I fell in love with martial arts at age 11, after watching the pilot movie for the TV show Kung Fu.
It definitely wasn’t David Carradine, but the clips of the Shaolin monks training in the courtyard and the wisdom of the old Abbott.
Then, in June 1978, Chuck Norris appeared in his first big movie Good Guys Wear Black, which I saw at the theatre. From that moment I learned all I could about Chuck Norris and saw all of his movies when they opened at the local theatre.
Through articles in Black Belt magazine, I would learn that he had joined the Air Force and learned the art of Tang Soo Do at Osan Air Force Base, South Korea under the tutelage of Master J.C. Shin.
From that point on, Tang Soo Do was the art I wanted to learn.
There were hardly any martial arts schools around in the ’70s and early ’80s, especially around Buffalo, NY. There was one Tae Kwon Do school, but I didn’t care for Tae Kwon Do as even back then they were big on competing. I still don’t care for it today.
The only info I got on Tang Soo Do was the occasional article in martial arts magazines. So I began checking out any Karate book I could find in the local library and practiced what I read in my parent’s basement.
Now I know they say you can’t learn from books, but through years of reading and practicing, I got a really good grasp of the basic punches, kicks, and blocks, which would serve me well when I began my official training later on.
I read, practiced, and studied all I could find on martial arts, Karate, and Tang Soo Do, for about four years. Little did I know my opportunity to officially train and learn Tang Soo Do was just around the corner.
Traditional Tang Soo Do
After graduating high school in June 1984, I would go straight into the US Army Military Police Corps, where I would spend the next eight and a half years.
After graduating MP School, the day came when we received our first duty station. “Private Putala…Camp Ames, South Korea!” I was in shock. It would be weeks before it finally clicked that I would be going to Korea as Chuck Norris had in the Air Force.
I prayed that I would have the opportunity to learn Tang Soo Do as well when I got there.
I arrived at Camp Ames in January 1985 and found it was a very small base in a very small village called Chong Dong Ri, which sat in a mountain valley northeast of the city of Daejon.
When it snowed and the mountain roads froze over, no one could get to the base and no one could leave due to the roads being so steep. It was an isolated village and my heart sank as we approached the main gate of Camp Ames, because the chances of there being a martial arts school here were slim and none.
About a week after arriving and in-processing, I decided to venture out into the village one evening to see what was out there.
As I walked to the front gate all I could hear was the crunch of ice under my feet and all I could see was my breath in front of my face.
Walking out into the village at night for the first time, I was a bit wary. Then something caught my ear. I heard yelling, but not like someone in trouble or arguing. It was the yell of…martial arts!
I followed the sound to a small white building with wooden double doors in front. There was a sign hanging to the right of the door, written in Korean, and an open door on the left that led into what appeared to be an alleyway.
I cautiously walked up to the partially open door, opened it a bit wider, and poked my head in. I could not believe what I saw. There were two American soldiers dressed in white Karate uniforms with blue trim and an older Korean man dressed in a white uniform with dark blue trim wearing a dark blue belt with a red stripe around his waist.
The Korean man, who was the instructor, was barking out a count and the two Americans were walking up and down the floor performing blocks, kicks, and punches. The instructor noticed the door move and quickly looked to see my dumbfounded self looking in. He smiled, waved me in, and went back to teaching.
I sat on a wooden bench inside of the door, worn smooth and shiny from age and use. I looked around and saw two wooden posts coming out of the floor to my left, and on the wall hung a list of basic techniques.
A stared at the list for a long time, fixed on what was written at the top…
“Karate Basic Exercise…Korean Tang Soo Do Karate“
Are you kidding me? Not only is there a martial arts school in this remote, tiny village, but a TANG SOO DO school? I continued to look around at the heavy bag hanging from the ceiling made from an Army duffel bag, and photos of black belt students, most of which were American, lined the top of the wall.
