Sihak Henry Cho (November 9, 1934 – March 8, 2012), was a Korean taekwondo pioneer and instructor with the ranking of 9th ''

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'' who is recognized as one of the first people to introduce Asian martial arts into the United States of America. He was the student of Yun Kwei-byung

S. Henry Cho was originally a teacher of Kong Soo Do

Life and career

Cho arrived in the USA in 1958 after having received his B.A. degree in Korea, to pursue a Master's Degree in Business Administration at the University of Illinois, and ended up creating many branch schools across the nation. He opened the first permanent, commercial Tae Kwon Do school in the United States in 1961 which he personally ran for over 40 years. He was the creator and promoter of the All American Open Tae Kwon Do/ Karate/ Kung Fu Championship Tournament which continues on to this day. During his lifetime he met and knew many notable martial artists including

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

, Chuck Norris, Michael DePasquale Sr.,

Donald Hugh Nagle Donald Nagle was an American marine, karate expert and instructor. Biography Nagle was a Marine; in the mid-1950s he was stationed on Okinawa, in the Ryukyu Islands off the coast of Japan. There he studied karate under Tatsuo Shimabuku wa ...

and Peter Urban, and Ron Duncan to name a few. The All American Open was held for 23 consecutive years at

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, and was attended by notable martial artists;

met Chuck Norris for the first time at the All American Open. Cho is the recipient of the Hall of Fame (Man of the Year) Award by ''Karate'' magazine, and the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Cho is also the author of a number of books including ''Korean Karate: Free Fighting Techniques''. He was a member of the US Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Association. He was president of the World Council of Martial Arts, Inc from 1991-2012.

Cho has been featured on numerous magazines including the cover of Black Belt Magazine in 1979 and 2007

He served as the Head Coach for the St. John's University (New York), St. John's University Tae Kwon Do Club.

Publications

''Tae Kwon Do: Secrets of Korean Karate''; Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1968
''Korean Karate: Free Fighting Techniques''; Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1968
''Better Karate for Boys''; Dodd, Mead & Co., 1969
''Self-Defense Karate''; Stravon Publications, 1970

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cho, S. Henry 1934 births 2012 deaths American martial arts writers Martial arts school founders Martial arts writers South Korean male taekwondo practitioners 20th-century philanthropists

Life and career

Publications

See also

References