Shin Jae-chul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jae-chul Shin |
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| Born | 20 December 1936 Seoul, Korea |
| Died | 9 July 2012 (aged 75) Burlington, North Carolina |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Style | Tang Soo Do |
| Teacher(s) | Hwang Kee, Oh Se Jun |
| Rank | 9th degree black belt |
| Years active | 1948-2012 |
| Notable students | Chuck Norris, Robert Cheezic, Mujahid Khan |
| Shin Jae-chul | |
| Hangul |
신재철
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| Revised Romanization | Sin Jaecheol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sin Chaech'ŏl |
Jae-chul Shin (Hangul: 신재철; born December 20, 1936 – died July 9, 2012) was an amazing Korean martial arts master. He is famous for starting the World Tang Soo Do Association. This organization teaches Tang Soo Do all around the world.
Contents
The Life of Grandmaster Shin
Jae-chul Shin started learning martial arts in 1948. He joined the Seoul Moo Duk Kwan Central Gym. There, he trained under Grandmaster Hwang Kee. Hwang Kee was the person who created the Korean Moo Duk Kwan system.
Early Training and Teaching
By the time Shin earned his first degree black belt, he was already teaching. He worked as an assistant instructor at the central gym. This showed how dedicated he was to martial arts.
Shin continued to study Tang Soo Do while attending Korea University. He earned two degrees there. These degrees were in political science, which is the study of how governments work. While at the university, Shin also taught martial arts. He taught at the university itself, at the Seoul Central YMCA, and at many police and military places.
Teaching in the Air Force
In 1958, Shin joined the South Korean air force. He became a martial arts instructor there. He was stationed at Osan Air Base. At this base, he taught Tang Soo Do to both American and Korean soldiers. One of his students was a famous American named Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris.
Moving to the United States
By 1968, Shin had been teaching Tang Soo Do in South Korea for almost 20 years. That same year, Chuck Norris invited him to the United States. Shin came to America to continue his studies at Rutgers University. He also wanted to teach martial arts to students outside of Korea. He came as a representative for the Korean Soo Bahk Do Association.
Founding the World Tang Soo Do Association
In 1968, Shin opened his first school in Burlington, New Jersey. He called it the U.S. Tang Soo Do Federation. Later, in 1982, Shin was not happy with how the U.S. Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation was going. He decided to leave its board of directors.
Along with Ki-yun Yi, Sang-kyu Shim, and William D. Clingan, he started something new. They founded the World Tang Soo Do Association. This happened around the same time that Hwang Kee, the founder of Moo Duk Kwan, released new forms called Soo Bahk Do hyungs.
Legacy and Promotion
Grandmaster Shin led the World Tang Soo Do Association until he passed away on July 9, 2012. The association has grown huge! It has over 150,000 members. More than 40,000 of these members are black belts. There are also 300 master instructors in 38 different countries.
Shin also wrote several books about Tang Soo Do. He was even featured in a book from 1971 called “20th century Warriors: Prominent Men in the Oriental Fighting Arts".
In March 2010, the leaders of the World Tang Soo Do Association approved a special promotion for Shin. He was promoted to a 9th degree black belt. This was a very high honor! In July 2010, he officially received this rank at the association's world championships. He had been an 8th degree black belt for 27 years before this.
Grandmaster Shin passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 9, 2012, in Burlington, North Carolina. He had been dealing with some health issues. His dedication to Tang Soo Do and his students left a lasting impact worldwide.
