Athletes - Jhoon Rhee

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	Athletes - Jhoon Rhee

Born January 7, 1932, Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee is known as the "Father of American Taekwondo."

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 instructor to teach Taekwondo to American students in the United States. At that juncture, he called what he taught Tang Soo Do.

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

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

Grandmaster 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 carry a B+ or higher level in school. This is now a crucial part of some martial arts systems in USA, deciding when one is to progress to their next belt level.

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Athletes - Jhoon Rhee

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