|
Grandmaster Chun Sik
Kim
9th Dan
Pin # 2457
|
|
|
|
Grandmaster Chun Sik
Kim, founder of the
International Tang Soo Do Federation,
began his Tang Soo Do
studies under Master Young Suk. It was his uncle who decided that he should learn martial
arts. He trained two to three hours a day and at age 12, earned his
Black Belt.
In 1963 he joined the
Korean army and became the head instructor at Osan Air Base, Korea,
teaching Tang Soo Do to Korean and U.S. Air Force personnel. From
there he went on to a four year assignment teaching troops of the
Korean Tiger Division after which the commander of the U.S. forces
in Korea asked him to return to the Osan base to resume teaching
there.
He was the 1967 and 1968
Korean Army's Tang Soo Do Champion and led the Korean team at the
Fifth Asian Karate Tournament in Malaysia in 1969.
In 1970 he became the
undefeated heavyweight champion at the First World Championship in
Japan.
He came to the U.S. in May of 1972 at Grandmaster Hwang Kee's request and
spent two years teaching in New Jersey. In 1974 he moved to
Pittsburgh. In 1975 he became a charter member of the U.S. Tang Soo
Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation and in 1982 was elected Chairman.
In 1984 he founded the
International Tang Soo Do Federation. Since 1974, he has also
directed the All Martial Arts Championship, one of the United
States' largest traditional tournaments. Grandmaster Kim has been
featured on the cover of eight martial arts magazines such as Black
Belt Magazine in March 1979, November 1987 and May 1995, Karate
Illustrated in January 1980, and Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated in June
1996.
Some of his other distinctions include:
1980 - U.S. Team Coach.
1988 - All American Hall of Fame - Madison Square Garden, N.Y.
1995 - Black Belt Magazine Man of the Year
2001 - Cover and Feature Article Tae Kwon Do Times
He is also the author of
"Authentic Tang Soo Do" - 1988.
|
