Noble Tang Soo Do

Hello to all martial arts practitioners, and a hearty TANG SOO!!!!, to those of you who study the art of Tang Soo Do.

My name is Vernon Noble, and I have studied the art of Tang Soo Do since the early 1970’s. It has been my honor to have had some of the finest and most experienced instructors of TSD that it is possible to have. I was literally in the right place at the right time.

My first instructor was Master Jeong Sook Lee. Along with me under Master Lee were such notable instructors as Del Low, Dae Kyu Jang, and Marlene Kachevas. There were many, many more, but these are the ones still actively teaching. Master Lee was teaching Taekwon Do Moo Duk Kwan when I first started training. He changed  us to Tang Soo Do in 1974.

We became members of the U. S. Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation. I earned my first dan from this federation. I still have the certificate issued by Grandmaster Hwang Kee on the wall in my office.

Later, Master Lee broke off from this federation, and we became the Universal Martial Arts Association. On a less formal note, we were called Lee’s Raiders. Those were the days. These were my formative years when I was at the gup level, and a junior blue belt. I was young, lean, and hungry to learn as much about TSD as was humanly possible. We used the words blue belt in those days instead of black belt. Noble TSD, in trying to keep the flavor of this time, has reverted to this practice. After all, if people can’t tell yo ur rank from your actions instead of checking your belt color, the rank does not carry much force anyw ay.

At some point, Master Lee moved to Santa Barbara to open up a new school, and spread TSD in that area. Mr. Michael Tensel became the head instructor at our school in Pocatello, Idaho. I would like to recognize his time and effort to keep Lee’s Tang Soo Do going. He did this not for money or personal gain, but because he felt it was his duty, which is very much a TSD principle. We lost contact when I moved back to Pittsburgh, but I appreciate all that he meant to the school and me. I would also like to recognize Mr. Kelly Face and Mr. Gary Martin, who came up through the ranks with me. I miss them a lot. Sa Bom Nim Del Low was also from the Pocatello school. He was a red belt when I started. I trained with these gentlemen in Pocatello, sweated with them, and shared many bruises with them. They are truly my brothers. I still am in touch with them, and hope to continue our relationships forever.

I began teaching in Pocatello, Idaho under Master Lee when I was a red belt (circa 1976). We had many students throughout the next 6 years. I appreciate all of these students, who were actually teaching me. Without them and all the learning that I absorbed at this time, I would not still be in the position that I am today. I love and respect them all. I hope to represent all of them well throughout the rest of my TSD journey.

My second instructor was Master C. S. Kim. He is still my instructor, although my students are no longer affiliated with the International Tang Soo Do Federation; of which Master Kim is Choong Jae Nim, or President. I became acquainted with him when I moved back to Pittsburgh, Pa.

My Mother was getting older. I moved back to Pittsburgh, Pa. to be closer to her at this period of her life. I drove back with a friend of mine in a 15 year old Saab. All that I owned was crammed into that tiny Saab. I worked at Pizza Hut washing dishes and cooking pizzas for a time. I had been teaching out of a friend’s garage for a year when I asked permission to meet with Master Kim. We clicked immediately. I stayed for black belt class that night, although I wanted to start over as a white belt. I was lined up as the senior 2^nd dan. Master Kim told me to stand next to Mr. Pepperoni (Pappantonio), who was the junior 3^rd dan. I felt all of the eyes of those who were lined up behind me wondering just who I was to be placed where I had been placed. Mr. Pappantonio became one of my closest friends.

It is very difficult to be in this position. I tried to represent all that I had learned from Master Lee, and eventually won them over, and became a part of a different organization. I feel that it is better to start over from scratch, and become established. That is how we do it in Noble Tang Soo Do.

The ITF is one of the finest organizations around today. It has schools all over the world (hence the name). The ITF tries to ensure that techniques are standardized and traditional.

Notable Instructors that I knew through the ITF were Joe Goss Sr., Dominick Giacobbe, Don Straga, Richard Byrne, Joe Bruno, Bob Durst, Mark Camillo, Dr. Arnold Lee, A. J. Perry, Anthony Ricks, M. K. Kim, Gus Papantonio, Rita Palmer, Joe Goss Jr., Mike Neal, Richard Collins, Rich Baer, Marion Gregor, Marcus Murtaugh, Dean Kelly, Randy Chontas, and Chino Kim. I was with the ITF for 13 years. As such, I still feel very close to all of these tremendous instructors. These were the years that I hopefully learned what it means to be a blue belt.

My family and I moved to Apex, NC in 2002. I was (still am) very excited to be able to bring traditional TSD to southern Wake County. I opened Noble Tang Soo Do in September of 2002. We had a commercial school for the next few years in a couple of locations.

