Oakland Martial Arts Academy INC.

The story of Oakland Martial Arts Academy.

The true day of birth of our school is still unknown. I joined what is known today as Oakland Martial Arts Academy in 2006. At that time, it was located in the gym behind El Canelo Restaurant, was called ‘MD school of TKD’ and was led by Master Ron Durham. Due to my previous experience in martial arts, I progressed pretty quickly through the belts, enjoying the training and challenges that I had to overcome.

One day in 2009, the students came to training and were met with a sign on the door that the school was no more. Master Ron had lost his job, had health issues, and could not keep up with rent. The students, on other hand, refused to give up. A new location was found in the former National Guard Armory. At this time, I was the highest belt remaining in the school and was doing my best to teach others what I knew. Several students kept coming. About a year later, Master Ron began to teach in the school again. I got tested for first and later for second Dan.

One day, I was working in DC and I got a call from a senior student that Master Ron had not come to class as usual and that his belt that he always kept in the DoJang was missing. Upon my return to Oakland, teaching at the school became a full-time occupation for me. Around this time, the school was rebranded ‘Oakland Martial Arts Academy’.

Eventually, we contacted Grandmaster Mt.Kim who had initially trained Master Ron. We received great support and guidance from him and the masters in his school. I tested for Third and later Fourth Dan. My students were successful during Mt.Kim Tournaments, validating our training approach.

This program was personally funded for years. My job would allow me to keep school open and not to worry about costs. The community we’ve built was beyond priceless for me. Growth made that hard to sustain.

In March 2025, the school moved to a new location at the Brodak’s Plaza. The new space provides much better visibility, access, safety, and opportunities for expansion. But everything comes with a price, and for the new location it was the actual price. As we refused to adjust tuition prices to match rising expenses, a sustained future became a challenge.

When I found myself in charge of the school’s future, I set ‘affordability always’ as a main goal for us. Our school became a home away from home for many students and their families. Over our 20 years, our legacy spread beyond a small school hidden in an obscure room on the second floor of National Guard Armory: our students have opened schools of their own; this year we are expecting our first home-grown Master; our student visited and performed in Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) in Korea. And all of this, I believe, is only the start.

In 2026, through the efforts of our students and in collaboration with local nonprofit Bridging Gaps, Oakland Martial Arts Academy itself became a nonprofit, opening a new era of community-led efforts to keep our school open.  

Our new status opens opportunities that enable us to help local kids and families regardless of their financial situation. We are excited to be able to explore new levels of community partnerships as well as to develop new programs for kids and adults as we shape our students into the community of the future. 

Master Dmitry                                                                                                                          March 2026