MARTIAL ARTIST/FIGHTING
STUNTS COORDINATOR GRANDMASTER YI
The UCW Radio Host Louis Velazquez had the opportunity to have
world renowned martial arts grandmaster, Grandmaster Yi on the show.
Grandmaster Wonik Yi is the
founder of the World Tukong Moosul Federation and holds a 9th degree
black belt, the highest designation in the Martial Arts. Master Yi also
holds a doctorate degree in Education. Master Yi has devoted his entire
life to the study of the Martial Arts, and he has brought his
generations of knowledge to Austin, Texas in order pass that knowledge
on in the USA.
Grandmaster Yi spent his formative
years learning Buddhism and the Martial Arts at the Dae Yeon Sa Temple
in South Korea. He then went into the Korean Special Forces. In 1979, he
competed in the World Martial Arts tournament and became World Champion.
At this point, the Korean goverment asked him to develop a more modern,
powerful, and effective fighting art. Because this style is so
technically efficient the military was able to change from their present
style (Tae Kwon Do) of Martial Arts to Master Yi's style-"Tukong Moosul."
There are now over 300,000 soldiers training each year in Tukong Martial
Arts.
While Grandmaster Wonik Yi entered
the Dae Yeon Sa Temple at the age of five in 1964, his roots to the
temple can be traced back many generations. Master Kiwan Yi is the great
grandfather of Grandmaster Wonik Yi. He was the teacher of Master Eun
Kwang Bup Sa before he went into the temple. Master Kiwan Yi also taught
his son Master Jayoung Yi who was the grandfather of Grandmaster Wonik
Yi. Master Eun Kwang Bup Sa and Master Jayoung Yi were friends. When
Master Eun Kwang Bup Sa had gone to the temple, Master Jayoung Yi asked
him to take Grandmaster Wonik Yi into the temple for training.
Master Kiwan Yi won the World Judo
Championship in Japan when Korea was occupied by Japan. He was one of
the greatest Judo masters at that time. He was also the last Shogun for
the Korean Emperor. He later became the Korean State Governor and
continued to teach Judo to Koreans. Grandmaster Yi's grandfather,
Jayoung Yi, was also a Judo Master who opened the first Yun Moo Kwan
Judo School in Korea. He was also Mayor of Young Wol City in Korea.
This is the heritage of
Grandmaster Wonik Yi and it explains where his abilities and talents
came from, as well as how tradition is carried on from one generation to
the next generation.
The origin of the Dae Yeon Sa
Temple can be traced to AD 1200 years. The first original Temple was Dae
Yeon Am, meaning "Great Achievement Place". It was located in North
Korea, and founded by Master Ji Suk along with two other masters. During
this time the masters practiced Buddhism without the Martial Arts. It
was only after Master Song Jae and Master Bup Kwang came to the temple
that the practice of Martial Arts began around AD 1269.
Several hundred years later, the
temple moved to South Korea (1692) and the name changed from Dae Yeon Am
to Dae Yeon Sa ("Great Achievement Temple"). At that time, three masters
from China joined and continued to develop the Martial Arts. That is why
the origin of the Tukong Moosul system is both a hard and soft style, a
blending of Chinese and Korean techniques. In 1965, Grandmaster Wonik Yi
went to the temple and began training in Buddhism and the Martial Arts.
In Korea there are two types of
Buddhist temples. One is similar to a church of missionary work and is
open to all people. The other is solely for individuals who wish to seek
self-enlightment. These temples are ones of sanctuary and privacy, and
are not open for public visitation. A few of the temples in Korea choose
the later type. The Dae Yeon Sa Temple is a very traditional temple that
teaches Buddhism and Martial Arts. This is the tradition that is taught
to the students of Tukong Moosul today.
Eun Kwang Bup Sa was born in 1895
and passed away in 1996 at the age of 101 years. He was headmaster of
Dae Yeon Sa Temple from 1955 until his passing. Eun Kwang Bup Sa was
Master Yi's Grandmaster and greatest mentor influencing, molding, and
guiding Master Yi for the rest of his life.
Eun Kwang Bup Sa taught "Jeong
Shin Il Do, Ha Sa Bul Sung". Translated, this means that when one
summons one's mind, heart (body), and spirit in one direction together,
nothing is impossible and you can accomplish anything that you desire.
Grandmaster Wonik Yi's goal, in honor of headmaster Eun Kwang Bup Sa, is
to offer and pass forward to his students all of the knowledge, wisdom
and philosophy that he has acquired through his years of training. The
students that are willing to listen and work hard will find direction in
their life; they will become humble beings, with a great understanding
of self-accomplishment, self-esteem, and an understanding of the
importance of life.
HISTORY
Grandmaster Wonik Yi entered
Dae-Yeon temple at the age of five in 1964. He lived at the temple until
the age of nineteen and trained in traditional Moosul (Martial Arts)
until he joined the South Korean Special Forces to do his duty for his
country.
While he was in the special
forces, his commander, General Chang, and the Korean Government noticed
his prominence in Martial Arts and asked him to devise a more modern,
powerful, and effective fighting martial arts for the South Korea
Special Forces and the military version of Tukong Martial Arts was born
in February of 1978.
In the beginning, Tukong Moosul
was called Tukjun Moosul. In 1980, Korean Military 26th division became
Tukong Division and most other divisions started creating the Tukong
Battalion.
There are now over a few hundred
thousand South Korean military and reserve soldiers training each year
in the military version of Tukong Martial Arts.
Grandmaster Wonik Yi came to
America in 1982 and has been teaching Tukong Moosul ever since. The
Tukong Moosul taught by Grandmaster Yi in the USA is very traditional
and taught in the same way he learned from his Master, Eun Kwang Bupsa,
at the temple.
His Tukong Moosul is the
combination of this traditional ancient temple style which was developed
through many generations from 1200 AD and the innovative modern style
based on scientific research and theories.
Tukong Moosul taught by
Grandmaster Yi consists of the following:
Basic physical conditioning to
optimize the human body's condition
Advanced physical conditioning
utilizing acupressure and acupuncture
Basic and advanced body movements
in forms and steps
Traditional and modern weaponry
Basic and advanced Ip-sun (Tai
Chi)
Ultimate Ki Kong (Ki Energy)
Training
Grandmaster Wonik Yi was granted
the 9th degree designation, which is the ultimate degree in martial
arts, by his master, Eun Kwang Bupsa, before he passed away in 1996.
Grandmaster Yi also holds a doctorate degree in education.
Grandmaster Wonik Yi's Tukong
Moosul is evolving into a total philosophy of the human being. What he
teaches is not just physical or mental martial arts. He teaches the
students how to live their lives. That is because he strongly believes
that the best way to predict the future of a human being is to create
one.
For The Javascript Pop Up Player Click Below Grandmaster Yi Interview
Internet Explorer Seems to have issues with Javascript so Google
Chrome or other is recommended for listening