Doug Cook

Doug Cook holds a 5th Dan Black Belt in the Korean martial art of taekwondo and is certified as an instructor and in rank by the United States Taekwondo Association and the Kukkiwon. After training in Korea on several occasions, he went on to become a six-time gold medalist in the New York State Championships and the New York State Governor’s Cup Competitions. He holds a D3 status as a US Referee and has received high honors from Korea in the form of a “Letter of Appreciation” signed by World Taekwondo Federation president, Dr. Un Yong Kim. In 2003 Mr. Cook was awarded the Medal of Special Recognition from the Moo Duk Kwan in Seoul, South Korea. In 2004, while attending a training camp in Korea, he received a Special Citation from the Korean government for forging a stronger relationship between Korea and the United States through the martial arts. A six-page interview featuring Master Doug Cook appeared in the May 2005 issue of Tae Kwon Do Times focusing on taekwondo philosophy and his views on the role the martial arts will play in the twenty-first century. In June 2006, he was inducted into the Budo International Martial Arts Hall of Fame as “Taekwondo Master of the Year”. In 2007, he was invited to speak as a guest lecturer at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut; the only institution of higher learning in the country to offer a major in the martial arts. Mr. Cook was recently listed in Black Belt magazine as one of the Top Twenty masters of the Korean martial arts in America.

Doug Cook and his students are credited with the creation of the Chosun Women’s Self-Defense Course. He has also provided training for the US Army National Guard/42nd Division prior to military operations and currently instructs agents from the Department of Homeland Security, the New York Police Department, and the Bronx County Sheriffs Department. Mr. Cook was called upon to demonstrate taekwondo as part of a three-man team at the annual Oriental World of Self-Defense held in New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden. There, he and his team were cheered on by martial arts legends such as Richard Chun, Henry Cho and Chuck Norris. Mr. Cook is currently a consultant for the taekwondo program at the Katie-At-The-Bat Foundation – a non-profit organization targeted at enriching the lives of inner-city children through the martial arts.

Because he is a traditionalist, Doug Cook places great emphasis on the underlying philosophical principles and self-defense strategies surrounding taekwondo. He demonstrates this belief by infusing practical meditation, breathing exercises, a strong attention to basics, and the practice of the classical forms, or poomsae, in his instructional methodology.

Aside from continuing his martial arts education under the tutelage of world-renowned, 9th Dan Black Belt Grandmaster Richard Chun, Mr. Cook owns and operates the Chosun Taekwondo Academy located in Warwick, New York – an institute specializing in traditional martial arts instruction and Ki, or internal energy, development. Doug Cook currently shares his knowledge of taekwondo through a series of articles he has written for Tae Kwon Do Times, Black Belt, and the United States Taekwondo Association Journal, as well as various other martial arts publications. He also writes a monthly column for Tae Kwon Do Times entitled Traditions. Doug Cook is the author of two best-selling books focusing on taekwondo entitled, Taekwondo: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, and Traditional Taekwondo – Core Techniques, History, and Philosophy, a Finalist Medal winner in ForeWord magazines Book of the Year Award. Both editions are published by YMAA of Boston and are available online and at booksellers throughout the world. Doug Cook can be reached via email at: chosuntkd@yahoo.com and is available for seminars, workshops, and lectures. His web address is: www.chosuntkd.com

Doug has written many articles for TKD Times.

Doug Cook can be contacted by this email address.

For further details you may visit the author's website .

Taekwondo: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior

Traditional Taekwondo Core Techniques, History and Philosophy