About

 ‘Tae Kwon do’ can be roughly translated to mean ‘the study of kicks and punches’, or ‘the way of foot and fist’.

What is Tae Kwon Do?

During the thirty-five years of Japanese occupation of Korea, many traditions of the Korean people were prohibited, including martial arts. While the ancient Korean fighting art of Taekkyon was practiced in secret, the art became heavily influenced by Japanese Shotokan Karate.

Our school practices what is called the Chung Do Kwan (blue wave school) style of Tae Kwon Do. Founded post-occupation in 1945 by Won Kuk Lee,a Korean student of Shotokan master Ginchin Funakoshi, the kwan (school) was one of the first of many kwans to unite and forma a single national martial art—one that would be distinctly Korean, not Japanese—called Tae Kwon Do. While the early Chung Do Kwan forms were essentially Karate, they eventually developed a unique style that emphasized powerful kicks and strong blocks.

Won Kuk Lee’s student Son Duk Sung began teaching in 1942 and assumed the leadership of the Chung Do Kwan in 1953. He was among the leaders to choose the name ‘Tae Kwon Do’ for the new art and was chief instructor of the Korean Army and Korean Military Academy. Grandmaster Son moved to New York City in 1962 and would establish the World Tae Kwon Do Association. He traveled throughout the Northeast, teaching at multiple locations a day. GM Son died on March 29, 2011, but his students around the country continue his legacy.