Nice to Meet Ya: John Park

Five minutes after you meet John Park, you feel like you are old friends. He’s warm, funny and a good storyteller. In fact, there are so many stories they are impossible to truly keep track of. Of course, Taekwondo is the subject of most, but nevertheless, they are entertaining and often funny.

“Back in the 90s, I used to train a lot of New York Giants, private lessons with a lot of NFL football players,” Park said. “One of my tight ends, a big guy named Aaron Pierce, during the offseason, he weighed about 240 pounds. In season he's about 260 pounds – something like that. At the time, one of my students was national champion. She weighs 100 pounds. She's five foot. She's lean. She's a lightweight class fighter.

“(Pierce said) how can this little white girl hurt me? I said, ‘Aaron, put on a chest protector.’ Mind you, he's 260 pounds. He's a big man, and he's a football player. And he's a professional tight end. He's a big dude. I said, ‘Alright, put on a chest protector. No, put on two chest protectors.’

“I said, ‘Leslie, come here’ She just became a black belt. She was champion, just a first-degree black belt at the time... ‘Aaron, you ready?’ She threw a roundhouse kick to the chest protectors, She hit him, knocked the wind out and he fell over.

“And I said, ‘That's why Taekwondo is good.’ Now. Is he stronger than her? Of course, he's much stronger. So, if he hit her, would it hurt? Absolutely. But because of the martial arts, now she has a fighting chance. And after she kicked him, then we saw fear in his eyes, because it's mental.”

John’s business is really just an extension of his life. He was born in South Korea, the son of a Tae Kwon do champion. In fact, he was an international champion due to defeating a Japanese champion, an almost impossible feat. At the time, Tae Kwon do only had national rules, not international rules, so a foreign competitor couldn’t win, with only Japanese judges.

But he did by knocking out his opponent, thereby winning. He returned to South Korea a national champion, with a big celebration, but due to the Japanese-Korean relations, he could never compete again. He was to remain undefeated.

“So here he is 25 years old, and they said, ‘You're retired.’ He’s at his peak. And after over 1000 domestic matches, never lost. But he just beat the enemy. They don't want anyone to beat him. So now he doesn't have a job.”

But the king of Thailand was very impressed and invited his dad to teach Tae kwon do in Thailand. Finally a move to the U.S. came in 1970.

“I've been doing Taekwondo for 50 years, because I started when I was three. Just like my kids. My kids started when they were three,” said John.

He attended Liberty University and joined their ROTC program, but due to military downsizing, he got a Golden Handshake and was done with the military. He was rudderless for a while, but then returned to Tae kwon do, when his father’s business faltered.

“I'm a ninth degree black belt. I'm the highestranking black belt in Central Texas. The only people that are higher in rank than me, in Texas, in martial arts, are either in Dallas or Houston because they're my father's friends (in their 60s).”

Based in the Northeast, he was an advisor to the Naval Academy, West Point, Rutgers University and others. He even coached the U.S. National team.

“I brought the U.S. team to Sardinia, Italy back in 1995. But guess what? About 95% of my student body I'm neglecting. Then I realized it's a balance. Like everything else in life, it’s a balance.”

Moving to Dripping Springs was a struggle. At the time, he and wife D’anne were assured that the market was a buyers market. They put a bid on two houses and flew back to New Jersey. Upon landing they were told that those houses were sold.

She flew back a month later, but still could not find a house.

About a month later, the U.S. Nationals would be held at the University of Texas and he was now the coach at West Point. After a few contacts that John had made at the Nationals, their wish of moving to Dripping Springs was granted.

“(UT said) I found a position for you. We would like you to join us. My official title with UT is as an advisor to the team. So they do all the hands on. And we just had nationals here at San Antonio. And it was a perfect UT fit.”

They moved to Dripping Springs, and John had a job at UT. Now advisor to the UT Taekwondo team, his business is in Belterra, and best of all he’s a Dripping Springs resident, with both his son and daughter attending Sycamore Springs.

Asking a question and then getting good advice from his father many years ago, Taekwondo Grandmaster Park Dongkeun, which he has kept close. “How can you do all these things? He says ‘You need to work on your key energy.’ And I'm asking this, as a 16-year-old kid. He said, ‘You don't even start to develop that until you're 50 (years old)’ ...He's 80 years old and still teaches every day.”

There are nine levels of Black Belts with age requirements in Tae kwon do. John has finally reached that moment in his life and now a little peace. “I moved here to retire. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just running the school. That's all.”

John is a great storyteller, coach, and business owner. If you get a chance to have him tell you a few stories, take it. His stories of his life experiences will keep you entertained, guaranteed.

“...I said, 'That's why Taekwondo is good.' Is he stronger than her? Of course, he's much stronger. So, if he hit her, would it hurt? Absolutely. But because of the martial arts, she now has a fighting chance.“

– John Park