Taekwondo Warwick NY Chosun Academy Korea Tour Video

TaeKwonDo Times Magazine Traditions Column by Master Doug Cook January, 2012

The Demon of Self-Doubt

Remember your first tae kwon do class? I will never forget mine and I am confident most of our readers will not forget theirs either. The experience was like meeting a new love for the first time. I felt an instant connection to the art and as the years went by, a blossoming of passion that remains with me to this day. And just like a successful marriage, that early infatuation has matured into an enduring bond. Yet I do not feel unique. Many of you certainly share similar emotions. So, how do we explain the actions of those who initially concur with this line of reasoning yet impulsively terminate their training at some point for no apparent reason?

Anyone who engages in a serious study of traditional tae kwon do can tell you it is a difficult pursuit. There is no elevator to success; you must laboriously scale each step to the top. Every class represents a challenge of some sort coupled with the fact that the tae kwon doist cannot help but experience peaks and valleys in the course of their practice. Tae kwon do mirrors life and, just as in daily life, things are not always perfect. Certainly, there are times when you will enjoy an exemplary training session, one where every stance flows smoothly, where every kick is well placed and strikes exhibit unstoppable power. However, if that were consistently the case, everyone would be a master. Instead, it is more likely that days will be endured when techniques refuse to come easy, when you seem to be digressing rather than advancing. It is times such as these when the true spirit of tae kwon do must materialize allowing indomitable will to trump faltering action.

Read the entire column...

Paying Tribute to a Legend: Honoring Grandmaster Richard Chun by Master Doug Cook

Tae Kwon Do, the traditional martial art and Olympic sport of Korea, is an inheritance; an art handed down from venerable master to worthy disciple over the decades. Since its official inception in 1955, evolving from a disparate collection of fighting styles to the most popular martial art in the world today, the discipline has grown, overflowing the borders of its native land. Through an ingenious process of standardization introduced during its formative years by the Korea Taekwondo Association, Tae Kwon Do has today become unified and transferable wherever it is taught, flooding the globe with the physical and philosophical principles it resolutely promotes.

Yet, as students of Tae Kwon Do in America, we are largely indebted to five great masters who, in the 1960s, emigrated from Korea to the shores of this great nation with the distinct purpose of transmitting the heritage of the art on to others deserving of its virtues. Among these vanguards were Ki Whang Kim, Son Duk Sung, Sijak Henry Cho, Jhoon Rhee and Rhin Moon Richard Chun. Two are no longer with us while three of the original five continue to vigorously represent Tae Kwon Do today.

Sadly, not every Tae Kwon Doist was given the prospect of training under one of these remarkable men. Yet, as providence would have it, we of the United States Taekwondo Association and, subsequently, the Chosun Taekwondo Academy, have been afforded that singular opportunity through our close association with one of the original five – Grandmaster Richard Chun.

Read entire article... (Totally TaeKwonDo Magazine issue 35 page 7)

Chosun e-newsletter archive Volumn 3 #1 January, 2012

14th Annual Awards Banquet and Dinner Dance
Honoring Grandmaster Richard Chun December 10, 2011

Grandmaster Richard Chun, Mrs. Chun
& USTA Grandmasters and Masters

A TAEKWONDO NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

Members of the United States Tae Kwon Do Association and the Chosun Taekwondo Academy, paid a long-overdue tribute to Grandmaster Richard Chun on a recent December evening in the midst of the holiday season. In attendance were over 200 students and masters who happily traveled many miles to participate in the historic event. One of the many highlights of the evening was a retrospective of Grandmaster Chun's life thus far produced by Chosun Black Belts, Mary Sudul and Laura LoForese. The festivities continued with the annual Chosun Taekwondo Academy awards presentation.

Kyosanims Pamela Pyke and Klye Roeloffs were the recipients of the 2011 Student of the Year award. Congratulations to all 2011 Chosun Taekwondo Academy award winners!

Read entire newsletter

Chosun e-newsletter archive volumn 2 #12, 2011

Dear Martial Arts Entusiast,
Welcome to the December, 2011 edition of the Chosun newsletter.

