Chosun Taekwondo Academy students train in Korea

WARWICK — Twenty students from the Chosun Taekwondo Academy, a local martial arts and hatha yoga center headquartered at 62 Main St. in Warwick, visited Korea – the homeland of taekwondo - for seven days in July.
The Chosun group was led by head instructor and 6th degree black belt, Master Doug Cook. This was school’s sixth training tour of Korea, and Cook said he plans to return in 2014.
“At one time or another almost every martial artist dreams of visiting the country from which their chosen discipline has evolved,” Cook wrote in a press release detailing the trip. “To the karateka, that region is Okinawa; to the kungfu practitioner, it is China. But to the taekwondoist, it is a peninsula rich in greenery with mountains masked in swirling mists that rush to meet the sky- Korea: Land of the Morning Calm. Couple this desire with the opportunity to train alongside revered icons in the martial arts community and you are presented with a winning formula for a highly rewarding adventure. Few people are given the opportunity to genuinely realize this dream.”
The flight from New York to Seoul lasted 14 hours. Once in Korea, the itinerary included instruction by grandmasters at the Kumgang Taekwondo Center, the World Taekwondo Instructor Academy, Gulgosa Temple and the Kukkiwon - center of taekwondo operations worldwide.

Masters and grandmasters

Each day presented a diverse and challenging training opportunity. Master Byeong Cheol An of the Kumgang Taekwondo Center, a face familiar to the Chosun students from previous training excursions, featured strenuous exercises in self-defense and sparring.
Another component of the educational journey included a day of instruction at the World Taekwondo Instructor Academy in the tiny village of Yangsu-ri, surrounded by rice paddies, where the Chosun students practiced the most current iteration of poomsae – the choreographed, dance-like formal exercises unique to taekwondo – taught by Grandmaster Gyoo Hyun Lee.
Yet for many, training at the Kukkiwon represented the highlight of their training. There, Grandmaster No concentrated on all aspects of taekwondo practice.

Ancient kingdom

In an effort to provide a balanced program, the participants traveled to Kyongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom located in the southeast portion of the country. Sights of interest included Bulguksa Temple and Tong-Il Jeon Shrine.
“In what can only be compared to a scene borrowed from the movie ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’” Cook wrote, “a singularly memorable event of the excursion required the Chosun students to endure a steep climb through cloud-like mists to Gulgosa Temple perched high atop the mountains overlooking the Great Kyongju Plain. There, the Chosun students studied Sunmudo, or Traditional Korean Zen Martial Arts, followed by a monastic meal with the resident Buddhist monks.”
For more information about Chosun Taekwondo Academy, call 845-986-2288, or visit www.chosuntkd.com.