Cheongye Kwan Daehando

Chief Instructor

Master Cook (4th Dan) began his Martial Arts career at the age of 9, back in 1979 when his Grandfather took him to a local sports centre to try a boxing class. Even then, after a year there he knew that Boxing wasn’t quite the sport for him, just using his hands seemed to be a waste. So, he asked if he could try something different and was taken to a Judo hall, he can still remember his feelings as he walked in the Dojo (Dojang), everyone was wearing white suites and throwing each other up in the air. he thought this looked like great fun and so he joined the club.

Several years went by until one day a friend of his at the class told him that he had started training in Ju-Jitsu on another night. Curious as to what it was he went to have a look, the instructor asked him if he had done anything before and he told him that he was in Judo at the time. He explained to Master Cook that Judo and Ju-jitsu were the same art, and that Ju-Jitsu was simply the Martial Art aspect of the Sport of Judo. It sounded really interesting to him and he liked the idea of being able to combine punching and kicking with throws he was already familiar with, so after speaking with his Judo Sensei (Sabumnim) and explaining his interest, the Judo instructor advised Master Cook to try the art and see if it was for him, which it was, which subsequently resulted in Judo being left behind.

Ju-Jitsu was great for Master Cook, because of his build and low centre of gravity, it also gave him the foundations he needed to improve on the skills he had already learned. He stayed in Ju-Jitsu for roughly five years, until he had a short break to concentrate on his exams at school. After his exams Master Cook needed to back to training, as not being there left a feeling of something missing in his life, so instead of going back to Ju-Jitsu Master Cook decided to try an art that didn’t so much concentrate on throwing, but more on the kicking and punching side. This is when he joined his local Shotokan Karate club.

Again, it was a totally new experience for him, he went there expecting to fit straight in, as he had already learned how to kick and punch in Ju-Jitsu, and throw in Judo - no such luck. Karate was very fast and very powerful and he realised there and then that he was not in the same environment as before. As most people did, Master Cook attended Seminars with high-ranking Karate Masters and also competed in several Tournaments, but his heart was in the Philosophical and Traditional aspects of the art. Again a few years passed until another short break was needed for Master Cook to focus on his College exams.

The next year in 1990, a WTF Taekwondo class opened at Master Cook's local leisure centre. Of course he had heard of Taekwondo before, but there was never a class close enough to where he lived to go and have a look at. Taekwondo to him meant being able to perform high super fast kicking combinations and being able to sit in all the 3 splits positions, so he couldn’t wait to go and try a class. The class was great, nothing like anything he had seen before, and for the first time in his life he had to wear a uniform that looked like his old school jumper. This was very strange to him and took several weeks to get use to.

In 2007, Master Cook developed his own unique system of Martial Arts training, which was a culmination of several Korean Martial Arts and his 29 years of Martial Arts training. This new Martial Discipline was named Cheongye Kwan Daehando (Schools of Excellence in the Korean Way).

Master Cook has never looked back since beginning his Martial Arts path and still enjoys his training as much today as he did in his first class.

Korean Grading History
1st Dan 20th December 1999

2nd Dan 1st July 2002

3rd Dan 25th June 2004
4th Dan 20th May 2007

Korean Competition History
London Technical Synchron Champion 2001
London Technical Individual Bronze medallist 2001
Southern Technical Freestyle Champion 2001
Southern Technical Synchron Champion 2001
National Technical Championships (Synchron) Silver Medallist 2001
Great Britain Poomse Team Reserve Squad Member 2001
Made National Rankings and became 3rd overall for Male Poomse for Great Britain 2001

1st BTA North West Championships Senior Male Dan Grade Individual Champion 2005
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Korean Courses Taken
Free Sparring The Way with Master Pan Sim Woon 2002
Numerous National Squad Poomse Sessions 1999 to 2001
Kyorugi (sparring) Class 3 Referee course 1995
National Coaching Foundation Flexibility Instructor 1994
The Complete Sparring Course with Master Teo Kwang Loh 1992

Visited Master Tommy Chang at the Olympic training centre in Canada 2007
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Korean Courses Taught
Conducted Hosinsul (self-defence) Courses for members of the BTCB and BTA
Taught Self-defence tactics to the Army PTI Personnel
Collaborated with defensive and restraining techniques with the Police UDT (unarmed defence tactics) Instructors
Special Guest invited to teach Kicking and Sparring manoeuvres to UK Ju-Jitsu Associations

Instructor Qualifications

BTA Instructor

BTC./BTCB Instructor

Emergency First Aider

SCUK Registered Coach for Flexibility

Enhanced CRB Disclosure

Trained in Control and Restraint

Trained in Military Armed and Unarmed Combat

Former Intermediate Gymnastics Team member competing in several Gymnastrada and Interstrada Championships.

Quote from the movie 'Dragon' the Bruce Lee story...

"You can't change people with your fists, I've learned that! You see, people see something new and they get afraid, but if you show them the beauty of that thing, they are no longer afraid and it becomes a part of them!"