{"id":4610,"date":"2026-06-22T19:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martialartswealth.com\/go\/martial-arts-lineage-jhoon-rhee\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T05:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T05:32:13","slug":"lineage-jhoon-rhee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/martialartswealth.com\/go\/media\/lineage-jhoon-rhee\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Lineage: Jhoon Rhee, NAPMA & Martial Arts Wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Lineage: Jhoon Rhee, NAPMA & Martial Arts Wealth<\/h2>\n

The Martial Arts Wealth Mastery community traces a direct lineage to Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee<\/strong>, the \u201cFather of American Taekwondo.\u201d This page collects the history, media, and authority references connecting Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, the Jhoon Rhee Institute, Grandmaster Jeff Smith, Stephen Oliver, and the organizations that grew from that heritage \u2014 the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA), Martial Arts Professional, and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery.<\/p>\n

\"Stephen
Stephen Oliver, Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, Grand Master Pat Burleson, and Grandmaster Jeff Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee \u2014 Father of American Taekwondo<\/h3>\n

A Korean immigrant who introduced Taekwondo to the United States, Jhoon Rhee opened his first Washington, D.C. studio in 1962. He befriended Bruce Lee, trained Muhammad Ali (teaching him the famous \u201caccupunch\u201d), opened a martial arts club for members of Congress, invented the safety sparring gear that reduced injuries in the sport, and created \u201cmartial arts ballet\u201d \u2014 forms set to classical music. His \u201cNobody bothers me\u201d television commercials made him a household name in the D.C. area. He was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Man of the Year in 1983 and passed away in 2018 at age 86.<\/p>\n\n

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Watch: Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee<\/h3>\n\n\n
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