Grandmaster Hee Il Cho
Striving for Perfection

 When many his age are looking forward to retirement, Grandmaster Cho has just moved his home and his international headquarters to Hawaii.  But his biggest challenge may be yet to come: Establishing a Martial Art College. 

Grandmaster Hee Il Cho has become a living legend in the martial arts community for his unparalleled skills and outstanding contribution to his art.  Featured on the cover of over 70 international martial arts publications and the producer of eleven best selling martial arts books and nearly 80 instructional videos, he is truly an icon.

Grandmaster Cho has dedicated his life to the search for perfection.  His daily training and teaching regimen is his personal way of life and includes a continual exploration of ways to improve his skills, as well as the skills of his students.  He works diligently to provide positive prerequisites of life for all his students that extend past the skills and techniques of the dojang.  He is dedicated to his philosophy that to gain respect you must earn it – and he truly has.  Constantly training, pushing himself and sacrificing, he remains modest “for my students and my art” – which really seems to sum it all up.  Hee Il Cho teaches by example.  Now in his 60’s, he has no plans to slow down.  He still has new horizons to conquer.

In this in-depth interview with TKDT, Grandmaster Cho discusses his views on training for a lifetime and how he has found the ultimate workout system that will enhance anyone's level of health. He explains why tradition must be preserved in order for martial arts to grow and his views on today's trends in martial arts.

To what do you attribute your contin­ued popularity and longevity in the martial arts community that spans forty-plus years?

I set goals and worked to achieve more than just those basic goals. I went through countless hardships while mak­ing sacrifices along the way. I would have to say that my intense ambition has brought me this far. The phrase "popular  martial artist" seems superficial-popul­arity is not what I aimed for but rather I wanted to impact the martial arts com­munity by sharing my experiences and all I have learned over the many years.

 What do you think about the var­ious trends in martial arts ,such as the well-known aerobics-incor­porated workouts?

There is a great difference between the recent martial arts trends that have swept across America and the martial art styles such as Tae Kwon Do or Karate.  The difference is the root of tradi­tion that Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Kendo, and the like are all founded upon. Martial art trends, as the name suggests, come and go like a heat wave. However, because of the foundation of the traditional mar­tial arts, the styles may not be as in tune with popular culture but they are still around, just as they were thousands of years ago.

I understand that you are one of few grandmasters that still con­dition their hands. Why do you still do this?

I train everyday and conditioning my hands and feet are a part of that training; it contributes to a holistic workout. Conditioning accumulates strength and protection-you are far less susceptible to injury or pain when you use hands and feet that are calloused. It is also mental training-as you condition, you are prone to clear your mind and practice on focus­ing on the target.

Are there any secrets to your outstanding health and fitness?

You will never reach something unless you really want it. Health is of extreme value and importance to me so I work loyally at main­taining it. I made sure to be conscious of my diet as much as I dedi­cate my time to train­ing. You have to realize that most things people really want-like a mil­lion dollars-require time, sacrifice and hard work. This realization is cru­cial when aiming for a goal, other­ wise failure is inevitable because you will eventually give up or become lazy. The value of the goal has to be of priority in your life in order to gain it.

Do you follow a routine that others can follow?

Honestly, my routine is very sporadic. I try to cover every aspect possible, weight training, cardiovascular, flexibility, etc. I do not do all this at once but because I train every single day, I can balance out each component of my training throughout the week. Training is obvious­ly a major part of my life. Many seem to start hyperven­tilating about five minutes into my workout. That is only because I have been dedicated to it for so many years. Anyone can stay in shape and gain health as long as they have the desire and the dedication. It is not important how hard you work out, it matters that you actually do it! I think the problem lies with people wanting results fast, which is basically impossible. If you want to buy health in a can for $100 or more, then you I will have to do that for the rest of your life for minimum results. Likewise, if you want genuine health that will actually be benefi­cial for you in the long run, you will have to make it a part of your life. The results will come much sooner than you think.

Can your workout be modified for someone with little time to train?

Walking is an excellent form of exercise. People never walk these days! You do not have to buy a fitness club membership, drive there and workout on their expensive machines. Walking is a privilege that God gave you that you can do with your two legs, plus, it's free. Walking to the gym everyday would produce more results than sweating over buttons on complicated com­puterized equipment. Fixing your attitude toward exer­cise is the most important thing. People always have time for a movie or time to browse the Internet. You have to be realis­tic and use the time you have wisely.

You mentioned that you watched your diet.  What do you eat?

My diet consists of proteins; carbohydrates can put on weight, which I try to avoid.  Diets are, honestly, characteristic of whatever an individual aims for. Balance is essential for proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Fat is necessary, but only the minimum. Everyone knows what foods are healthy and what foods are not. Again, focus­ing on what goes in the diet is not as important as actually throwing away all the junk food in your house and snacking on carrots.

