INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Sport of Taekwondo has been going through changes ever since it became an Official Medal event in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
One of the most important things is to keep up the standards of Taekwondo as a Martial Art as well as an Olympic Sport with the Master Instructors throughout the world.
The Kukkiwon, which is the World’s Taekwondo Headquarters, sets the International Standards of the martial art/sport of Taekwondo and developed an Instructors course to maintain the integrity of Taekwondo.
The Kukkiwon program reaches all Master Instructors in all countries. Vero Beach has two Kukkiwon World Master Instructors from Indian River Taekwondo.
The Kukkiwon certification ends in a test which upon completion and a passing grade, gives the Master Instructors the ability to open their own school or to refresh their knowledge in the new and improved ways of stretching, nutrition and exercise.
Completion and a passing grade also allow the instructor to promote anywhere, all over the world and is the highest degree of honors within the world of Taekwondo.
Locally, Master Instructor 6th Dan Jeff Langlois and Master Instructor 4th Dan Tyson ‘Yoon Ho’ McCoy left for the training by the Kukkiwon, who sent several of the Korean Grandmasters of Taekwondo to the Korean-American Cultural Center in Atlanta, Ga.
The training consisted of four-12 hour days, studying the forms and self-defense applications; Olympic sparring techniques and Taekwondo philosophy, history and spirit.
Masters Langlois and McCoy completed the course with a passing grade and are known as International Master Instructors.
To congratulate them, they can be reached at Indian River Taekwondo at 3007 Aviation Blvd in Vero Beach. (772) 633-8001.
They are the only Kukkiwon Certified Taekwondo Master Instructors in Indian River County. Indian River Taekwondo has been teaching self-defense, women’s self-defense, after school programs, adult and kids Taekwondo, anti-bullying campaigns and community outreach activities in Vero Beach for 14 years.
This October, Master Langlois will be adding Hapkido self-defense on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m.