Choi Kwang-jo (born March 2, 1942) is a former South Korean national champion in
taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
, and is one of the twelve
original masters of taekwondo
The original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art Grandmaster (martial arts), masters assembled by the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) in the early 1960s to promote the newly established art of taekwondo.Choi, H. ...
of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence''. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.A tribute to the original masters (''c.'' 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970. Choi is the founder and head of the
Choi Kwang Do
Choi Kwang Do is a martial art developed by Choi Kwang-jo. The style relies on flexibility and fluidity of movement as opposed to the more rigid lines of some other martial arts. To achieve this it employs yoga-based stretching to develop the fle ...
international
martial art
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
organization, with headquarters in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, USA.
Early life
Choi was born on March 2, 1942, in
Daegu
Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...
. He started training in martial arts at age 12 because his father wanted his small and physically weak son to be able to protect himself on the war-torn streets. Choi's first master was Dong Ju Lee.Clifton, P. (1991) Choi Kwang-Do's Grandmaster Choi answers to Combat ''Combat Magazine'' (January 1991). Retrieved on 22 January 2010. During his military service, Choi became chief instructor for the 20th Infantry Division and met General H. H. Choi when the military began to use taekwondo for unarmed combat.
United States
Due to injuries sustained from his martial arts training he sought medical attention in the United States of America, moving in 1970,Choi Kwang Do Martial Art International: Grand Master Choi Kwang-jo Retrieved on 22 February 2009. Retrieved on 22 January 2010. and began to study different physical therapy techniques. As a result, he began to study anatomy, physiology, and human-movement sciences.
In 1987, Choi incorporated everything he had learned into his own martial art system called Choi Kwang Do, which translates as “the art (or method) of Kwang Choi.” Choi maintains that Choi Kwang Do is free from the mysticisms of traditional martial arts, yet he advertises that his art practises
yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
-based stretching.Choi Kwang Do Kirwan Retrieved on 7 May 2008. Choi heads the Choi Kwang Do organization from Atlanta and was inducted into the ''Tae Kwon Do Times'' magazine's Hall of Fame in 2006. One notable critic of Choi is Roger Koo. Since resigning from the post of Vice President under Choi's organization in 1991, Koo has remained a staunch opponent. Koo dedicates a large portion of his website to disparaging Choi and his organization. Retrieved on 3 February 2009.
Choi is listed as a pioneer in Asia (1950s and 1960s) and Canada (1970s) in
Chang Keun Choi
__NOTOC__
Choi Chang-keun (; born 1941), widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean–Canadian master of taekwondo,Choi, C. K. (2007) Tae Kwon Do Pioneers Retrieved on 15 March 2008.
See also
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International Taekwon-Do Federation
International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) is an international taekwondo organization founded on March 22, 1966, by Choi Hong Hi () in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Korean martial art of ta ...
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List of taekwondo grandmasters
This list of taekwondo grandmasters includes notable persons who have been recognized as grandmasters of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. There is no single, universally-recognized set of criteria to define a taekwondo grandmaster; differ ...