How do you incorporate fitness into your Tae Kwon Do classes?

Tae Kwon Do is as much a physical workout as it is a mental workout. My routines in class tend to make my students break more sweat than any "martial aerobics" video. Constantly kicking and punching provides an excellent cardiovascular workout. The great part of it is that it also works-out absolutely every part of your body. We warm-up with basic exercises like jumping jacks, stretching to build flexibility and to minimize injuries that may occur during the hardcore workout, as well as cool-down by doing patterns. Even the act of kiaping builds strength to endure the workout.

What do you consider the most important piece of training equipment?

Although commonly overlooked, the jump rope is an ideal training tool. The jump rope is possibly the most ideal tool to build cardiovascular endurance. There is such a variety of ways to use the jump rope that it helps to train every muscle in the body.

Do you ever have downtime?

I may workout everyday but I always make sure to pause or completely stop before I push myself too far beyond my limits. Everyone has limits and although it is good to push them a little, it can be detrimental to overdo yourself. Resting, according to your physical limitations, is very important and provides time for your muscles to take in the work­out. Pushing too hard without resting causes greater incline injuries, sometimes serious enough to even prohibit you from continuing training.

I've asked you about the physical side of your instruction, do you incorporate martial philoso­phy into your curriculum?

Usually, I speak about my philosophies at the end of class. I never really plan to give a lecture but most times I am bad at suppressing the desire to share anything that I feel may be beneficial to my students. Sometimes my speeches are products of what I feel would hit my students in the heart after I carefully observe their behavior in class. If they seem unmotivated, I attempt to give them motiva­tion; if they seem disrespectful, I tell them the meaning of respect. I think it all contributes to the balance of physical and mental/spiritual training.

I understand that your organization, the AIMAA, is doing very well...

I believe the AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association) is possibly at its peak of success in terms of global membership and unity. The organi­zation is greatly focused on promoting, not the AIMAA itself but the AIMAA family. We have had several events-seminars, camp, competitions-that provided the opportunity for AIMAA members across the globe to participate in. But, more impor­tantly, the events allow members to build friend­ships around the world. We are growing, especially in Europe, and are more than pleased to have such enthusiastic students in various countries such as Ireland, England, Scotland, and Germany. We are planning for more events such as the 2003 summer camp and the second world championships. We anticipate an even greater AIMAA family that strives to establish the principles of integrity, modesty and indomitable spirit in every martial art community that we can reach.

I know that your last summer camp was a tremendous success.

It was an unbelievable success and we anticipate an even greater event this year. The camp, held in July, will be, above all, absolutely fun. The training is intense, but the environment of martial artists coming from all around the world causes a martial arts psyche for everyone. The location is a breath­taking campus, Kiski Prep School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with excellent facilities for both train­ing and recreation. The curriculum we offer focuses on a variety of components of the arts such as box­ing, kicking, WTF-styles, sparring, patterns, cardio­aerobics, etc. The camp is also a great event and will further martial art knowledge for both instructors and their students. Like all our other events, we always welcome students of every style rather than limit it to AIMAA members. Hopefully, this year we will have many more students of various styles and organizations to join us.

Your websites seem somewhat different from other martial art sites. Did you plan this?

I reach people on a personal level through the Internet; this is the main difference. We put up the "Virtual Training Club" not too long ago. On this site, anyone can join and both read and watch a variety of information on training. Every few months there are updated video clips of me teaching boxing, weightlifting, ITF and WTF patterns, break­ing, ground fighting, etc. We plan to invite guest instructors who are specialized in different styles of martial arts to teach styles like Judo and Jujitsu. We are proud as well of our renovated online store where we sell items from books to videos to maga­zines to various martial arts equipment.

You mentioned that your organization is plan­ning another world championship...

Yes, we are planning our second world champi­onship to be held again in Ireland in 2004. Considering it was our first world championship, our last event was an incredible success with several countries participating. We have learned from our mistakes and are devising ways to improve the event. We are planning it way ahead of time in order to provide the best possible event for the entire mar­tial art community.

Are you still making new goals for yourself?

No one is stopping me, even after my sixties. I still have many goals but my biggest goal now is geared toward establishing a martial art college. I worked incredibly hard to get where I am now, and I want to continue to inspire others to live the same way. Never doubt the possibility of your dreams. I can teach by example, but I cannot give you the instructions or steps to gain wisdom or suc­cess. I cannot give you a layout of the things you need to encounter and overcome. However, I pray that all martial art students will never take the easy way out and always remain deeply dedicated to their goals and to their art.

 July 2003 Taekwondo Times