Master Kirby with friends!!
Grand Master Young Soo Do

With Grandmaster Do in Miami

Grand Master Young Soo Do is a native of South Korea and began studying Tae Kwon Do as a young child. He is a 9th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and is eligible to bear the title of Master Instructor.

Grand Master Do served with the Korean Marine Corps in Viet Nam during the war. In addition to major combat duty, he taught Tae Kwon Do to American and Vietnamese soldiers. After the war, he returned to Korea as a Master Instructor in Tae Kwon Do.

In 1976, Grand Master Do came to the United States and opened Young Tae Kwon Do Academy. He teaches all his own classes six days a week. He is a superb instructor and is capable of teaching Tae Kwon Do to all students from young children to mature adults. His life is totally devoted to Tae Kwon Do and this dedication is imparted to his students.

• Tae Kwon Do World Champion 1969 - 1971
• Head Instructor for the Korean National Tae Kwon Do team
• United States Tae Kwon Do Union President 1985 - 1987
• Self Defense Instructor for the FBI and DEA
• Citation for outstanding contribution to the Art of Tae Kwon Do from the head of the World Tae Kwon Do Association (Ku Ki Won)
• Korean American Association National Vice President, Florida & Miami Chapter President
• Master Instructor in Kum Do and Ki Gong
• Over 300 civic awards from Federal, State, and City Governments
• Honorary North Miami Police Chief

Grand Master Jhoon Rhee





  With Grand Master Rhee in Chicago

• World-renowned 10th Degree Black Belt, Known as the Father of American Tae Kwon Do
• Appointed to National Council on Vocational Education (1984 To 1988) by President Ronald Regan
• Appointed as Special Advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports (1988-1991) by President George H. W. Bush
• National Chairman of the July 4th, 1983 Nation?s Birthday Celebration
• Martial Arts instructor for Muhammad Ali, Jack Anderson, George Allen Sr., Bob Livingston, Tony Robbins, Jack Valenti and over 300 U. S. Senators and House Representatives
• Creator of The National Teacher Appreciation Day, January 28, 1986, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan on October 16, 1986
• Has over 60 affiliated Tae Kwon Do studios in the US and 65 in the C.I.S. (former Soviet Union)
• Selected as the 721st 'Daily Point of Light' by President George Bush March 17, 1992
• Received American Immigrants Achievement Award on March 19, 1999
• Received NAPMA's Life Time Achievement Award on June 10, 1999
• A member of the Steering Committee of the George Allen for US Senator in the year 2000
• In January 2000, only Korean American who made one of 203 most recognized American immigrants by the National Immigrant Forum and the U.S. I.N.S. The list included Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and 200 others.

Gracie Jujitsu

1993 Mr. Kirby (left) with Royce Gracie (second from left), Rorion Gracie (second from right) and other Gracie family members in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The Gracies have redefined no-holds-barred full contact competition establishing  the Ultimate Fighting Championships.        

Following the strict teaching methods of Grand Master Helio Gracie, the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy was established to provide the most effective Jiu-Jitsu instruction in the world by giving students the elements to defend themselves as humanely as possible. The world famous Gracie family stands as a shining example of the proven methods they teach, through their amazing successes in the no-holds-barred arena and the introduction of ground grappling into the training regimen of nearly every major martial art, military unit and law enforcement organization worldwide.

Bill Wallace
With Bill "Superfoot" Wallace in Chicago in 1997.

Bill Wallace retired as the undefeated Professional Karate Association (PKA) Middleweight Champion after defeating Bill Biggs in a 12-round bout in June 1980.  The victory, Wallace's 23rd straight, signaled the end to an illustrious 15-year career in tournament and full contact fighting. Known to the karate world simply as "Superfoot," symbolic of his awesome left leg, which was once clocked in excess of 60 mph, Wallace left a string of battered and bruised bodies along the martial arts fighting trail.

    As a national champion point fighter three years in a row, Wallace captured virtually every major event on the tournament circuit.  The more prestigious victories included: the U.S. Championships (3 times), the USKA Grand Nationals (3 times), and the Top Ten Nationals (2 times). He was such as dominant figure in martial arts that Black Belt magazine, the bible of industry publications, named him to its Hall of Fame three times in seven years -- twice as "Competitor of the Year" and once as "Man of the Year."