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Information
About Us and Our Art |
What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art which
translated means "art of the hand and foot."
It is a discipline that trains people mentally and
physically.
What is Songahm Taekwondo?
"Martial Art" is a broad term encompassing
the many styles of physical discipline (fighting)
arts that have been developed over the centuries.
To say that the style of Songahm Taekwondo is just
another "martial art" would be an uneducated
evaluation of the "world's largest" centrally
administered martial art. This system of teaching
and training, developed by Grand Master Haeng Ung
Lee and his staff of Master Instructors, is unequaled
in the martial arts community.
Songahm Taekwondo focuses on personal development
of the mind and body. To say it was just self-defense
would be to lose most of the valuable ideas and
philosophy behind this ancient art. Self-defense
is really the fringe benefit that is gained by dedication
one's self to the values, philosophy and training
of Songahm Taekwondo. Remember that you are in a
true, traditional Taekwondo class. This is not a
movie in which a person can be hit 100 times without
falling to the ground. In the reality of Taekwondo,
a person that has been hit by a powerful force or
hand technique will fall with one to three techniques.
At the beginner level, do not focus on being a skilled
martial artist within a month or two. You are building
your foundation in Taekwondo. Trying to advance
beyond your level without proper guidance would
be like building a house on a foundation of concrete
that had not dried. Through the house may still
stand, the foundation would not be as strong and
the appearance of the house may not be as presentable.
Each class begins and ends with a bow. The white
belt of the beginner indicates he is without knowledge
of Taekwondo and as one progresses in knowledge,
the color of the belt gets progressively darker:
orange, yellow, camo, green, purple, blue, brown,
red, red/black, and finally black.
What is the ATA?
The ATA is the American Taekwondo Association. It
is the largest national association in the world.
Outside of America, ATA's Songahm style forms are
taught through the Songahm Taekwondo Federation
(STF). An ATA member in good standing may train
at any ATA or STF school in the world. For more
information about the ATA, please visit their website
at www.ataonline.com.
The History of
Taekwondo
(Material listed here for the History of Taekwondo
has been obtained from the following sources:
Songahm Taekwondo: Experience the Difference(1997)
The Way of Traditional Taekwondo Volume A(1997)
The New Student Handbook(1991))
Visit www.ataonline.com
to learn more about our history.
Taekwondo, known for its powerful
kicks, developed in the majestic mountains, forests,
cities, and shores of Korea. Although evidence exists
for ancient Korean martial arts (possibly as early
as 37 BC) the actual name and style of Taekwondo
did not exist until close to World War II. At that
time, the Korean people were healing 50 years of
damage to their nation and heritage, including the
prohibition of traditional Korean martial arts.
At the war's end, Korean people were finally free
to practice martial arts, but the technique had
been much altered by the strong wartime influence
of Japanese Karate.
In 1955, a committee was asked to select one name
to call the dynamic striking and kicking art: the
name "Tae Kwon Do" (the way of hand and
foot) fit perfectly and was officially adopted.
Although other Korean martial art styles evolved,
Taekwondo remains the national sport of Korea and
is the most widely practiced martial art in the
world.
Grand
Master Lee (1936-2000) and the history of ATA
It is a lucky student that gets to hear the "Grand
Master Lee" stories from his original ATA students.
Reminiscing about the early days, high ranks such
as Chief Master Allemier and Senior Master M.K.
fondly describe Lee as a visionary; tough, disciplined,
and determined to manifest his original vision of
having a school in every American city. Yet Grand
Master Lee was also a family man, and was known
for his kindness towards children. I will only outline
Grand Master's history here, because the stories
are best heard from those who where close to him.
During the arduous times of war, the young boy named
Haeng Ung Lee and his family struggled to survive
and stay together. But perhaps those difficult experiences
helped form the mental strength, discipline, and
perseverance that Lee was known for. He began his
Taekwondo training as a highschooler in 1953 and
earned his black belt in less than a year. Eventually
he would become the first Grand Master, founder,
and president of our organization, but that didn't
happen overnight.
Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee was
born on July 20, 1936 in Manchuria, China. He
was one of the original pioneers that brought
martial arts to America.
Grandmaster H.U. Lee founded the American Taekwondo
Association, the World Traditional Taekwondo
Union, and Songahm Taekwondo Federation, which
presides over 250,000 members worldwide including
schools in South America, Africa, Europe, Asia,
and the United States. The students of Grand
Master Lee include over 14,000 black belts and
over 3,000 certified instructors in more than
900 schools and clubs in the U.S. alone. He
strived to make the world a better place by
teaching the values of life through martial
arts. |
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| Grand Master Lee passed away on October 5,
2000 after a hard fought battle with cancer.
He left his legacy to the hundreds of thousands
of students across the world. |
Eternal Grand
Master
H.U. Lee
10th Degree Black Belt
July 20, 1936 - October 5, 2000
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A Brief Timeline
• 1956 Grand Master Lee entered
the Korean Army as a Taekwondo trainer.
• 1959 He retired from the
army and opened his first school at Osan Air Force
Base, where he met and trained American serviceman,
Richard Reed. The rest is ATA history.
• 1962 Reed invited Lee to
join him when he returned to the United States.
He accepted, and he opened up a school in Omaha,
NE with (now)Senior Master Reed.
• 1969 The American Taekwondo
Association was formed.
• 1983 The Songahm forms
are introduced after long years of planning and
development by Grand Master Lee, William Clark,
and Robert Allemier. Meanwhile, M.K. Lee developed
self-defense and instruction skills for the growing
organization.
THE CIRCLE STORY:
One evening in Korea, after class, Mr. Lee drew
a circle in the dirt on the training floor, and
drew a large number of little dots. He explained
to his young student that the circle symbolized
the United States, and that each dot represented
a school he would someday open. The young student
fought back his laughter, and tried to explain how
difficult it would be to make his vision a reality.
Mr. Lee looked the young student in the face, and
shared with him five simple words that would come
to symbolize Mr. Lee's life, "Today Not Possible...Tomorrow
Possible."
As the ATA grew in popularity all over the US, Lee's
vision of the ATA's future began to change. In the
1980s, he realized that peoples' interest in the
martial arts had evolved in new directions. The
ATA adopted regulations for safety gear, and improved
the safety of tournaments so that they have become
the safest in the world. Lee moved ATA headquarters
to Little Rock, Arkansas, and set up a centralized
computer and record system. From there, the innovations
grew to include acclaimed programs for children,
Protech weapons and self-defense training, Top Ten
competition, The Way books and videos, and much
more. Grand Master Lee's final contribution to martial
arts, a martial arts museum and Hall of Fame, opened
in Little Rock in February 2000 at the new headquarters
building.
The ATA and sister organizations are now headed
under his brother, Grand Master Soon Ho Lee, with
the help of a council of masters. Through him, the
vision lives on.
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