Hee Il Cho
Encyclopedia
Cho Hee Il is a prominent Korean-American
master
of taekwondo
, holding the rank of 9th dan
in the martial art. He has written 11 martial art books, produced 70 martial art training videos, and has appeared on more than 70 martial arts magazine covers. Cho won several national and international competitions as a taekwondo competitor, and has appeared in several films, including Fight to Win
, Best of the Best
, Bloodsport II, and Bloodsport III. He founded the Action International Martial Arts Association (AIMAA) in 1980, and is its President. Cho is a member of both Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame and Tae Kwon Do Times
magazine's Hall of Fame.
. He was the eldest of three brothers. He began training in the martial arts when he was around 10 years old. In an interview, he commented on his childhood in Pohang
, Korea: "Although they were not really gang members, young people used to roam from town to town and beat up kids and take away their toys. One time, I was beaten up by some boys around 12 or 13 years old. At the time I thought it was pretty bad, so I wanted to protect myself." Cho attained the rank of 1st dan black belt
by the age of 13, and had reached 4th dan by the age of 21. In addition to taekwondo, he also trained in boxing
for two years.
, before settling in Los Angeles in 1975. Cho was based in Los Angeles for around 25 years, before moving to Albuquerque, and a few years later, to Hawaii.
During the early days of teaching in the US, there were at least two incidents in which challengers attacked Cho, and in one of these incidents, the challenger later sued Cho for injuries he received as a result of attacking Cho. Cho later commented in an interview: "All this has created a great conflict within me, for if I cannot use my skill to protect myself from any person who walks in off the street and demands a fight, how can I hope my students will retain confidence in my ability to teach them this skill? And yet, if I use my skill and hurt someone, even in self-defense, have I not betrayed the spirit of what martial arts are all about?"
Cho's books include Man of Contrasts (1981), The Complete Martial Artist (1981; two volumes), The Complete Tae Kwon Do Hyung (1984; three volumes covering the Chang Hon patterns), The Complete Tae Geuk Hyung WTF (1988), and The Complete One & Three Step Sparring (1988).
During the late 1980s, Cho was also Senior Grading Examiner of the Tae Kwon-Do Association of Great Britain, and was subsequently involved in Global Tae Kwon-Do International in the early 1990s.
organization specializes in taekwondo
, with schools in cities throughout the United States and Europe. The association sponsors various championships in Europe. Notable students include Philip Ameris; Dev Patel
, winning bronze in Dublin, 2004; and Joseph Groarke, current 'under 18' champion of Britain, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
master
Grandmaster (martial arts)
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
of taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, holding the rank of 9th dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
in the martial art. He has written 11 martial art books, produced 70 martial art training videos, and has appeared on more than 70 martial arts magazine covers. Cho won several national and international competitions as a taekwondo competitor, and has appeared in several films, including Fight to Win
Fight to Win
Fight to Win is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in mid-October 2001.-Track listing:# "Do Your Best "# "Walk on the Right Side"# "Traitors of Africa"# "Tension Grip Nigeria"# "'97"# "Fight to Win Fight to Win is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in mid-October...
, Best of the Best
Best of the Best
Best of the Best is a 1989 martial arts film. The plot revolves around a team of Americans facing a team of Koreans in a taekwondo tournament. Several sub plots pop up in the story - moral conflicts, the power of the human spirit triumphing over adversity are some themes...
, Bloodsport II, and Bloodsport III. He founded the Action International Martial Arts Association (AIMAA) in 1980, and is its President. Cho is a member of both Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame and Tae Kwon Do Times
Tae Kwon Do Times
Tae Kwon Do Times is a magazine devoted to the martial art of taekwondo, and is published in the United States of America. While the title suggests that it focuses on taekwondo exclusively, the magazine also covers other Korean martial arts...
magazine's Hall of Fame.
Early life
Cho was born in Pohang, Korea, on 13 October 1940, during the period of Japanese occupationKorea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
. He was the eldest of three brothers. He began training in the martial arts when he was around 10 years old. In an interview, he commented on his childhood in Pohang
Pohang
Pohang is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River...
, Korea: "Although they were not really gang members, young people used to roam from town to town and beat up kids and take away their toys. One time, I was beaten up by some boys around 12 or 13 years old. At the time I thought it was pretty bad, so I wanted to protect myself." Cho attained the rank of 1st dan black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
by the age of 13, and had reached 4th dan by the age of 21. In addition to taekwondo, he also trained in boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
for two years.
Career
In 1962, at the age of 22, Cho entered the Korean army for compulsory military service; during that time, he taught taekwondo to special forces in the Korean, Indian, and US armies. In 1968, Cho emigrated from South Korea to the United States of America. At the time, he held the rank of 6th dan. He initially moved to Chicago, but did not stay for long, moving through South Bend, Milwaukee, and ProvidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, before settling in Los Angeles in 1975. Cho was based in Los Angeles for around 25 years, before moving to Albuquerque, and a few years later, to Hawaii.
During the early days of teaching in the US, there were at least two incidents in which challengers attacked Cho, and in one of these incidents, the challenger later sued Cho for injuries he received as a result of attacking Cho. Cho later commented in an interview: "All this has created a great conflict within me, for if I cannot use my skill to protect myself from any person who walks in off the street and demands a fight, how can I hope my students will retain confidence in my ability to teach them this skill? And yet, if I use my skill and hurt someone, even in self-defense, have I not betrayed the spirit of what martial arts are all about?"
Cho's books include Man of Contrasts (1981), The Complete Martial Artist (1981; two volumes), The Complete Tae Kwon Do Hyung (1984; three volumes covering the Chang Hon patterns), The Complete Tae Geuk Hyung WTF (1988), and The Complete One & Three Step Sparring (1988).
During the late 1980s, Cho was also Senior Grading Examiner of the Tae Kwon-Do Association of Great Britain, and was subsequently involved in Global Tae Kwon-Do International in the early 1990s.
Action International Martial Arts Association
Cho founded the Action International Martial Arts Association in 1980. This martial artsMartial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
organization specializes in taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, with schools in cities throughout the United States and Europe. The association sponsors various championships in Europe. Notable students include Philip Ameris; Dev Patel
Dev Patel
Dev Patel is a British actor. He is best known for playing Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire , for which Patel won a number of awards, including a Critics' Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award...
, winning bronze in Dublin, 2004; and Joseph Groarke, current 'under 18' champion of Britain, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.
Personal life
Cho has two brothers, Kuy Ha Cho (Vice-President of AIMAA) and In Kyu Cho (Chairman of AIMAA), who are also martial art masters. Cho's first wife was Sally Walsh, who demonstrates self-defence techniques in the second volume of Cho's Complete Martial Artist books. His second wife is named Mihyun. Cho has two sons: Jason, 4th dan, based in Houston, Texas; and Jacob, 2nd dan, based in Laguna Beach, California. His daughter, Jasmine, also trains in taekwondo. Cho underwent open-heart surgery in 2006, and currently lives and teaches in Honolulu, Hawaii.See also
- International Taekwon-Do Federation
- Korea Taekwondo AssociationKorea Taekwondo AssociationKorea Taekwondo Association , originally the Korea Taekwon-Do Association, is the first taekwondo organisation. It was founded in 1959, although official South Korean sources give 1961 as its year of establishment. In 1966, some members of the KTA, led by H. H...
- List of taekwondo grandmasters