Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo (not to be confused with Rhee Taekwon-Do) is the style of taekwondo developed by taekwondo pioneer Jhoon Rhee and overseen by the organization Jhoon Rhee International. When Rhee first moved to the United States in 1957 he taught martial arts at a club in San Antonio, Texas. There, he was visited by Choi Hong Hi who convinced Rhee to refer to his martial art as taekwondo, making Rhee the first taekwondo instructor residing in the U.S.
In 1962 Rhee relocated and taught at a karate school in Washington D.C. Shortly thereafter Rhee opened his own school in Washington (at 2035 K Street NW). Rhee later opened other schools in the D.C. area. His style of taekwondo has since spread to other schools, especially in eastern Europe.
Rhee's training in Korea had been in Traditional Taekwondo, having previously been a student of Chung Do Kwan. Later, he adopted ITF Taekwon-do instead. Eventually, he switched again and developed his own style of taekwondo, borrowing some elements of ITF taekwondo. The Jhoon Rhee style of taekwondo is self-defense oriented (vs. sports oriented) but with emphasis also on taekwondo as a fitness activity and a family activity.
Forms[]
The following forms (hyeong) are used in Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo:
- Beginner forms (White Belt)
- Color Belt forms
- Black Belt forms
Jhoon Rhee's Martial Ballet[]
Jhoon Rhee synchronized some of his taekwondo forms to music, dubbing the result his Martial Ballet.
- "Beauty of Mexico" to Granada is a 2nd Dan Black Belt Form.
- The Jhoon Rhee form Might for Right is performed to the music of the Theme of Exodus. Students learn this form at 2nd Brown.
- The form Marriage of East to West is performed to the music of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Students learn this form at 1st Dan Black Belt
Schools[]
Approximately 30 schools in the U.S. and Eastern Europe are recognized as being certified to teach Jhoon Rhee style of taekwondo. See http://jhoonrhee.com/schools.html Jhoon Rhee schools can be found in the Washington D.C. metro area (which includes Maryland and northern Virginia), Russia, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbenkistan.
Jhoon Rhee International[]
The Jhoon Rhee International (JRI) organization is headquartered in Washington, DC. It was established in 2000 to coordinate the activities of the studios and martial arts schools using the name Jhoon Rhee. The main objective is to promote the JRI practical philosophy "Lead by Example" which is targeted at promoting a healthy lifestyle in childhood and throughout life. The main activities of JRI:
- opening new Jhoon Ree schools and providing them with comprehensive support
- conducting formal Championships and competitions
- close cooperation public schools in the education of children
- curriculum development, methods, video and printed materials
- annual certification of trainers
- conduct workshops
- examinations for Black Belts and issuance of certificates
- copyright protection of intellectual property belonging to the Jhoon Rhee Institute
See Also[]
References[]
- Jhoon Rhee Institute of Taekwondo homepage at http://jhoonrheetkd.com/
- Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo homepage at http://arlingtonkicks.com/