A Brief History of the American Taekwondo Association

Introduction

The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) is the world's largest centralized martial arts organization, with over 180,000 members worldwide, including 14,000 black belts and 3,000 certified instructors. Its president and founder is Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee.

In addition to the 850 ATA Black Belt Academy schools and clubs throughout the United States, the ATA operates schools in 16 other countries. (The South American schools are organized under the Songahm Taekwondo Federation and the schools in Canada, England, Germany, South Korea, South Africa and other countries worldwide operate under the World Traditional Taekwondo Union. Both the STF and the WTTU are branches of the ATA.)

The American Taekwondo Association oversees the operation of every ATA school and club worldwide, from instructor certification to rank promotions to curriculum development.

ATA History

Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee founded the American Taekwondo Association in 1969, only seven years after arriving in the United States.

Early years

Born in Manchuria, China, Grand Master Lee moved with his family to Korea after World War II and began his martial arts training there in 1953. He served in the Korean Army as a Taekwondo trainer for special troops before retiring to open a Taekwondo school at the Osan Air Force Base. An American serviceman named Richard Reed was one of his students there, and in 1962 Reed (who is today a Senior Master) brought Grand Master Lee to Omaha, Nebraska. They opened a Taekwondo school there, and in 1969 the ATA began opening schools throughout the country.

From the beginning, Grand Master Lee was determined to establish the most professional martial arts organization possible. In 1973, he introduced the first instructor manual, which provided information and procedures to standardize the operation of all ATA schools. In 1976, he hosted the first Grand National tournament, which was the predecessor for the Songahm Taekwondo World Championships that he now hosts annually (see Tournaments). A year later, he re-located the ATA headquarters from Omaha to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he soon had 200 black belts earning instructor certification each year.

In 1980, the ATA became the first martial arts organization to introduce a centralized computer recordkeeping system. This innovation enabled the ATA to maintain rank histories and other important information about the thousands of ATA members. The same year, Grand Master Lee began publishing a tabloid entitled "ATA News" which has evolved into the international magazine The Way of Taekwondo that the ATA now publishes quarterly to keep Songahm Taekwondo students informed about upcoming events, appraised of new programs, and knowledgeable about the physical and mental aspects of Songahm Taekwondo.

Songahm Taekwondo

The birth of the Songahm style of Taekwondo came on August 13, 1983, when Grand Master Lee introduced a group of 300 masters and other instructors to the first three Songahm poom-sae (forms), which he had developed after intensive research and consultation with other ATA seniors. (See curriculum development above.)

Having successfully established a traditional Taekwondo organization in the United States, Grand Master Lee was ready to bring the ATA to Taekwondo's birthplace. In 1987, he took 203 masters and other instructors to South Korea for a ten day camp at Haein Temple. The trip engendered a new tradition, and in 1991 ATA instructors were allowed to visit Korea's famous "Tiger" Division military base. During that trip, the ATA donated a monument to the Choong Moo Memorial Center, which memorializes a famous Korean general. The nine foot tall rock monument that the ATA donated stands on the Center's grounds today.

In 1990, Grand Master Lee completed the development of the 17 Songahm Taekwondo forms that would take a student from white belt through testing for ninth-degree black belt (click here for an explanation of belt ranks). It had taken him 20 years to complete this part of his vision for traditional Taekwondo. At the ATA World Championships that year, then-Master Lee, tested before thousands of Songahm Taekwondo students for the rank of ninth-degree black belt. Over 100,000 ATA members had signed a petition in support of his advancement to this rank, which carries the title Grand Master.

Public service

The ATA helps numerous charitable organizations. From 1986 to 1989 the ATA donated over $1.5 million to fight muscular dystrophy, earning the Muscular Dystrophy Association Award for three consecutive years as a result. The ATA also raises money for the DARE Program, Arkansas Children's Hospital, and Arkansas Special Olympics. Grand Master Lee and the ATA currently are working with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in its fight against breast cancer.

Individual schools worldwide support local charities as well. For instance, the Bartlett and Raleigh ATA Black Belt Academies have supported the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation with the Board Breaks for the Cure. Both schools have also participated in fundraisers for Cystic Fibrosis and Juvenile Diabetes.

In 1991, the H.U. Lee Scholarship Foundation was established to help deserving young adults pay for their college tuition. Each year at the Songahm Taekwondo World Championships, the Foundation awards over $8,000 in scholarships to high school seniors who show dedication to their academic and martial arts careers.

New Resources

In 1992, Grand Master Lee introduced a series of books called "The Way of Traditional Taekwondo." Once finished, this series of books will offer the student a complete library of forms, one-steps, and self-defense techniques from white belt to ninth-degree black belt, with descriptions of how to properly execute each technique. Since 1997, the ATA has been developing a video series to complement these books. Both the books and the videos can be ordered through either the Bartlett or Raleigh schools.

The Lee Family

Grand Master Lee is married to Mrs. Sun C. Lee. They have four children: David, Flora, Lisa, and Taekwon. Grand Master Lee also has several family members who have been integral to the development of the ATA. They include his brothers Chief Master Soon Ho Lee (8th Degree Black Belt and Executive Vice-President of the ATA), Senior Master In Ho Lee (7th Degree Black Belt and Membership Chairman) and Master Mal Kun Lee (6th Degree Black Belt and Instruction Chairman); as well as his cousin Senior Master Gyung Kun Lee (7th Degree Black Belt and Protech Chairman).

For more information about the American Taekwondo Association, visit ATA international headquarters online.

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Contents ]

Last modified: June 12, 2000

The American Taekwondo Association holds a copyright on the Songahm Taekwondo curriculum. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
For more information regarding the American Taekwondo Association, contact ATA Headquarters