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Chosun Taekwondo Academy |
Biography of Master Doug Cook |
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Master
Doug Cook holds a 5th Dan Black
Belt in the Korean martial art of taekwondo and is certified as an
instructor and in rank by the United States Taekwondo Association and the
Kukkiwon. After training in Korea on several occasions, he went on to
become a six-time gold medalist in the New York State Championships and
the New York State Governor’s Cup Competitions. He holds a D3 status as
a US Referee and has received high honors from Korea in the form of a
“Letter of Appreciation” signed by World Taekwondo Federation
president, Dr. Un Yong Kim. In 2003 Master Cook was awarded the Medal of
Special Recognition from the Moo Duk Kwan in Seoul, South Korea. In 2004,
while attending a training camp in Korea, Master Cook received a Special
Citation from the Korean government for forging a stronger relationship
between Korea and the United States through the martial arts. A six-page
interview featuring Master Cook appeared in the May 2005 issue of Tae
Kwon Do Times focusing on taekwondo philosophy and his views on the
role the martial arts will play in the twenty-first century. In June 2006,
he was inducted into the Budo International Martial Arts Hall of Fame as
“Taekwondo Master of the Year”. In 2007, Master Cook was invited to
speak as a guest lecturer at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut;
the only institution of higher learning in the country to offer a major in
the martial arts. Master Cook was recently listed in Black Belt
magazine as one of the Top Twenty masters of the Korean martial arts in
America.
Master Cook and his students are credited with the creation of the
Chosun Women’s Self-Defense Course. He has also provided training for
the US Army National Guard/42nd Division prior to military
operations and currently instructs agents from the Department of Homeland
Security, the New York Police Department, and the Bronx County Sheriffs
Department. Master Cook was called upon to demonstrate taekwondo as part
of a three-man team at the annual Oriental World of Self-Defense held in
New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden. There, he and his team were
cheered on by martial arts legends such as Richard Chun, Henry Cho and
Chuck Norris. Master Cook is currently a consultant of the taekwondo
program for the Katie-At-The-Bat Foundation – a non-profit organization
targeted at enriching the lives of inner-city children through the martial
arts.
Because he is a traditionalist, Master Cook places great emphasis
on the underlying philosophical principles and self-defense strategies
surrounding taekwondo. He demonstrates this belief by infusing practical
meditation, breathing exercises, a strong attention to basics, and the
practice of the classical forms, or poomsae,
in his instructional methodology.
Aside from continuing his martial arts education under the tutelage
of world-renowned, 9th Dan Black Belt Grandmaster Richard Chun,
Master Cook owns and operates the Chosun Taekwondo Academy located in
Warwick, New York – an institute specializing in traditional martial
arts instruction and Ki, or internal energy, development. Master Doug Cook
currently shares his knowledge of taekwondo through a series of articles
he has written for Tae Kwon Do
Times, Black Belt, and the
United States Taekwondo Association Journal, as well as various
other martial arts publications. He also writes a monthly column for Tae
Kwon Do Times entitled Traditions.
Master Cook is the author of two best-selling books focusing on taekwondo
entitled, Taekwondo: Ancient
Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, and Traditional
Taekwondo – Core Techniques, History, and Philosophy, a Bronze
Medal winner in ForeWord magazines Book of the Year Award. Both editions
are published by YMAA of Boston and are available online and at
booksellers throughout the world. Master Doug Cook can be reached via
email at: chosuntkd@yahoo.com
and is available for seminars, workshops, and lectures. His web address
is: www.chosuntkd.com
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