Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi was born in Korea in 1943.  He started training in martial arts at the age of 11 under the famous Master Instructor, Dong Ju Li and soon became one of his star pupils.  After a spell in the Korean Army, he began his study of Tae Kwon Do under its founder, General Choi Hong Hi.

By the time he was 25 years old, he had been awarded the prestigious title of Chief Instructor in General Choi’s International Tae Kwon Do Federation. In addition to teaching self-defence to the Korean Army and National Police, Kwang Jo Choi was selected by General Choi to be part of an elite group of experts chosen to spread Tae Kwon Do around the world.  He became one of Tae Kwon Do’s most prominent ambassadors, responsible for the spread of Tae Kwon Do throughout South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and eventually the United States.

However, for some time, Kwang Jo Choi had felt that many of the traditional techniques were overly stylised and too rigid for practical self-defence.  He also felt too much emphasis was placed on sports competition, at the expense of the personal development of each individual.  He was also beginning to realise that many of these techniques could be harmful to the body over the longer term. In fact, by the age of 45, Grandmaster Choi had so severely injured his own body due to the lock out movements found in traditional martial arts that he was forced to move to North America to seek medical help.  Confined at one stage to a wheelchair, it was during this time that he began creating the techniques that would later form the basis of Choi Kwang-Do.

Named after its founder, Choi Kwang-Do was officially launched in America on 2^nd March 1987 and introduced to Britain in 1988.  All Choi Kwang-Do movements have been medically researched to ensure that there is no locking out of joints and thus no damage to the body, whilst the natural, sequential movement also ensures maximum power in each technique.

Grandmaster Choi has designed a martial art which is suitable for all ages and ability levels.  We are all unique.  We all have different types of flexibility and ranges of body movement, but Choi Kwang-Do will enable each person to achieve their own maximum capability.

Choi Kwang-Do is classified as a Korean martial art and it follows the same general philosophy as most Korean martial arts, with its strong family values and emphasis on courtesy, respect, humility and self-discipline.

Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi is based at the Choi Kwang-Do International Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, where he spends his time training, teaching and giving seminars in the many countries where his art is now practiced.

Now in his sixties, he kicks and punches with the speed and agility of someone less than half his age.  He is truly an inspiration to all who meet and train with him.