I sat quietly watching the class until the two students bowed to the instructor and began to get changed. The instructor walked over to me and smiled, bowing slightly, shaking my hand, and saying hello.
I introduced myself and said I wanted to learn. He replied his name was Master Yun Tak Bong and that he taught Tang Soo Do. The cost of tuition was $25 a month and classes were Monday through Friday 7 pm – 9 pm. I agreed, filled out the paperwork, paid my first month, and Master Yun handed me my first official uniform and belt.
I bowed deeply, thanked him, and told him I would return the next night. I walked back outside into the frigid air and thought I was dreaming. I forgot about checking out the rest of the village and returned to the barracks, ready to begin a journey that would last until this very day.
What is “Traditional ” Tang Soo Do?
There are roughly 3 million Tang Soo Do schools worldwide, each teaching things a little differently depending on which organization they are affiliated with and who the instructor is, which is normal.
After leaving Korea in 1986, I searched high and low for a Tang Soo Do school everywhere the Army sent me, and everywhere I lived. There were only a few that I ever came across.
I made it a point to go and observe a class and speak with the instructor, never telling them that I was a black belt and had trained in Korea. I would ask questions about what Tang Soo Do is, the history, the belt system, etc., and would get pretty much the same canned story that is told even today.
They would say TSD is a traditional Korean art over 1000 years old, founded by GM Hwang Kee, but some of the instructors couldn’t even pronounce the name Tang Soo Do correctly.
After all of the small talk, I would closely observe the class and pay close attention to the students. If the instructor is good, the students will be good. What I saw was NOT the Tang Soo Do I had learned in Korea under Master Yun.
I decided to continue practicing and teaching the way Master Yun taught rather than conform to the ways of these schools. This is why I made the distinction of calling it “Traditional” Tang Soo Do, as it is the technique learned in a small, traditional dojang, in the mountains of South Korea.
Master Yun passed away in 1991 after being involved in an auto accident. In his honor, keeping his legacy and art alive as he taught it, I called the Tang Soo Do I taught to my students Chung Nam Yun Tang Soo Do. “Chung Nam” represents the province in which he lived and headed the Moo Duk Kwan under GM Hwang Kee and where I learned the art. “Yun” represents the great man, teacher, and my friend, Master Yun Tak Bong, and the traditional art he taught.
After leaving South Korea I studied other arts. The first was Shotokan Karate and I was shocked to see that it was practically identical to what Master Yun had taught me! It raised so many questions, and it would be years before I would finally find answers.
My Karate
With the invention and advances in the Internet, I researched who the first to teach Tang Soo Do was and where it came from. I learned that Tang Soo Do is NOT an ancient Korean system from the Three Kingdoms Period or founded by GM Hwang Kee.
I discovered that Tang Soo Do is actually Japanese Shotokan Karate brought to Korea in 1944 by GM Won Kuk Lee, the highest-ranking non-Japanese student of Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi!
When GM Lee returned to Korea he still used the characters that meant “China Hand” and “Tang Soo Do” is the Korean pronunciation of those characters meaning “China Hand Way”. Around 1936 Gichin Funakoshi changed the “Kara” character from the one meaning Chinese to the one meaning Empty.
Once I made this discovery, I stopped looking at my personal training as Tang Soo Do and began studying Karate as a whole, no longer adhering to a style.
My training today is solely for me, and for the first time in my life, I am finding MY personal expression of the art and MY Karate.
I’m not trying to create a new art, or style, or make myself a tenth Dan grandmaster, it’s just my way of doing things now. I am now studying the roots of Karate all the way back to Okinawa and China.
My training is for health, life, longevity, as well as defense. I hope to one day pass my Karate down to at least one of my grandchildren so as to keep the legacy of my instructors alive and begin a family tradition for future generations, but time will tell.
The Patch
You will see this patch/symbol on my uniform, in photos, videos, and elsewhere online. This is MY logo for the way I train martial arts. I personally drew it and designed it with meaning. Below is the significance of the patch.
