In Korea, a famous military General, Choi Hong Hi, founded one of today's
more popular martial arts. He had trained in Karate, Kwon Bup (Kempo)
and is said to have trained in a native Korean art called Tae Kyon.
With the help of many other prominent Korean master instructors, he
consolidated various Japanese-based, Korean arts under the name Tae Kwon Do
(meaning "the art of kicking and punching") in 1955. General Choi’s
promotional efforts, combined with Tae Kwon Do's high, flashy kicking
techniques have made this art popular throughout the world.
In the early 1960’s, a talented young Master of Kwon Bup named Kwang Jo Choi
met General Choi, (no relation) and joined his organization called the
International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF). Master Kwang Jo Choi
excelled at Tae Kwon Do, and contributed to its spread throughout Indonesia,
Australia, Canada and eventually the United States.
Since his youth, Master Choi challenged many of the traditional ideas and
training methods of Kempo, Karate, and Tae Kwon Do. In his search for
a more practical approach to Martial Arts, Master Choi left the ITF in 1978.
Four years later, he went on to found his own system of Tae Kwon Do in Atlanta
Georgia. This system was called Kwang Duk Kwan (Great School of the
Enlightened Way). It later became Kwang Duk Do (Great Art of the
Enlightened Way,) and finally became Choi Kwang Do (Art of Grandmaster Kwang Jo
Choi) in 1987.
Grandmaster Choi developed a martial art light years ahead of his time by
emphasizing practical skills based on his study of biomechanics and
kinesiology. He was, and still is to this day, considered to be one of
the worlds greatest martial artists.
Grandmaster Choi’s quest for better and more effective technique is a common
phenomenon in the evolution of martial arts. As Choi Kwang Do evolved,
this influence again manifested itself in the organization's Technical Director,
Master Robert Lowrey, and Assistant Technical Director,
Master Eric Hennings.
They had trained with Grandmaster Choi since the early 1980's, but felt it was
time to develop an even further improved martial system. They left the Choi
Kwang Do organization and founded Modern Defense Martial Art on May 26, 1997 which was renamed
Dynamic Self Defense in 2006 after collaboration with Master Gideon Hajioff in the UK.
The DSD founders’ objective is to move
away from the politics, commercialism and cultural indoctrination inherent to many
of today’s martial arts and to return to the original objectives of ancient martial
arts: holistic health, practical self-defense, and character development.