There were a lot of mistakes made in opening our school. The main one was the old location, location, location. There was a lot of bad luck in my family at this time, such as my mother having a stroke that put her into a nursing home. I was pulled in a lot of different directions.

I took a job in the lawn industry to try to bring in extra money. This meant that I could not be at the Dojang during the day. At some point, the job of keeping a facility open that I could not devote full time attention to became a burden on my family.

Fortunately, I had trained my students very well. They were about to open Triangle Tang Soo Do, and were able to accommodate all of our old students in transition. They are doing a great job teaching classes. Mr. Bob Irving is the owner Triangle TSD. He shares the teaching duties with Mr. George Bogner, who is the senior instructor in the Dojang. Both of these gentlemen are third dan instructors, certified through NTSD.

My role in all of this is to be the Kwan Jang Nim. This is a title not of rank, but one of responsibility. I am responsible for all curriculum. Any changes come through me, although I am reluctant to change. Our techniques are a blend of what I learned from both Master Lee and Master Kim. All forms remain unchanged from the way that I learned them. I feel that one of the strengths of our system is our combinations, which are very challenging.

I personally teach one blue belt class each month. Blue belt candidates are also urged to attend. I also am in charge of all dan testing and issuing of dan ranking. I plan to be picky.

I also attend all gup (lower rank) testing. I do not interfere with any decisions, but reserve the right to give my input. I also have reserved the right to drop in any time that I wish, and take over the teaching of the classes. This is now a hobby of mine, and also one of my greatest joys. You might imagine that these are hard classes.

We have a new sa dan (4^th dan) at Noble Tang Soo Do named Curt Stock. He lives in Charlotte, NC. He comes to blue belt class, and attends clinics and tournaments with us. I knew Mr. Stock in Pittsburgh. He used to come to sparring class every week along with his best friend Craig. They were from the C.S. Kim school in McMurray, Pa. He is not considered a Sa Bom (senior instructor) yet. He needs to mature at this level for a while before he assumes that title. I am very proud to have Mr. Stock with us, and hope to continue this relationship forever.

Through the years, I have met Grandmaster Hwang Kee himself, along with his son, Master H. C. Hwang. I have also met Master Ki Hwang Kim, Master S. Henry Cho, Master Song Ki Kim, Master Hee Il Cho, Master I. J. Kim, Master Kang, Master Yi, Master Park, Master Roberts, Master Lynn Jackson and on and on…

All of these great instructors were once from the same idea of TSD which was known as the Moo Duk Kwan. The head and founder of the Moo Duk Kwan was Grandmaster Hwang Kee. All rank was issued through the Kwan, and all instructors were certified through the Kwan.

If you will notice, I only addressed one of these gentlemen as Grandmaster, and that was Grandmaster Hwang Kee. It is my personal feeling that he should be the only one from the Moo Duk Kwan to have this distinction. This is not to take away from any of these other leaders of the Martial Arts who have had such a profound effect on all of us. I am in awe of all of these pioneers. I simply feel that Grandmaster Hwang Kee was in a class by himself, and his insight and influence are still felt by all of us today. He laid the foundations that have defined what Tang Soo Do has become, and he did it without the aid of computers or the internet. He simply set the parameters of what a TSD instructor should be, and then led by example.

The use of the word Master is also bothersome to me. It is now used to designate an instructor over the rank of fourth dan. After achieving this rank, the word Master is plastered all over the place, largely to make money. The next step is Grandmaster, but wait…there’s more… Great Grandmaster, Eternal Grandmaster, Supreme Grandmaster, Ultra Overlord Grandmaster. I hate to be the one to say this, but give me a break. Life used to be much simpler: One Grandmaster; Kwan Jang Nims, who have run more than one school; Sa Bom Nims, who are senior instructors designated as such by permission from the Kwan Jangs ; Kyo Sa Nims, who are junior instructors designated as such by the Sa Boms. All others are practitioners, and are designated by rank, whether at the dan or gup level. This is done through systematic testing in front of a panel of instructors. The titles are ones of responsibility, not of popularity or politics.

The U. S. TSD Federation was the affiliate of the Moo Duk Kwan here in the United States. There were many leaders of this Federation in the beginning, and my instructors were among the most prominent. Very few of these instructors are together these days. Every organization thinks that they are the one that is carrying the Tang Soo Do banner.

We make no such claim, but I am devoted to keeping the Tang Soo Do flame going as it did in those early days. We will associate with only like minded people who respect Tang Soo Do for the spirit that has always been associated with it. We will also strive to maintain a level of difficulty and challenge. This will help promote that Tang Soo Do spirit.

I hope this serves to explain our beginnings, and where we came from. It is my hope that it will point the finger as to where we are heading. I hope to remain as your humble instructor for many years. I challenge all of you to energize your Tang Soo Do blood. Let it flow through your veins, and bring all of us together. The world needs us.

Tang Soo!!

V. Noble