Today we’d like to introduce you to John Park.
Hi John, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started Taekwondo in 1971. My father Grandmaster Dong Keun Park is my teacher. He’s Koreas undefeated fighter. In his day, there were no points or weight classes. Other countries didn’t train in Taekwondo, so they fought the other countries rules. He was over 200 and 0 internationally not including domestically. Please google him. He has his own Wikipedia page. Fast forward 50 years and currently, I am the Advisor to the University of Texas Taekwondo team. My black belt rank is 8th Dan Kukkiwon and 9th Dan JidoKwan. I trained many National Champions and several US National Team members. My first University coaching experience was at New York University in 1991-1995. Then HeadCoached at Rutgers University and US Naval Academy. My last coaching before UT was at West Point. Actually, I was one of the coaches that coached West Points Taekwondo Team at UT back in April of 2019. Then moved to Dripping Springs June 2019 then opened Belterra Taekwondo in November 2019.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think in life, there are many struggles that either make the person you are today or break you. I believe that Taekwondo has given me the confidence to always believe that there’s nothing I can’t do as long as I want it to happen and believe it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Martial Arts. Taekwondo. Started 50 years ago November. Brought the US Team to Sardinia, Italy in 1995. Coached at the US Military Academies. Trained and coach many US National Champions.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I was a minister in NYC.
Contact Info:
- Email: belterratkd@gmail.com
- Website: www.Belterratkd.com
- Instagram: Belterra Taekwondo
- Facebook: Belterra Taekwondo
