Mission Statement

“It is the purpose of the Martial Arts Program to preserve the philosophy, techniques, and traditions of martial arts and to develop a scientific understanding of the physical and spiritual implications of human performance.”

A prominent feature of the University of California at Berkeley, the UC Martial Arts Program is an expanding, dynamic organization dedicated to providing outstanding martial arts instruction to the campus and surrounding communities. Henry Stone introduced martial arts to UC Berkeley in 1915 with the first Judo club. Under the guidance of dedicated individuals like Henry Stone,  Dr. Kyung-Ho (Ken) Min, and current director Dr. Russell Ahn, UCMAP is a nationwide leader in the promotion, development and overall growth of the martial arts. It has grown into an organization that is recognized throughout the world and is a model for other universities.

Since its inception in 1969, the Martial Arts Program of the University of California’s Berkeley campus has had a twofold mission. In addition to providing successful, quality technical instruction in all martial arts/sports, the UC Martial Arts Program also endeavors to maximize the academic resources of the university to develop martial arts/sports through research into their philosophical, spiritual and scientific implications.

Technology influences and controls our lives more strongly as time goes by. Although the human effort has struggled to remain close to nature, contemporary science calls for a balance between “high tech” and “human touch.” The yin and yang principle of equilibrium is not only practical for understanding nature, but is applicable to maintaining a healthy mind and body for longevity of life in our modern society. Following this principle, the UC Martial Arts Program strives to promote the balanced development of technical knowledge alongside martial arts philosophy and science.

Wisdom and knowledge are difficult to perceive within the short life span of mankind. Therefore, one should not waste even a second in the ongoing challenge of understanding the truth and educational value of the martial arts.

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History of UCMAP

UCMAP hosted the first official taekwondo AAU sanctioned event followed by two FISU World University Taekwondo Championships, one senior national, four national collegiate, and international North American taekwondo events. The Cal Taekwondo team won all but four national collegiate team championships during the past 40 years. Cal also regularly hosted innumerable visiting demonstration teams from Korea and other countries in addition to hosting regional, national and international academic and technical clinics and symposiums each year. The latest symposium topic was “Global Expansion of Martial Arts” and was well attended.

UCMAP initiated a US national taekwondo instructor certification program in 1975 through the U.S. taekwondo NGB - following is an example of the curriculum used until the mid-’90s:

	History and Philosophy - Landmarks of Modern Taekwondo; Historical Background of the USTU; Historical Background of the USOC; The Path to Virtue
	Management - Personnel; Facility; Events; Finance; Risk, Health and Safety Management
	Medical and Health Aspects - Eat to Compete; Martial Arts Training from a Medical Perspective; Kinesiology/Biomechanics and Taekwondo; Biomechanics of Basic Taekwondo Kicks; Conditioning for Taekwondo; A Parametric Study of Thoracic Injury Potential of Basic TKD Kicks; Thoracic injury Potential of TKD Kicks; A Rationale for Research in Taekwondo; Oregon Taekwondo Project; Isokinetic Strength Characteristics of Elite Taekwondo Athletes; Velocity and Momentum of Selected Techniques by Elite Taekwondo Athletes; Mood States and Mood Disturbance in Elite Taekwondo Athletes
	Teaching and Motivation - Leadership in Taekwondo:Theories and Practice; Leadership Training Through Taekwondo; Methodology for Teaching Children; Ethics for American Olympians: A Modest Proposal
	Tournament Management - Introduction to Tournament Management; Effective Tournament Management; Tournament Types and Match Making
	Korean Language - Taekwondo Terminology - Basic Speaking
	Rules and Regulations - USTU Competition Rules; Hand Signals; Amended WTF Competition Rules; Poomse Competition Rules; Terminology:Korean-English Translation
	Public Relations and Marketing - Development and Promotion of Brands, Programs, and Events
	Legal Implications - especially sexual harassment and Release Form development
	Implementation of IT - Introduction to Computers; Electronic Scoring; Website Development; File Management; Electronic Communication
	Guidelines - Constitution of the USTU; Technical, Contest Rules, and Referee Certification Committee; Operational Guidelines for Instruction Certification

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UCMAP Staff

Technical Advisor Dr. Ken Min
Director Dr. Russell Ahn

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ORGANIZATIONAL STAFF
Taekwondo Head Coach Dr. Russell Ahn
Special Projects Manager Dr. Norman Link
Judo Head Coach Master Jiwhan Han
Webmaster Andrew Nguyen
Managing Editor Lily Chou
Special Event Coordinator Michael Shea
Fundraising Coordinator Master Han Jiwhan
Publicity Coordinator Thomas Smart
Legal Counsel David Commins
Recorder Sally Ho

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INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF
Judo Master Jiwhan Han
Karate Sensei Hidetaka Abe
Taekwondo Dr. Russell Ahn
Taiji Sifu William Dere
Wushu Sifu Bryant Fong
Yongmudo Dr. Norman Link

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ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Office Manager Lily Chou
Equipment Room Manager Nghi Lam
Judo club MSO David Lau
Karate club MSO Sasha Shirman
Taekwondo club MSOs Jessica Bae, Jonathan Kotker
Taiji club MSO Ben Jong
Wushu club MSO Sue Wang
Yongmudo club MSO Ryan Tsai