List of taekwondo practitioners explained

This is a list of highly notable practitioners of Taekwondo.

Grandmasters

See main article: List of taekwondo grandmasters.

Choi H.H and Original Twelve Masters of Taekwondo

See also: Original masters of taekwondo.

Other notable grandmasters

Olympic medalists

All the practitioners listed in this section are part of World Taekwondo.[58] [59] [60]

Kickboxers and Mixed Martial Artists

Celebrity practitioners

Honorary Black belts

Notes and References

  1. http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_taekwondo/present_day.html Present Day Taekwondo (WTF)
  2. Son, D. S. (1959): Letter in Seoul Shinmoon newspaper (16 June 1959) Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
  3. http://itfline.org/about-us/ International Taekwon-Do Federation
  4. http://www.itf-administration.com/ International Taekwon-Do Federation
  5. http://www.tkd-itf.org/pub_web/ver_eng/organisation.html International Taekwon-Do Federation
  6. http://msplhs02.bon.at/~admin190/index.php?id=12 International Taekwon-Do Federation
  7. http://www.itfnz.org.nz/what/profile.html General Choi (ITFNZ)
  8. http://wtaonline.net/namtaehi.htm World Taekwon-Do Alliance: Grand Master Nam Tae-hi
  9. http://www.tkd-center.net/grandmaster_vanbinh.htm Grandmaster Van Binh Nguyen, IX degree
  10. Burdick, D. (1990): A history of Taekwondo Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
  11. http://www.vanbinhsda.com/taekwon-do_history Van Binh Self Defense Academy: History of Taekwon-Do
  12. http://www.itfnz.org.nz/ref/documents/masters.htm A tribute to the original masters
  13. http://www.taekwondopioneers.com/grand_master.html Tae Kwon Do Pioneers: Grand Master C. K. Choi
  14. Choi, H. H. (1972): Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
  15. http://www.itfnz.org.nz/ref/documents/masters.htm A tribute to the original masters
  16. http://www.ksc-dojang78.de/ego.htm Kampfsportclub Dojang 78: Wir über uns
  17. http://www.taekwondo-homepage.de/hintergrundwissen/geschichte-des-taekwondo/ Taekwondo Homepage: Geschichte des Taekwondo
  18. http://www.itf-d.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=143 International Taekwon-Do Federation Deutschland: Rolf Becking
  19. http://www.jongpark.com/jongsoopark_biography.html Grand Master Jong-soo Park: Biography
  20. http://tkd-gorenjske.si/en/index.php?subpage=2 International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history
  21. Gillis, A. (2003): Tiny master Toro, June–July 2003:100–107. Retrieved on 31 January 2010.
  22. http://www.taekwondotimes.com/index.php?PAGE_ID=678 TaeKwonDo Times: Taking the Wheel – More with Grandmaster Linda Park
  23. http://www.members.shaw.ca/globalwinnipegtkd/about.htm Global Winnipeg Taekwon-Do: About Our Club
  24. http://www.derbytkd.co.uk/40-years-of-taekwondo/ Derby School of Taekwon-Do: Forty years of Taekwon-Do in the United Kingdom
  25. http://www.mastersblackbelt.com.au/profile_berniekorent.html IIMA: Bernie Korent
  26. http://www.taekwondo-legacy.com/founder-bio9.php Taekwondo Legacy: The Founder – Biography (p. 9)
  27. http://web.mac.com/gtftaekwondo/GTF/Style.html Global Taekwon-Do Federation: Style
  28. Younglai, R. (2002): Obituary of Grand Master Park Retrieved on 14 February 2009.
  29. http://web.mac.com/gtftaekwondo/GTF/GTF.html Global Taekwondo Federation: GTF
  30. http://nptaekwondoacademy.com/page5.htm NP Tae Kwon Do Academy: History of Global Tae Kwon Do Federation
  31. Web site: World of Grand Master Dato' Dr. Sabree Salleh: Chronology in Martial Arts and Taekwon-Do Training . 2009-02-17 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20080822084016/http://www.geocities.com/taekwondo_mgtf/chron.html . August 22, 2008 . Retrieved on 17 February 2009.
  32. Lee, K.-M. (2000): Taekwondo on the world stage Koreana: A quarterly on Korean art and culture, 14(4):20–23. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  33. Fumarola, M. (c. 1998): Taekwondo Magazine: Il Taekwondo in Italia . Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  34. http://www.smsportnet.com/sport/taekwondo_croatia.php Sport & Recreation in Croatia: Taekwondo
  35. Anonymous (1977): "European Tae Kwon Do Union inaugurated at first European meet." Black Belt, 15(1):11.
  36. http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/hall/01_international_championships/03-World%20Cup_Taekwondo/WorldCup_2002.html World Taekwondo Federation: 2002 World Cup Taekwondo