- RED CIRCLE – The red circle around the outside is a brush stroke, and the red symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ. I am not religious but have a close personal relationship with God and Jesus as my savior. I am a follower of Christ and the Bible is my moral compass and guides me through life on this earth and in how I apply my martial training. There are no Christian martial arts, just Christians who practice martial arts.
- BLACK BACKGROUND – The black background refers to the black belt, what it means as an accomplishment, and more importantly, what it means to be a black belt and how you carry yourself, representing your instructor, school, and art.
- TIGER – The tiger represents the national animal of South Korea, where my martial journey began, and my Korean martial arts roots under Master Yun Tak Bong. It also represents the spirit by which we fight if ever called to do so, with strength, focus, ferocity, and with an indomitable spirit.
- JAPANESE KANJI – The Japanese character under the tiger head means “warrior” and symbolizes that we are to be warriors not only in combat but in life, facing life’s attacks and challenges head-on, with confidence and honor. It is written in the Japanese character to honor the art of Karate and the traditional Japanese arts I have studied, especially Aikido, and the masters who taught me.
Arts I’ve Studied
Below, listed in chronological order, are the martial arts I have studied over the years. I have been blessed to have learned from great martial artists, many of them only two or three generations from the founder of the art/system.
- 1985 – 2018, Traditional Tang Soo Do, Master Yun Tak Bong, South Korea
- 1986 – 1988, Tae Kwon Do, Fort Devens, MA
- 1988 – 1991, Shotokan Karate, Sensei Skip Johnson and Sin Moo Hapkido, Sensei Dwight Pharr, Grafenwoehr Germany
- 1993 – 8 Step Preying Mantis Kung Fu, Sifu Dean Economos, Buffalo, NY.
- 1994 – 1995, Tracy Kenpo, Sifu Joseph Wagner, Buffalo, NY
- 1994 – 1997, Suenaka Ha Tetsugaku Ho Aikido, Shihan Michael Hawley, Buffalo, NY.
- 2001-2002, Yang Tai Chi, Sifu Bill Adams, Buffalo, NY.
- 2008-2010, Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do, Master Richard Dixon, Brandon, FL
- 2009-2010, Combat Hapkido, Master Richard Dixon, GM John Pellegrini
- 2012-2014, Kaneshi Kwan Hapkido, Master John Landry
Competitions (The few I did)
- 1985 – Korean & American Martial Arts Open, Songtan City, South Korea. Silver Medal – Heavyweight
- 1989 – Bamberg Martial Arts Open, Bamberg, Germany. 4th Place – Heavyweight
- 2009 – Florida State Sunshine Games Tae Kwon Do, Lakeland, FL. Gold Medal – Over 40 Black Belt Forms Bronze Medal – Over 40 Black Belt Masters Sparring.
Martial Arts Ministry
While training in Chung Do Kwan TKD as part of a martial arts ministry in the church I attended, I saw how martial arts could be used to reach those hurting, and in need, and be used as a tool be the hands and feet of Christ and carrying out God’s will.
I would eventually start my own ministry, Trinity Christian Martial Arts, and with the assistance of Tang Soo Do master and founder of the Red Shield Warrior program, Master Karen Eden (Herdman), begin the first-ever Red Shield Warrior martial arts program in Florida.
This was one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. Working with at-risk and underprivileged children and making a difference in their lives.
On the first night of class, we had fifty students and a waiting list to join. Not only did the kids learn Tang Soo Do Karate, but they learned and developed confidence, strength, humility, focus, and more.
This showed in their report cards as their grades improved and through reports from teachers and parents on how well-behaved, mannerly, and helpful they had become at home and in school.
This led to Christian missions outreach as well, teaching women’s self-defense seminars and performing martial arts demonstrations as part of a missions group in various areas in the US.
Unfortunately, the Red Shield Warrior program came to an end with my injuries and surgeries, but the people I met and the friends made, are a gift I cherish to this day.