I began my martial arts journey at age eleven, falling in love with traditional martial arts, studying every book I could find, and practicing in my parent’s basement. My official training began in 1985 in South Korea, earning my first black belt in Tang Soo Do under the late Master Yun Tak Bong.
I would go on to practice and teach Tang Soo Do until 2018, when knee issues severely limited my training.
In 2023 I would undergo two total knee replacements, however I continue to pass on the Tang Soo Do legacy through my online courses and upcoming books.
Over the years I trained in other martial arts and was blessed to train under amazing sensei and masters of their arts. The arts I studied are listed below in chronological order.
Arts Studied…
** – Earned black belt rank
- Tang Soo Do**
- Tae Kwon Do
- Shotokan Karate
- Sin Moo Hapkido
- 8-step Preying Mantis Kung Fu
- Tracy Kenpo
- Suenaka Ha Tetsugaku Ho Aikido
- Yang Tai Chi
- Chung Do Kwan TKD**
- Combat Hapkido
- Combat Hapkido Ground Fighting
- Kaneshi Kwan Hapkido**
What is Tang Soo Do?
Tang Soo Do is the Korean pronunciation of Karate-Do as originally written, using the “Kara” character meaning “China Hand or Tang Hand”.
In 1944 Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee, the highest-ranking non-Japanese student of Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi, returned to Korea at the end of the Japanese occupation and received permission to teach Karate. He opened a dojang at the Yung Shin school gym in Seodaemun District in Seoul.
GM Lee began combining Shotokan with the traditional Korean art of Tae Kyun, which he learned in his youth, and other arts he had studied. He called the art he taught Tang Soo Do, using the characters for Way of the China Hand.
GM Lee called his dojang Chung Do Kwan, meaning “School of the Blue Wave” or “Blue Wave School”. In 1965 he joined his school under the Tae Kwon Do banner and his art would continue to evolve, using the Palgwae, Taeguk, and Poomsae forms.
Older Chung Do Kwan schools still focus on the Pyung Ahn forms originally taught by GM Lee and practiced in Tang Soo Do today.
Master Yun Tak Bong’s dojang, Chong Dong Ri, South Korea 1985
Chung Nam Yun Tang Soo Do
Here, the art of Chung Nam Yun Tang Soo Do is shared as taught by the late Master Yun Tak Bong in Chong Dong Ri, South Korea, and his student Kevin W. Putala.
The art focuses on self-defense, personal development, and strengthening the body, mind, and spirit to prepare individuals to defend themselves and give them the tools to become warriors in life.
The Logo/Patch
The Chung Nam Yun Tang Soo Do logo was designed and created by Kevin Putala, honoring the Tang Soo Do legacy and his martial arts journey. The different facets are explained below.
- Red Circle – As a follower of Jesus Christ, Kevin made the red circle on the outside a brush stroke and represents the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ, just as blood was painted over the doors of God’s people during Passover, saving them from the angel of death. Chung Nam Yun uses sound Biblical principles as our moral guide, as well as the Tang Soo Do tenets in our training.
- Tiger —The tiger represents Korea, where the art of Tang Soo Do is from and Master Yun’s dojang is located. The tiger is also the national animal of South Korea. It represents the fighting spirit that all Tang Soo Do practitioners should seek to develop, fighting only when necessary and fiercely to win.
- Hanja Characters – The writing to the left of the tiger is called “Hanja” and is a Chinese character used in the Korean language with Korean pronunciation. These characters say “Tang Soo Do” or Way of the China Hand, and pay homage to the true history of Tang Soo Do from Korea, back to Japan, Okinawa, and China. It also represents the martial journey of Kevin Putala, having studied traditional Japanese and Chinese arts along his journey.
Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
– Psalm 144:1, NIV
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