Celebrating 43 years as a family owned and operated business and oldest martial arts studio in Marin
Proud Kiddo! Business Partner for 40 years
West America Martial Arts opened in 1983 and is located in Mill Valley, CA. Since then, Master Roger Carlon has been training students in both classic traditional forms and new ventures into the competitive fighting aspects of Tae Kwon Do.
Master Carlon has a long history in several martial arts and has found a way to blend all the best and discard the worst in what he teaches here at West America. He has practiced and blended both ITF and WTF systems of TKD, as well as Okinawan Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu Karate into our system. He holds a black belt in Kobudo as well as Aikido and has adapted aspects of Judo as well as Japanese Jiujitsu into our system as well.
West America Martial Arts continues to produce premier black belt students and honorable citizens in our local community. Our goal is to guide and build well-rounded students and individuals in a fun and positive environment.
Compared to other martial arts, Tae Kwon Do emphasizes very strongly on stretching and kicking. Widely regarded as one of the best martial arts for it’s kicks, we try to push our students to learn all about the striking and distances that comes with traditional Tae Kwon Do practices. With quality instructors, who have competed and won championships both nationally and internationally many times, you will receive elite instruction.
West America strives to instill traditional martial arts tenants: Respect, Discipline, Integrity, Perseverance, and Honor through our teachings.
Our goal is to help each student reach their full potential in their training. Our dojo community is welcoming and everyone is family here.
(415) 383-4755
70 Lomita Drive
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Our dojo is located next to Edna Maguire school. We are on the right side of the parking lot, past the green gates.
team@westamericatkd.com
INSTAGRAM:
Current Schedule Monday through Friday:
Little Ninjas Times May Vary!
White Belts 3:30 - 4:00 PM
Yellow/Orange Belts 4:00 - 4:45 PM
Intermediate Belts 4:45 - 5:30 PM
Advanced Belts 5:30 - 6:15 PM
Teen/Adults 6:15 - 7:00 PM
Little Ninjas Class will start again in September on Wednesdays @ 4:15!
Our Little Ninjas class structured for 3.5 to 4.5 year olds.
Little Ninjas classes will be taught by Teacher Chantal. Half hour lessons. Students will be learning beginner TKD skills, practicing manners, listening skills and respect. This is a parent/guardian participation class, so please come ready to work out, too!
Please feel free to forward to friends and anyone you think would love this fun class!
Please email us to register for the next session or get on the notification list for upcoming Little Ninjas sessions.
We offer Spring, Summer, & Winter Martial Arts camps. Our camps can fill fast, register early! Check back for upcoming sessions!
Activities include:
Morning Martial Arts Training Sessions
Daily Field Trips
Bowling
Parks
Beaches
Free introductory lessons are taught by one of our Black Belt instructors. During the lesson, you or your child will learn some of the basic techniques in our curriculum as well as our dojo etiquette. We would be happy to help answer any questions you have regarding getting started as a student at West America Martial Arts. We look forward to welcoming you to the West America Martial Arts Family!
We offer introductory lessons for children Mondays through Fridays at 3:30 - 4:00 PM.
Teen and Adult introductory lessons are available Monday through Fridays at 6:15 - 7:00 PM.
For more information and to schedule your free introductory class, please email us below, or call us at (415) 383-4755.
7th Dan WTF Kukkiwon Black Belt
6th Dan Shoju-Ryu Black Belt
6th Dan Shorin-Ryu Black Belt
4th Dan Shotokan Black Belt
4th Dan Okinawan Karate Black Belt
2nd Dan Goju-Ryu Black Belt
2nd Dan Hapkido Black Belt
1st Dan Okinawan Kobudo Black Belt
1987 World Wako Open Forms Champion
1985 Midwest Point Sparring Champion
Kukkiwon Certified Instructor
Master Carlon is the owner and operator of West America Tae Kwon Do. He has been running the dojo in Mill Valley since 1983.
He was crowned World Champion in 1987, and was also honored twice by the Pacific Sun as “Teacher of the Year.”