Master Cook awarded first place in essay contest hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea November, 2011

Master Cook's essay, The Evolution of Taekwondo Poomsae, Hyung and Tul, won first place in a nationwide search hosted by the Korean Embassy for exceptional writing and artwork that capture the unique personal experiences and spirit of Taekwondo, Korea’s own martial art. Now in its third year, the essay contest has been a key embassy program for promoting and reaffirming the special bond between the United States and the Republic of Korea by bringing together people from diverse backgrounds with a common passion. Master Cook will attend an awards ceremony that will take place at the embassy’s Korean Cultural Center in Washington DC , where Ambassador Han Duk-soo will present certificates to prizewinners.

Read entire newsletter

TaeKwonDo Times Traditions Column by Master Doug Cook-November, 2011

The Promotion Process
Approaching a Belt Test with Enthusiasm and Passion

Six months ago, I had the supreme honor of testing for my 6th dan black belt at an examination officiated by martial arts legend, Grandmaster Richard Chun. Looking back, the first time I stumbled into Kwanjangnim’s world was as a newly-minted yellow belt when I first read his always inspiring book Tae Kwon Do: The Korean Martial Art. Since then, I have trained under this man and his instructors for many, many years. And so, it was a distinct privilege to perform before him on a pleasant, spring day last June.
I have always been excited about the prospect of testing. I approach these events, now long in between, with great anticipation and when the welcomed day finally arrives, I do my utmost to exhibit enthusiasm, precise technique and authentic martial spirit. I always treat the process as a celebration of my hard-earned skills rather than with the apparent stress that characterizes a typical test in its truest sense.
Still, not everyone agrees with this outlook. Many view a belt test, especially impatient parents, as an imposition of significant proportions. Why not simply present the student with a new belt during class when the instructor deems them ready? Why consume four or five hours out of a weekend, usually four times a year, when the average individual can barely find the time to attend weekly classes? Naturally, there are pros and cons to any process of this nature. Yet, depending on how the event is administrated, to most students of the traditional martial arts, the benefits far outweigh any inconveniences that might materialize.
Read entire column

TaeKwonDo Times Traditions Column by Master Doug Cook - September, 2011

One Divorce Too Many
The Loss of a Black Belt Student Can be a Disheartening Experience


One spring day in 1997, just before beginning a vigorous training session at the Richard Chun Taekwondo Center in New York City, I sat with Grandmaster Chun in his office discussing several issues relating to school ownership. Being the benevolent and forthcoming man that he is, Grandmaster Chun was never one to hold back valuable information from his disciples.
The conversation on that warm afternoon centered on my question as to why he chose not to display photographs of his many black belt students on the walls of his Upper Eastside dojang. The root of my query evolved from observations I had made while visiting various schools here and in Korea, the homeland of tae kwon do. At one dojang locally, I had noticed a cluster of color photos depicting what appeared to be the location’s entire population of black belts; there wasn’t many, but they all seemed to be represented, including the master instructor. Likewise, while training at the Korean National University for Physical Education or KNUPE, in Seoul, South Korea, as well as other noteworthy training facilities in the “land of the morning calm”, I was impressed with row upon row of proud, young black belts frozen in black and white images that stared down at me from frames firmly secured above the mirrors that ran the entire length of the dojang. Tributes of this sort seemed to add an air of heritage and permanence to not only the institution itself, but also the sacred training floor upon which we were about to stand. And so, almost two decades ago, shrouded in my naiveté’, I was confounded as to why my kwanjangnim did not share in this practice.
Without ever meeting Grandmaster Chun, one could not be familiar with his humble, gracious demeanor. He is unyieldingly courteous and disarmingly kind in his approach; except, of course, when he is standing in class before a large group of students. It is then that his ferocity and passion for tae kwon do quickly becomes apparent. Nevertheless, sitting at his desk across from me that day, he paused seemingly in deep reflection before answering. I trust that I am not breaking a confidence when I share his reply. Kwanjangnim looked up and said “If I were to mount photos of every black belt that I have graduated across the years at this school alone, not only would they fill every available wall, but a real danger exists that I would weep for those who have left.” With that statement, I truly began to understand the deep and singular relationship that exists between a worthy master and his loyal students.
Read entire column