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Robert Valentine - Oh Dan

 
Category:Black Belt Members
Emailrvalentine@stsdkarate.com
Cho Dan:
  • Jan 26, 1991
Number:
  • #04-042, #2010-090
Alias:
  • DRAGON

I was born in Anchorage, AK on March 8, 1961. That puts me in the fifty year old bracket but I am still kicking and punching. I have five children, Jason, Katie, Olivia, Cheyenne and Sheridan. All of my children have participated in martial arts. Jason achieved his 3rd Gup Red Belt in this system and has served in the U.S. Army Infantry and toured in Iraq. Katie stays busy with her career and does not choose to take martial arts any further. Olivia (Cobra) is a 1st Dan Black Belt and is pursuing a career in law enforcement in Colorado. Cheyenne and Sheridan both participated for a spell with Cheyenne achieving Gold Belt and Sheridan making it to Purple Belt but are not active as of today. My wife, Marilyn, takes martial arts with me and has earned her 4th Gup Green Belt. She also serves as Office Manager for the studio and keeps me straight, lol.

I have nearly forty five years invested in martial arts training and have been exposed to several styles of training. I will not even ponder on which art is better due to the fact that ALL martial art forms are good when taught with the proper purpose. One should never say that one art is better than the other. Martial art is a personal thing. Each person has to take and give what they need and have to the martial art system that they wish to practice and learn. 

For me, I have trained in Savate, which is European foot fighting, when I was in Europe for about two years or so. Returning to the United States, I then had a go at Kung Fu and after two years found that this art was not me due to some religious conflicts. I then tried my hand at Tae Kwon Do. This art is very similar to Tang Soo Do, but I had some difficulties with some of the practices that the instructor wanted me to follow.

I then stumbled upon, by accident, this old little do jang off of Highland Avenue. The instructor was Mr. Skeet Chambers. One of his students was Mr. Ken Ludlow. Shortly after I started my training there, Mr. Ludlow, 4th Dan, became my instructor. I achieved my Cho Dan from Mr. Ludlow on January 26, 1991.  Mr. Ludlow and I have been together ever since, until his retirement in 1999. I then took a break of two years due to some family issues and later started my own do jang attempting to follow my instructor’s footsteps in the teachings of Tang Soo Do.

My current Sa Bom Nim is Mr. David Wilson, 6th Dan, Tang Soo Do. He is a student under Grandmaster CS Kim, 8th Dan, Tang Soo Do. I earned my 5th Dan in early 2015 under Sa Bom Nim Wilson. I have my own do jang in Augusta, GA off of Tobacco Road and teach and/or train there daily.

Email Robbie at Rvalentine@STSDKarate.Com