Meet Team Pure TKD
About Us
Pure Taekwondo was founded in 2004 in Santa Clara, CA as a freelance endeavor built on the foundation of indomitable determination.
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Pure Taekwondo is the home to our Kukkiwon-certified instructors that hold master-level ranks. This includes two 7th Dan Grandmasters, two 6th Dan Masters, and a highly skilled 5th Dan Black Belt instructor. Our masters are fully trained and certified in the arts of Taekwondo, Judo and Self-Defense. The masters of Pure Taekwondo have a combined experience that spans a legacy of over 200 years. Each master are fully established in each discipline to the highest caliber eaching having won national, multi-regional, and international championships.
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​Pure Taekwondo is dedicated to student growth and community enrichment, offering top-notch traditional martial arts training that's unmatched in the region.
Pure Taekwondo focuses on quality not quantity!
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Our Origins
Pure Taekwondo was founded with the respect and knowledge we learned from our own Kwan Jang Nim; Grandmaster Kim
Grandmaster Kim
Founder:
Kim's Taekwondo
Stanford Taekwondo (Original)
Stanford Taekwondo Open (Original)
The KTA Taekwondo Championship
Asian Amateur Athletics Club (President)
Certifications:
Kukkiwon Certified 9th Dan
Kukkiwon 1st Class International Referee
Kukkiwon International Dan Testing Committee Member
Kukkiwon Certified International Coach
Hapkido Federation Certified 10th Dan
Moo Duk Kwan Certified 11th Dan
USA Taekwondo National Level 3 Coach
Grandmaster Kim
Grandmaster Kim, a pioneer of Taekwondo in California, began his martial arts journey on a Korean farm, learning Hapkido and Taekwondo from his father at an early age. He excelled in Hapkido, earning a 4th-degree black belt by age 18 and later serving in the Korean Military, where he attained a 5th-degree black belt in Military Taekwondo. His valor during the Korean Civil War earned him Korea's highest honor, the Order of Merit, and a role in training the Korean Military in combat self-defense.
Recognized for his self-defense skills, Grandmaster Kim was brought to the United States in 1969 by the U.S. Green Berets to train American military forces. Afterward, he founded Kim's Taekwondo in 1972, which grew to three locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and produced over 2,000 black belts in 40 years. His influence extended to the establishment of the Stanford Taekwondo Program and the prestigious Stanford Taekwondo Open Championship, drawing competitors nationwide.
In 2015, Grandmaster Kim began his retirement, securing his legacy through the Masters of Pure Taekwondo, which continues to uphold his values of honesty, integrity, respect, and perseverance while providing high-quality Taekwondo instruction to all.