Master Carlon has over 45 years of extensive experience in working with students of all ages. His teaching style is unbeatable - he has keen eyes in bringing out the best potential from his students, and expects no less than 100% of them.
He is the proud father of Chantal and Roger Jr., both multiple-time national champions, and martial artists in their own right.
4th Dan WTF Kukkiwon Black Belt
12-time AAU National Champion
1-time International Hanmadang Champion (1999)
Kukkiwon Certified Instructor
Chantal Carlon began her training at the age of three under her father's guidance. Tae Kwon Do is her passion in life and she continues to train.
She says, "Tae Kwon Do has allowed me to experience so many special experiences like traveling to South Korea and training at the Tae Kwon Do headquarters. I've met so many wonderful people through the dojo and it's really like having an extended family. Tae Kwon Do has truly shaped me to the person I am today."
Chantal is a UC Berkeley graduate and is a head instructor at West America Tae Kwon Do.
Chantal takes great pride and joy in teaching her students. Through her nurturing yet strict coaching style, she encourages each student to strive for their personal best.
Outside of running the family business, Chantal loves going on local adventures with her two daughters, husband and two dogs.
Photoshoot for Century Martial Arts Catalog in 2019
Training with Professor Caleb
4th Dan WTF Kukkiwon Black Belt
9-time AAU National Champion
1-time International Hanmadang Champion (1999)
Kukkiwon Certified Instructor
Roger began his martial arts training at the age of three.
He had lots of excess energy like most children, and learned at a young age how to channel his enthusiasm into practical training methods. He was initially inspired by Bruce Lee, Ninja Turtles cartoons and Street Fighter video games. And though he still loves those things, he continues to take inspiration from these different formats and try to see the bigger picture, extracting what lessons he can from all sources.
He loves all forms of martial arts, and practices all over the Bay Area. His passion for learning and humor make a dynamic teaching style. He enjoys watching UFC, ONE, Rizin, Glory, PFL, and Bellator, Boxing, and most combat sports. He takes a big interest in MMA, Kick Boxing, Judo, Boxing, and Jiu-Jitsu, as well as all forms of fighting and learning on how to apply all their strengths and techniques to his own style. His approach is to constantly pressure test what techniques and styles compliment or counter each other, that way he can adapt and evolve.
He is a head-instructor at West America and takes exceptional interest in fighting. He says, “Martial arts has been an intricate part of my life. It's allowed me to meet extraordinary people I wouldn't normally have the chance to get to know and take me around the world. To me it's more than an art, or just a way to defend myself, it's a way of life. It’s an honor to be able to pass my knowledge and experience to the students of West America!”
He’s a part-time nerd, full time punching bag for the kids. Feel free to ask me anything, combat sports, martial arts, or even video game related!
4th Dan WTF Kukkiwon Black Belt
6-time AAU National Champion
Kukkiwon Certified Instructor
Patrick started his Tae Kwon Do journey in the most unexpected way. His two sons were young at the time, and they relied on him to take them to their Tae Kwon Do classes. Patrick ended up sitting in the dojo 2 hours everyday. He had lower back pain and exercise was one of the doctor’s prescribed remedy to alleviate the problem. Tae Kwon Do seemed to be the perfect solution. He walked into his first lesson as a white belt, and was immediately hooked by the holistic experience. He had not stopped learning ever since.
Patrick believes learning and teaching is always in tandem, always reciprocal. He believes learning will not be complete until one can impart what he or she has learned to the future generations. It is an assumed mandate as a martial artist to help another fellow martial artist in his or her path to finding the do, the way. That is his mandate, his passion.
Outside of Tae Kwon Do, Patrick enjoys movies and cooking. He has a wicked serve in table tennis that welcomes anyone for a friendly match.
Taught by one of our long time family friends and training partners, Professor Caleb Garcia, a professional Kickboxer and black belt in both Muay Thai as well as Kickboxing.
No experience required! Teens and Adults welcome! Equipment and gear not necessary, but if you have your own it’s welcome!
Limited Class Size, Reserve your spot now!
