Interview with Grand Master Eddie Minyard

Grandmaster Eddie Minyard was introduced to Martial Arts (Judo), in 1965. His step- father was a soldier, who had trained while on active duty and then trained his two stepsons. Eddie then began training in Judo and Shorei Ryu Karate, in Moline, Il taking a bus for 45 minutes each way to the school. While in the US Army in Vietnam, GM Minyard saw a demonstration of Taekwon-Do, presented by the ROK White Horse Division, at the RECONDO School in Nha Trang. It became clear that Taekwon-Do was what he wanted to study. After returning home from overseas duty, he began training informally with Master Roger Dorethy, beginning in 1970. He began formal training in 1973, under GM Chung En Kim (RIP) (Chang Moo Kwan), a direct student of The Founder of Chang Moo Kwan, Grand Master Nam Suk Lee. GM Lee was also an Executive Council Member of the World Taekwondo Federation, in its early days. GM Kim was also the Founder of the American Taekwondo Federation, of which GM Minyard was a member. In 1976, GM Minyard was relocated due to work, and began training with the Choi Brothers, where his primary instructors were GM Yong Duk (YD) Choi and GM Yong Sung (YS) Choi - both also former students of GM Nam Suk Lee. Under their tutelage, Minyard was awarded his 1st Dan, in 1978. He has maintained his status as a student of the Choi Brothers, for the past 45 years, progressively earning rank up to 8th Dan. In 1979, in association with the Choi Brothers, GM Minyard was instrumental in the formation of the American Professional Taekwon-Do Association, a full-contact professional competition organization. He is also a contributor to GM YD Choi's book: Practical Tae Kwon Do. Ed is a Charter Member and highest ranked student of the World Sun Do Sul Federation, where he assisted GM YS Choi in developing the martial art known as Sun Do Sul. The art is based on Sunmudo - a Korean Buddhist Zen-based martial art, combined with elements of Taekwon-Do and Hapkido. In 1988, Minyard was introduced to Supreme Master Kim, Bok Man - one of the Original Founders of Taekwon-Do. They maintained a close friendship / mentorship relationship, from that time, through the time of SGM Kim's passing, in 2021. GM Minyard was awarded 8th Dan in SGM Kim's system, Chun Kuhn Taekwondo, currently serves as the President of the New Hampshire Chapter of The World Chun Kuhn Federation and is a Special Advisor to the President of The World Chun Kuhn Federation. In 1993, while training in New York under GM Yeon Hwan Park, former coach of the U.S. Olympic and Pan-American Tae Kwon Do teams and former vice president of the United States Tae Kwon Do Union, Ed was involved in organizing the 11th Annual World Tae Kwon Do Championships, in NYC at Madison Square Garden. He was responsible for ensuring a memorable and comfortable experience for worldwide dignitaries, including the President of the WTF, Head of the US Olympic Committee and Head of USA Taekwondo. The event had over 700 competitors and was broadcast on ABC Wide World of Sports. For his contribution, Ed was awarded a plaque consisting of three Gold Medals from the Championship. In 1998, GM Minyard was Certified to Officiate in events sanctioned by the World Association of Karate and Kickboxing Organizations - USA (WAKO_USA), authorized by then-President GM Don Rodriques, Vice President, GM Tom Festa and Chief International Referee, GMT. Rondo VanClief. In 2019, GM Minyard was certified by Deepak Chopra and the Chopra Center, as a Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher. He incorporates this meditation practice into his Taekwon-Do regimen, and teaches it to others. In 2020, Grand Master Minyard was inducted into the US Kido Federation Black Belt Hall of Fame, as Grand Master of the Year, and is a Lifetime Member of the USKIDO Federation. Also in 2020, he was included in the Who's Who in America Martial Arts book, along with GM Chuck Norris and other notable Martial Arts luminaries. In 2021, GM Minyard was promoted to 9th Dan, by the International Jun Tong Federation, for which he also serves as Northeast Regional Director and Special Advisor to the Founder and the President of the Federation. Also in 2021, GM Minyard was accepted into the International Taekwon-Do Federation in Korea (ITF-HQ Korea). GM Minyard has operated schools in Illinois, lowa, Nebraska and New York. Has provided instruction to as many as 100 first responders, in disaster response base camps, law enforcement officers and members of the military. He currently teaches private students in NH, at his Hayan San (White Mountain) Martial Arts Dojang. He also enjoys participating as a Promotional Board Member, Tournament Judge, Referee and Coach, for events across the United States. Throughout his life, Martial Arts have been a part of GM Minyard's foundation. He has chosen the life of a warrior in every aspect. As a soldier in Vietnam, a competitor in tournaments, law enforcement officer and a First Responder - he has always fallen back on his martial arts training. Grand Master Eddie Minyard lives in the mountains of New Hampshire, with his wife and two dogs, and is the proud father of a blended family of seven children, Grandfather to eight, and a great-grandfather. Along with his daily practice of Taekwon-Do, Eddie also loves to spend as much time as possible, surrounded by and making music with his collection of guitars!