  37. http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_wtf/history.html World Taekwondo Federation: History
  38. http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_wtf/executive.html World Taekwondo Federation: Council
  39. http://www.roma2008tkd.it/home.php Roma 2008: European Taekwondo Championships
  40. Kang, S.-W. (2009): Choue re-elected as WTF head The Korea Times (14 October 2009). Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  41. http://www.rheetkd.com/master_rhee_interview.html An interview with World Master Chong-chul Rhee, 8th Dan, the Father of Australian Taekwon-Do
  42. See the Martial Arts section of the Yellow Pages telephone directory from any Australian state capital city since at least the 1980s.
  43. See the back cover of Australasian Fighting Arts since at least 1995, including volumes 17(6) from 1995, 18(4) from 1996, and 19(1) from 1997.
  44. http://www.rheetaekwon-do.com/home.htm Rhee Taekwon-Do: Brisbane and Sunshine Coast Regions
  45. http://www.rheetkd.info/ Rhee Tae Kwon Do: Mildura/Sunraysia Region
  46. Anonymous (2005): Crunch time for students Latrobe Valley Express (29 August 2005). Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  47. http://rhee-tkd.blogspot.com/2005/08/training-centres-and-times.html Rhee Taekwon-Do (Victoria): Training centres and times
  48. http://www.ukta.com/gmr.php Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th Dan
  49. http://www.rita-itf.org/student-gmrhee.htm Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association: Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th degree black belt
  50. Web site: The Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame – List of Instructors. Taekwondo Hall of Fame.
  51. Web site: The Greats of Taekwondo – Grandmaster Sun-hwan Chung. Taekwondo Hall of Fame.
  52. Web site: Sun-hwan Chung Biography – Chung's Black Belt Taekwondo & Hapkido. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140907024726/http://www.chungsunhwan.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=206. September 7, 2014.
  53. https://www.manilatimes.net/2013/10/12/sports/monsour-del-rosarios-legend-lives-among-filipino-jins/44216/44216/ Master Monsour under GM Hong's tutelage
  54. https://sports.inquirer.net/192959/senator-poe-blackbelter Young Senator Poe under GM Hong
  55. https://www.olympic.org/sung-chon-hong Born on 03 MAY 1945
  56. http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=1012 Grand Master Jhoon Rhee returns home to serve as Youngsan Univ.'s Chair Professor
  57. Kang, S.-W. (2008): Taekwondo grandmaster lectures at Yonsei University The Korea Times (10 January 2008). Retrieved on 26 January 2010.
  58. Web site: Hartman . History of Taekwondo: Road to the Olympics . TKD Tutor . 2000 . 2009-04-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090307005702/http://tkdtutor.com/02Taekwondo/TaekwondoHistory/16Olympics01.htm . March 7, 2009 . (Link has expired, as at 28 February 2010.)
  59. Web site: Breakthrough deal to allow N. Koreans to compete in Olympic taekwondo competitions . English.yonhapnews.co.kr . 29 December 2014.
  60. Web site: introduction . World Taekwondo Federation . 29 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141216022837/http://www.worldtaekwondofederation.net/about-the-federation . 16 December 2014 . dead . dmy-all .
  61. Web site: Saei Bonehkohal, Hadi.
  62. Web site: 18th ATU Championships -Zheng Zhou, China – April 26–28 . August 23, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080514033945/http://www.taekwondoiranfed.com/english/index.asp . May 14, 2008 .
  63. Web site: Yousef KARAMI. 2021-09-24. Olympics.com.
  64. Web site: Jade Jones gives Britain first taekwondo gold. The Times of India. 8 August 2012. 19 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200619172930/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/london-olympics-2012/news/Jade-Jones-gives-Britain-first-taekwondo-gold/articleshow/15428759.cms/. dead.
  65. Web site: Rousseau . Robert . Anthony Pettis, Lyoto Machida, and More Proving That The Traditional Martial Arts Can Help In The Cage . Fighters.com . December 26, 2010 . February 28, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006111603/http://www.fighters.com/12/26/anthony-pettis-lyoto-machida-and-more-proving-that-the-traditional-martial-arts-hold-worth-in-the-cage/ . October 6, 2014 .
