent has been studying taekwondo since she was 3 years old and joined the IMA family in 2020 at the Woodbridge location. She was a National Team Member for 11 years and won many awards in international and world championships.

• Kukkiwon Certified Black Belt

Instructor Geovanni Coellar

Instructor Geovanni Coellar has been studying taekwondo since he was 5 years old and joined the IMA family in 2019 in the Rutherford location. He was the coach for the Ecuadorian National Team for several years. He has won many awards in world and international championships.

• Kukkiwon Certified Black Belt

Program Director Vanessa Yellin

Program Director Vanessa Yellin joined the IMA Family in 2019 and helps facilitate programs across all locations.