Is there anyone called "General Choi" in WTF TKD???

[dancingalone]

Doubtful...

...General Choi recruited existing talent both inside and ouside Korea, (much more efficient than starting with only beginners) had them adopt the new name and system, developed instructors, dispatched them throughout the workd to demonstrate using the best athletes whose athletic performance would impress spectators, and dispatched instructors throughout the world to teach.

Some of the early teachers of Korean karate within the USA included Sihak "Henry" Cho and Jhoon Rhee. They both later began to use "tae kwon do" as the name of their style. It would settle things pretty strongly for my purposes if we knew for sure how much of a role, if any, General Choi played in their emigration to the United States. These men had profound impact on the growth of TKD in their regions in their day.

 

[oftheherd1]

Some of the early teachers of Korean karate within the USA included Sihak "Henry" Cho and Jhoon Rhee. They both later began to use "tae kwon do" as the name of their style. It would settle things pretty strongly for my purposes if we knew for sure how much of a role, if any, General Choi played in their emigration to the United States. These men had profound impact on the growth of TKD in their regions in their day.

Jhoon Goo Rhee was using the name at least by 1964/5 when I studied under him. I am pretty sure Henry Cho was during the same time period. He and Jhoon Goo Rhee seemed to know each other pretty well when I saw them meet about 1965. But I don't know anything about how either of them got to the US. Only that Jhoon Goo Rhee was in the DC area, and Henry Cho in the NY area.

Jhoon Goo Rhee was then a 6th Dan TKD, when TKD had 8th Dan as their highest rank. I think Henry Cho was a 4th or 5th Dan.

 

[dancingalone]

Jhoon Goo Rhee was using the name at least by 1964/5 when I studied under him. I am pretty sure Henry Cho was during the same time period. He and Jhoon Goo Rhee seemed to know each other pretty well when I saw them meet about 1965. But I don't know anything about how either of them got to the US. Only that Jhoon Goo Rhee was in the DC area, and Henry Cho in the NY area.

Jhoon Goo Rhee was then a 6th Dan TKD, when TKD had 8th Dan as their highest rank. I think Henry Cho was a 4th or 5th Dan.

Jhoon Rhee arrived in Texas in 1956 for a short spurt and then returned to Korea to finish out his military obligations. He returned to Austin in 1959 and enrolled at my alma mater there and also began teaching on campus. The early days of Texas karate pretty much all stem from this period as one of his students included Allen Steen, who went on to produce a productive dynasty of champions and school owners. This is also the reason why a few of the Japanese forms are taught at dan levels in the Texas Jhoon Rhee line, because he initially taught the Chung Do Kwan forms before later switching to the Chang Hon forms.

As I have mentioned here before, this was my first roots in martial arts, so I have an affinity for this style. Jhoon Rhee was the guest of honor judge at a massive belt examination where I got my chodan and he signed my certificate and my dobak personally as head judge.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Jhoon Rhee arrived in Texas in 1956 for a short spurt and then returned to Korea to finish out his military obligations. He returned to Austin in 1959 and enrolled at my alma mater there and also began teaching on campus. The early days of Texas karate pretty much all stem from this period as one of his students included Allen Steen, who went on to produce a productive dynasty of champions and school owners. This is also the reason why a few of the Japanese forms are taught at dan levels in the Texas Jhoon Rhee line, because he initially taught the Chung Do Kwan forms before later switching to the Chang Hon forms.

As I have mentioned here before, this was my first roots in martial arts, so I have an affinity for this style. Jhoon Rhee was the guest of honor judge at a massive belt examination where I got my chodan and he signed my certificate and my dobak personally as head judge.

My first TKD experience was with Jhoon Rhee in the seventies. He became a bit of a local legend in the DC/Metropolitan area. It's been almost forty years, so I don't have sharp recollection except that it was good times. The television adds were fun to watch as well.

 

[dancingalone]

My first TKD experience was with Jhoon Rhee in the seventies. He became a bit of a local legend in the DC/Metropolitan area. It's been almost forty years, so I don't have sharp recollection except that it was good times. The television adds were fun to watch as well.