  66. Web site: Hernandez. Jose. UFC 211: Yair Rodriguez – 2017 Is My Year. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/VwJciYmZ1NE. 2021-12-11 . live. Youtube. UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship. May 11, 2017.
  67. News: Nomeado embaixador, Anderson Silva mostra arrependimento por deixar modalidade. ahe!. pt. Francisco Junior. 4 June 2012. 26 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150202155129/http://www.ahebrasil.com.br/noticias/2012/05/28/taekwondo/nomeado+embaixador+anderson+silva+mostra+arrependimento+por+deixar+modalidade.html. 2 February 2015. dead.
  68. Web site: Biography. FIGHT! Magazine Staff. FIGHT! Magazine. 8 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20131021003328/http://madeira.hccanet.org/project1/cassidyp1/biography.html. 21 October 2013. dead.
  69. Web site: 'Ajde Mirko, dosta je bilo, 11 je sati. Do kad ti misliš udarati?' . 24sata. . 6 January 2021.
  70. Web site: Rose Namajunas UFC. UFC.com. 14 September 2018. June 4, 2021.
  71. Web site: Rose Namajunas: To survive is to find meaning in the suffering. MixedMartialArts.com. 2013-02-10. 2013-06-11. 2015-11-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20151110034114/http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/435804/Rose-Namajunas-To-survive-is-to-find-meaning-in-the-suffering. dead.
  72. Web site: Valentina Shevchenko Talks Cross Sport Success; Signing to Legacy MMA. Wombat Sports. February 10, 2015. February 10, 2015.
  73. Web site: Jung Chan Sung profile . Sengoku-official.com . ja . March 20, 2009 . March 14, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090314151235/http://www.sengoku-official.com/pc/fighters/j/jung_chansung/index.html . dead .
  74. Web site: Technique Talk: Michael 'Venom' Page goes from freestyle to 'Six30' kickboxing. mmafighting.com. 2 November 2014.
  75. Web site: Venom Page Tells 411: "I'm Hungry For My Bellator 140 Fight". 411mania.com. 17 July 2015.
  76. Web site: Michael Venom Page: The UK'S Breakout MMA Star Takes Point-Fighting to the Cage. fightland.vice.com. 12 August 2016.
  77. Web site: Bellator 144's Michael Page: The Real MVP. combatpress.com. 21 October 2015.
  78. Web site: Thanh Le exclusive: ONE Featherweight champ talks taekwondo having a 'bad rep'. Jake Skudder. 5 July 2022 . GiveMeSport. 22 November 2022. One of the biggest elements of Le’s combat sports history is his time training in his father’s taekwondo gym, and we discussed his love of the discipline and how he wants to change perceptions of it..
  79. Web site: Cung Le's Roots are in Taekwondo. Marc Zirogiannis. 1 July 2019 . Taekwondo Life Magazine. 4 February 2024.
  80. News: Body Watch; Kicking Old Habits; Chuck Norris found he couldn't eat just anything after he hit his mid-30s. These days, TV's top ranger feasts on veggies, fowl and fish. And he tries to keep his distance from peanut clusters. . . Candace A. . Wedlan . October 2, 1996 . February 20, 2020 . September 19, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180919193557/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-10-02/news/ls-49498_1_chuck-norris . live .
  81. Book: Haney-Withrow. Anna. 2012. Tae Kwon Do. 18 . Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. 9780761449409. One of the most famous practitioners of taekwondo is an American, Chuck Norris. In 1997, Norris became the first American to be awarded an eighth degree black belt in taekwondo.
  82. Web site: Imperioli: Tae Kwon Do Changed His Life. VERENA. DOBNIK. 28 January 2007. washingtonpost.com.
  83. Web site: Board of Directors.
  84. News: D'man Behind D' Name . Sports Illustrated. April 10, 2006. June 11, 2010.
  85. Web site: "Taekwondo Changed My Life" Says Megadeth Leader Dave Mustaine . wtf.org . 2021-06-07 . 2016-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160322192055/http://www.wtf.org//bbs/bbs.php?&bbs_cate=&bbs_code=10004&bbs_no=1222&bbs_num=35&keyword=&page=3&search=&symode=view . dead .
  86. "Male Celebs Who Practice Martial Arts", Jet magazine, Sept. 24, 1903, at pp. 38-39.
  87. News: Michael Jai White Ignites Black Dynamite. Pollard. Edward. Black Belt Magazine. 2009-12-27. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100102132306/http://blackbeltmag.com/michael_jai_white_black_dynamite/archives/816. January 2, 2010.
  88. Web site: Joe Rogan Owes His Success to Taekwondo, Thai Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Black Belt Magazine . Blackbeltmag.com . 21 January 2019. 2022-06-25.
