09/16/2026
๐ฅ THE LINEAGE WE CARRY
Every martial artist stands on the shoulders of those who came before them.
The techniques we practice. The discipline we develop. The traditions we protect. The values we teach.
None of these began with us.
My martial arts lineage begins with Grand Master Hwang Kee, founder of Moo Duk Kwan and one of the great pioneers of Korean martial arts. From Grand Master Hwang Kee, this knowledge and tradition was passed to Grand Master Tiger Kim, and from him to my instructor and teacher, Grand Master Byung Min Kim.
These men are more than names in the history of our martial art.
They are links in the chain that connects us to our past.
I believe deeply that we have a responsibility to remember them and to make sure our students understand where their martial arts journey began.
At United Martial Arts Centers, I want every student to understand that they are part of something much greater than themselves. They are not simply learning how to kick, punch, block, or defend themselves.
They are becoming part of a legacy.
A legacy that existed before them.
A legacy that exists because others cared enough to preserve it.
And a legacy that will continue only if we care enough to pass it on.
We must never forget our martial arts forefathers. We must speak their names, honor their contributions, and teach our students where the knowledge they receive came from.
Because when we forget where we came from, we lose something far more important than history.
We lose our identity.
I will always have the deepest appreciation and gratitude for Grand Master Hwang Kee, Grand Master Tiger Kim, and Grand Master Byung Min Kim.
They gave us more than techniques.
They gave us knowledge, discipline, tradition, and a path.
I am humbled and honored to have received that knowledge, and I recognize the responsibility that comes with it.
Now it is our turn to carry the torch.
Our students will become tomorrowโs instructors. Their students will become the generation after that. What we teach, preserve, and honor today will become their foundation tomorrow.
That is the meaning of lineage.
From teacher to student.
From generation to generation.
From the past, through us, and into the future.
So when our students bow, I want them to understand what that bow means.
A bow of respect for their instructor.
A bow of gratitude to those who came before us.
A bow of humility for the knowledge entrusted to us.
And a promise that we will preserve this martial art and pass it on to those who follow.
We are not the beginning of this journey.
We are the current guardians of a legacy that began long before us.
And one day, we will place that legacy into the hands of the next generation.
May they carry it with the same respect.
May they protect it with the same dedication.
And may they always remember the men who walked this path before them.
Grand Master Hwang Kee.
Grand Master Tiger Kim.
Grand Master Byung Min Kim.
I honor you.
I thank you.
And I will always be grateful for the knowledge you passed down to us.
๐ฅ We remember where we came from.
๐ฅ We honor those who came before us.
๐ฅ We protect what was entrusted to us.
๐ฅ And we pass the torch forward.
This is our lineage.
This is our responsibility.
This is our legacy.
