Grandmaster Kang Uk Lee
Hertfordshire, England

Grandmaster Mariano Estioko
Sacramento, California

Grandmaster Estioko, 9th Dan, began his Tang Soo Do training in 1958 at the Osan Air base in Korea while serving in the U. S. Air Force. A student of Grandmaster Song Ki Kim, Grandmaster Estioko, Pin # 759, was the second American to receive a Black Belt in Tang Soo Do. He is the founder and President of the Western Pacific Tang Soo Do Federation.

Grandmaster William Clingan
Yuba City, California

Grandmaster Clingan's martial arts training started in 1958 in Cumberland, Maryland. In 1962 he met both Grandmaster Ki Yun Yi and Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin while stationed in Korea and began his career in Tang Soo Do. Grandmaster Clingan has also trained in Shotokan, Jiu-Jitsu and holds a 1st Dan ranking in Hapkido under the late Grandmaster Bong Soo Han.

Grandmaster Pat Johnson
Los Angeles, California

Grandmaster Johnson, 9th Dan began his training in 1963 while serving overseas in the military. Following his return to the United States, he became Captain of Chuck Norris' competition team and in 1995 was named Black Belt magazine's Instructor of the Year. His personal competition record stands at only one loss in 200 contests. Grandmaster Johnson is currently the head of the National Tang Soo Do Congress.

Grandmaster Dominick Giacobbe
Clementon, New Jersey

Grandmaster James A. Saffold
Clarkston, Michigan

Grandmaster Saffold, 9th Dan, began training in Korean martial arts in 1968 while stationed in Vietnam. Upon returning home, he continued his training in Detroit under Grandmaster Jae Joon Kim (Pin #38). Each of Grandmaster Saffold's Dan Certificates, up to and including 8th Dan, were all awarded by Grandmaster Kim personally. Grandmaster Saffold
is also president of the American Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation which he founded in 2004.

Carlsbad Soo Bahk Do
Carlsbad, California

Carlsbad Soo Bahk Do (formerly Oceanside Soo Bahk Do) was opened by Master Ted Mason, 8th Dan, in 1968 and is a member of the U.S. Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation. Master Howard Jackson, one of the top rated fighters in the 1970's began training there in 1971.

Master Keiko Mason
Carlsbad, California

Master Mason, 7th Dan, began her Tang Soo Do training in 1968 under her husband, Master Ted Mason. She continues to teach and assist with the operation of their studio, Carlsbad Soo Bahk Do, in Carlsbad, California.

Korean Karate Academy   New
Allen Park, Michigan

Opened in March 1968 by Master Edward Ormanian and his son Aaron, the Korean Karate Academy is one of the oldest continuing karate clubs in Michigan. With Master Edward Ormanian's passing in 1994, the club has continued under the direction of Master Aaron Ormanian, 7th Dan.

Master Richard Kopf
North Haven, Connecticut

Grandmaster Carl Tate
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Grandmaster Tate began his study of Tang Soo Do in 1973 at age 12 in Inkster, Michigan, 21 miles west of Detroit. He was 15 when he was awarded Cho Dan. In 1978 at age 17, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Still in Lawton, Oklahoma until December 1982. In the Fall of 2000 he moved to Canada and opened the only full time traditional Tang Soo Do school in Calgary, Alberta. Later that same year, he founded the First Canada Tang Soo Do Organization.

American Tang Soo Do Association
Malden, Massachusetts

Founded in 1973 by Grandmaster Richard Byrne, the American Tang Soo Do Association is the oldest, continuously operating Tang Soo Do organization in the United States.
 

Master Laurence D'Ercole
Tang Soo Do Karate Institute, Chula Vista, California

In 1973, Master Laurence J. D'Ercole entered martial arts training under Young H. Kwon and achieved 1st Dan Black Belt in 1976. Now a 6th Dan, he is a Charter Member of the World Tang Soo Do Association and has initiated World Tang Soo Do schools in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Peru.

South Bay Martial Arts   New
Torrance, California

Established in 1973, South Bay Martial Arts is one of the oldest martial arts schools in the South Bay area. It is owned and operated by Master Fred Messersmith, who has been a resident of the South Bay area for his entire life.

Academia Italiana Tang Su Do
Rome, Italy

Founded by Grandmaster Roberto Villalba, 8th Dan in 1978, Academia Italiana Tang Su Do serves as the organizing body of traditional Tang Su (Soo) Do member schools in Italy.
 

West Haven Academy of Karate - North Haven
North Haven, Connecticut

West Haven Academy of Karate is owned and operated by Master Richard Kopf, and is a member of the Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan Association. Master Kopf is also celebrating his 40th year in martial arts. See above.
 

Master Penny Mitchell
North Reading, Massachusetts

Master Mitchell, 7th Dan, began has been a student of Grandmaster Richard Byrne for her whole Tang Soo Do career which began in 1975. Upon the passing of Grandmaster Byrne in 2012, Master Mitchell has taken over the reins of the American Tang Soo Do Association as its Kwan Jang Nim, and became the first female to head a major international Tang Soo Do organization. The organization also celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

Master Ismael Roman
Korean Martial Arts Institute, Hamilton, New Jersey

Master Roman started training in 1978 at the age of 6, under Master Steven Chambliss. He received his 4th Dan in 2002 from Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin and also holds a 4th Dan rank in Sin Moo Hapkido and a red patch in the art of Savate. He is the manager and instructor at the Korean Martial Arts Institute under the direction of Master John Godwin. In 2004, Master Godwin recognized him with an award for 25 years of leadership.