  89. Web site: Hyson . Sean . The Martial Arts-Inspired Joe Rogan Fighting Workout | Men's Journal . Mensjournal.com . 2022-06-25.
  90. News: Vikings – Katheryn Winnick Conference Call . SpoilerTV . March 1, 2013 . March 1, 2015 .
  91. News: Emmanuel Lewis: As the Pint-Size Webster, He Reached New Heights. People. 28 November 1994. 2012-10-10. 2012-10-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20121014062023/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20104500,00.html. dead.
  92. Web site: Mackenzie Foy's Instagram is Proof She Was Destined to be a Disney Princess .
  93. News: Smith. Denise L.. Grand master of daring moves Y.K. Kim keeps coming back when odds seem to mount against him. 23 April 2018. Orlando Sentinel. Central Florida Business p. 13. Orlando Sentinel. 12 September 1988. orlandosentinel1988.
    • "Milestones: At age 13, was among youngest in Korea to achieve black belt in TaeKwon-Do. Studied and taught TaeKwon-Do in Korea until 1976, when he moved to Buenos Aires to teach the martial art. Moved to New York in 1977 and then to Orlando in 1978, where he opened his first school, Y.K. Kim's TaeKwon-Do."
  94. Ayers, Mike. "'Miami Connection' goes from flop to fame." CNN. November 8, 2012. Retrieved on December 1, 2012.
  95. News: Plot Defeats 'Best' Karate Sequences. The Los Angeles Times. 2011-01-13.
  96. News: A BLEND OF TWO GENRES FOUND IN 'NINJA TURF'. The Los Angeles Times. 2011-01-13.
  97. Up-and-Coming Martial Arts Movie Stars . 22 . 32 . 5 . 0277-3066 . Black Belt. Terence . Allen. 1 May 1994. Active Interest Media, Inc.. Google Books. A black belt in both taekwondo and hapkido, Phillip Rhee burst onto the martial arts movie scene in Best of the Best... Rhee followed up that role in 1993, show-casing his kicking and joint-manipulation skills in Best of the Best II..
  98. . February 1, 1995. Daniels' "North Star" Set for '95 Release. Black Belt Magazine (February 1995 issue). 69. March 9, 2023. ... A black belt in taekwondo, Daniels has 23 years of martial arts training, including background in kickboxing, ninjutsu, aikido and shaolin kung fu..
  99. Terrence Allen. Meet the Martial Arts Movie Stars of the Next Century . Black Belt Magazine (Jan 1996 issue) . 57. Beginning his martial arts studies at the age of 8, he has a black belt in taekwondo.... January 1996. March 9, 2023.
  100. https://www.mixedmartialarts.com/vault/top-5-highest-ranking-black-belts-hollywood
  101. Web site: AS . Sashidhar . Akshay obtained a black belt in Taekwondo . The Times of India . 8 September 2012 . 29 November 2015 . 7 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160107054738/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/did-you-know-/Akshay-obtained-a-black-belt-in-Taekwondo/articleshow/16312135.cms . live .
  102. News: 10 Fun Facts About Ariel Winter's Life Before Modern Family. thethings.com. September 21, 2020.
  103. Web site: July 30, 2014 . Tiger Shroff's 'Heropanti' earns him 5th degree black belt . August 13, 2022 . The Indian Express.
  104. News: Mumbai millionaire . 26 March 2009 . Dwyer, Michael . 10 January 2009 . The Irish Times .
  105. Web site: Obama Presented with Taekwondo Outfit. 19 November 2009.
  106. Web site: S.Korea presents Obama with taekwondo 'master' belt. www.asiaone.com.
  107. Web site: The Ultimate List: Celebrity Black Belt Martial Artists. 9 April 2015.
  108. Web site: Putin Earns 9th Degree Black Belt, Because He's Putin. HuffPost. 13 November 2013.
  109. Web site: World Taekwondo strips Russia's Vladimir Putin of his honorary black belt. 2 March 2022. 3 March 2022. NPR. Jaclyn. Diaz.
  110. Web site: Official Announcement from World Taekwondo. . February 28, 2022. World Taekwondo Official Site. September 26, 2022. World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance. In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013. In solidarity with the International Olympic Committee, no Russian or Belarusian national flags or anthems will be displayed or played at World Taekwondo events. World Taekwondo and the European Taekwondo Union will not organise or recognise Taekwondo events in Russia and Belarus. World Taekwondo’s thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and we hope for a peaceful and immediate end to this war..
  111. Web site: Ex-President Trump given ninth-degree black belt in taekwondo. Shirin. Ali. November 23, 2021. TheHill.
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