I still get a chuckle out of that Youtube video you or someone else posted. Nobody bahdderz me!

 

[Balrog]

Jhoon Goo Rhee was using the name at least by 1964/5 when I studied under him.

Definitely by 1966 when I started my original training in a school that he had begun.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Some of the early teachers of Korean karate within the USA included Sihak "Henry" Cho and Jhoon Rhee. They both later began to use "tae kwon do" as the name of their style. It would settle things pretty strongly for my purposes if we knew for sure how much of a role, if any, General Choi played in their emigration to the United States. These men had profound impact on the growth of TKD in their regions in their day.

My point, exactly. There was no unified Moniker. Some did Tang Soo Do, Kong Soo do or other systems adopted by various Kwans. In fact they adopted a "Karate" or "Korean Karate" Moniker for some marketability and recognition.

Without the unifiction efforts there would be nothing more than widely fragmented efforts.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Some of the early teachers of Korean karate within the USA included Sihak "Henry" Cho and Jhoon Rhee. They both later began to use "tae kwon do" as the name of their style. It would settle things pretty strongly for my purposes if we knew for sure how much of a role, if any, General Choi played in their emigration to the United States. These men had profound impact on the growth of TKD in their regions in their day.

General Choi has a story about finishing a military course in Texas on April 10, 1960 and traveling to Jhoon Rhee's school where he taught 40 students TKD techniques and they adopted the TKD moniker at that time.

 

[dancingalone]

General Choi has a story about finishing a military course in Texas on April 10, 1960 and traveling to Jhoon Rhee's school where he taught 40 students TKD techniques and they adopted the TKD moniker at that time.

Thanks!

Do you know what role if any General Choi played in getting Jhoon Rhee to Texas in the first place?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Thanks!

Do you know what role if any General Choi played in getting Jhoon Rhee to Texas in the first place?

I have no info.

 

[oftheherd1]

Jhoon Rhee arrived in Texas in 1956 for a short spurt and then returned to Korea to finish out his military obligations. He returned to Austin in 1959 and enrolled at my alma mater there and also began teaching on campus. The early days of Texas karate pretty much all stem from this period as one of his students included Allen Steen, who went on to produce a productive dynasty of champions and school owners. This is also the reason why a few of the Japanese forms are taught at dan levels in the Texas Jhoon Rhee line, because he initially taught the Chung Do Kwan forms before later switching to the Chang Hon forms.

As I have mentioned here before, this was my first roots in martial arts, so I have an affinity for this style. Jhoon Rhee was the guest of honor judge at a massive belt examination where I got my chodan and he signed my certificate and my dobak personally as head judge.

That tracks. Some of the students used to talk about a Jhoon Goo Rhee school in Texas run by an American former student.

 

[oftheherd1]

Definitely by 1966 when I started my original training in a school that he had begun.

Was that the one on the 3rd floor at Connecticut and S?

 

[oftheherd1]

My point, exactly. There was no unified Moniker. Some did Tang Soo Do, Kong Soo do or other systems adopted by various Kwans. In fact they adopted a "Karate" or "Korean Karate" Moniker for some marketability and recognition.

Without the unifiction efforts there would be nothing more than widely fragmented efforts.

Before I started studying, I knew an NCO in my unit who had studied in Korea, and was awarded a ribbon for having achieved a BB in Korea. I think he referred to it as TKD also. Certainly Jhoon Goo Rhee in his school in DC called it TKD. I know we sometimes had to refer to our training as sort of like Korean Karate so outsiders could understand what we were studying. We students used to be amused by them not knowing TKD.

I either never knew, or had forgotten, when Jhoon Goo Rhee first came to the USA, or anything about his school in Texas, or more as I understood it, his affiliation there. I don't recall ever hearing anything too much about it other than it was run by a former student of his. So thanks dancingalone for the additional insight.

I also first studied MA with Jhoon Goo Rhee. It was a good style and he was a great, and in my case, patient teacher. He taught all of us at all levels, things about gi (or however you wish to spell it), power and how to achieve it, and control. Much of what he taught me served me well when I began to study Hapkido.