Born June 6, 1964
Style:
Hwa Rang Do
Link to Master Henry Lee's
West
Coast Hwa Rang Do website.
A 7th Degree Black Sash in Hwa Rang Do�,
Taejoon Lee is the modern bearer of an ancient tradition of Hwarang
Knights, who helped unify the Korean peninsula in 668 A.D. Master Lee is
the eldest son of the art�s founder, Supreme Grandmaster
Dr. Joo Bang Lee, who integrated the
martial techniques and warrior spirit of the Hwarang into a unique
martial art system in the 1960s.
Master Taejoon Lee is one of the world�s finest martial artists, in a
style that spans an unusually broad skill-set of striking, kicking,
joint locking, throwing, grappling, and wielding weapons. His speed,
precision, power, and encyclopedic knowledge of body mechanics converge
into a beautiful yet lethal blur of movement, which can only be
appreciated by seeing him in action.
Not surprisingly, his talents have been
recognized by industry press, which has featured him in nearly two dozen
articles including two covers of BLACK BELT magazine (World�s Leading
Martial Arts Journal). He has trained many members of the Elite U.S.
Military & Law Enforcement, and has performed celebrated demonstrations
in the United States, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
In addition to being a warrior, Master
Lee is a teacher. Born into the dojang, he received his Black Belt at
the tender age of seven, and since that time, he has been training
students in Hwa Rang Do. Notwithstanding his youth, he operated clubs
and schools during middle school and high school, as well as at various
Southern California universities while he earned his bachelor's degree
in philosophy at the University of Southern California. In 1994, he
opened his current dojang (academy) as the West Coast Headquarters of
the World Hwa Rang Do Association (WHRDA), in West Los Angeles,
California.
To understand what Master Lee teaches, it
is important to recognize that Hwa Rang Do�s purpose is not to
manufacture unruly brawlers brimming with ego. Instead, the goal is to
guide individuals to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual balance
that allows their full potential to flourish, in the service of
humankind. Accordingly, when Master Lee is teaching physical technique,
he is simultaneously delving into the emotional and psychological.
Without wasting words, Master Lee guides his students through a trying
physical journey that leads to spiritual self-knowledge, about one�s
fears and how to conquer them.
Master Lee�s ability to teach in this
fullest sense comes not only from decades of teaching experience but his
own remarkable personal story. Born in Korea, into a warrior lineage,
Master Lee early on internalized the impossibly high standards set by
his father, the legendary Founder of Hwa Rang Do. Immigrating to the
United States at the age of nine, he had to confront an alien culture,
language, and value system with its own set of prejudices and
assumptions. As a young man, he worked with adult survivors of child
abuse at a mental hospital, where he fathomed the depths of human
cruelty. And as the Vice President of the World Hwa Rang Do Association
and the designated heir to the Hwa Rang Do mantle, he has had to lead a
worldwide organization dedicated to preserving a traditional martial way
that runs counter to the modern culture of con-sumerism and indulgence.
To expand Hwa Rang Do's exposure and
influence, Master Lee has leveraged the popular media and has personally
appeared or starred in various films, including "The Finest Hour"
(starring Rob Lowe) "American Chinatown," and "KK Family List." He has
also trained countless executives, doctors, lawyers, and educators who
are in a position of leadership but who themselves seek guidance on
matters of the self. He has even authored a detailed book on Hwa Rang Do
philosophy and technique, HWA RANG DO: DEFEND, TAKE DOWN, AND SUBMIT
(BLACK BELT 2005).
In some ways, Master Lee is an
anachronism, with values, roles, and convictions born of some century
long past. That said, he is always striving towards the future,
especially to train tomorrow�s leaders who understand that great social
and political decisions can be made only by those who have trained
beyond their self-imposed limitations, who have been fiercely tested,
and who have overcome.
Check out Master Lee's upcoming internet
movie - "Hyung" K-Town Chronocles
Check out Master Lee's upcoming
seminar in Madison, WI and Bronx, NY