Jhoon Rhee

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Jhoon Rhee with Muhammad Ali in Japan

Grandmaster Jhoon Goo Rhee (born January 7, 1932) is known as the "Father of American Taekwondo."

[edit] History

Jhoon Rhee first visited the United States in 1956. At this point he was in officer training for the South Korean military. Upon the completion of his military service in South Korea he returned to the United States as an engineering student at the University of Texas at Austin. It was here that he became the first Korean instructor to teach Tang Soo Do to American students in the United States General Choi, Hong Hi later convinced him to call it Taekwon-Do.

Rhee is largely credited for having popularized Martial Arts in North America. He trained with martial artist Bruce Lee to help him develop his kicks, and he also trained Muhammad Ali for several of his fights. In addition, he has also trained many U.S. senators and U.S. congressmen as well as their sons and daughters.

In 1976, he invented protective gear made of foam rubber (Safe-T Equipment) for free-sparring. He changed the face of kata as well by choreographing the first kata to music, which he called Might For Right.

Rhee was also the first martial arts instructor to put a high importance on education as well as martial arts instruction by demanding that each of his students must maintain a B or higher level in school