The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) stands as one of the world’s largest martial arts organizations. With active membership exceeding 300,000 worldwide, ATA is dedicated to the discipline of Taekwondo. The organization is internationally headquartered in Little Rock and has called the state capital home since 1977. ATA is a pioneer in the martial arts industry because of its unique style and high quality of curriculum and instructors.
The American Taekwondo Association was formed in 1969, and its permanent headquarters was established in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1977.
The uniqueness of ATA is that the founder, Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, created a martial art that would be accessible to anyone.
Let's delve into the history of this organization, its founder, and how the logo has evolved over time.
The Origins of ATA
The actual name (and art) of Taekwondo wasn't official until 1955. Although its roots can be somewhat traced back to ancient Korea, it is a historic fact that Taekwondo as an organized art is relatively modern. At that time, Korean General Hong Hi Choi organized a movement to unify Korea's various martial arts styles (called Kwans) and presented the name "Taekwondo" to a committee specially formed to select a name for the new art.
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Eternal Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee’s martial arts training began in 1953 and he received his black belt in 1954. He taught martial arts to Republic of Korea military intelligence personnel from 1956 to 1959, opening his first commercial school in Osan, Korea after leaving the military. Air Force base near Seoul and began teaching American servicemen, including an officer named Richard Reed.
In 1962, he moved from South Korea to the United States and opened a Taekwondo school in Nebraska. When Reed returned to the United States in 1962, Eternal Grand Master joined him on a “visitor” visa, and began teaching in Omaha. in 1965 and began working toward a national Taekwondo organization that would be based on good martial arts and sound business practices.
In 1968, Korean General Hong Hi Choi met with then Master Haeng Ung Lee, who at the time was teaching Taekwondo-Japanese mixed martial arts to his organization of followers. General Choi quickly taught Eternal Grand Master Lee the first 16 Cheon-jee forms of Taekwondo in only 4 days and three nights.
From this first meeting almost half a century ago, the stage was set for the founding of The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska by Eternal Grand Master Lee.
As it grew from a regional organization to one of national -- and ultimately international -- scope, the ATA began to establish standards that would ensure consistent instruction.
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From the beginning, Eternal Grand Master Lee was determined to establish the most professional martial arts organization possible. In 1973, he introduced the first instructor manual, which provided information and procedures to standardize the operation of all ATA schools. In 1976, he hosted the first Grand National tournament, which was the predecessor for the Songahm Taekwondo World Championships now held annually.
A year later, he re-located the ATA headquarters from Omaha, Nebraska to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he soon had 200 black belts earning instructor certification each year.
Here's a timeline of key events in ATA's history:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Eternal Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee began his martial arts training. |
| 1954 | Eternal Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee received his black belt. |
| 1962 | Eternal Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee moved to the United States and opened a Taekwondo school in Nebraska. |
| 1969 | The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) was formed in Omaha, Nebraska. |
| 1973 | The first instructor manual was introduced to standardize the operation of all ATA schools. |
| 1976 | The first Grand National tournament was hosted, the predecessor for the Songahm Taekwondo World Championships. |
| 1977 | The ATA headquarters was relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas. |
| 1983 | The Songahm system of Taekwondo was introduced. |
| 1984 | The Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) was founded. |
| 1990 | The World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) was formed, and the first World Championships tournament was begun. |
| 2000 | Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee passed away. |
In 1980, the ATA became the first martial arts organization to introduce a centralized computer record keeping system. This innovation enabled the ATA to maintain rank histories and other important information about the thousands of ATA members.
The ATA held “closed” tournaments - you had to be a member to compete. Every student uniform was white (no black, no blue, no stars & stripes), and all lettering, piping and patches (initially just a school patch and the ATA patch) on uniforms were to be consistent across the organization.
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The Songahm System
The history of the ATA was set on a new and unique course in 1983 when, at a Certified Instructor Camp in Little Rock, Eternal Grand Master introduced the Songahm system of Taekwondo. The Songahm system represented the culmination of years of study by Eternal Grand Master Lee.
The ATA had used the Chang Hun Taekwondo forms since 1969 -- and the "Pinan" forms prior to that -- but he had noticed something missing in the forms.
With the assistance of senior instructors including Robert Allemier, Bill Clark, In Ho Lee and Jee Ho Lee, Eternal Grand Master developed a unified teaching system in which, for the first time, White Belts learned kicks in their Taekwondo forms and one-step sparring was closely integrated with the forms to aid in student development by establishing a more logical system for beginners.
Songahm Taekwondo is the style of martial arts practiced at ATA affiliated schools. Songahm means "Pine Tree and Rock." According to the organization, the term Songahm itself represents "Evergreen strength the year round, long life and a symbol of unchanging human loyalty" as represented by the pine tree and the rock.
During the early years, ATA used the Channg-hun style of forms. Today, with Songahm forms, students are part of a fully integrated curriculum. Every move that a student learns reinforces everything else. It creates a foundation.
The forms contain all, or nearly all, of the techniques a student is expected to know at each rank. One of Eternal Grand Master’s goals was to facilitate a smooth transition from white belt up to Grand Mastership. The Songahm curriculum is about much more than physical talent. It’s about personal development of the mind and body.
When learning, a student is in a true, traditional Taekwondo class, focusing not just on the physical but also on discipline, honor, self-control, respect, courtesy and perseverance.
The Songahm curriculum is about much more than physical talent. It’s about personal development of the mind and body.
In 1984, the Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) was founded by Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee and Master Cezar Ozuna to help spread Songahm Taekwondo outside of the United States. In the fall of 1990, the World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) was formed.
While the ATA encompasses licensed locations in the United States and Canada, the STF includes licensed locations in South America and the WTTU covered the remaining portion of the world. In 2014 all three international branches were brought together under the ATA name. The acronym's meaning was changed to Always Take Action and a new patch was designed incorporating parts of the design from all 3 patches.
Here is the original ATA Patch:
Leadership and Legacy
With the passing of Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee in October 2000, our current leadership has taken up the torch of his inspirational guidance and leadership and ensured the values the ATA were founded upon remain our focus for today and into the future.
Grand Master Soon Ho Lee, after many trials and tests for the Grand Master title, was elevated to be our leader in Taekwondo and guides and focuses the Songahm Taekwondo style.
Upon his retirement, his brother Grand Master In Ho Lee became the next Presiding Grand Master in 2011, followed by his brother and current presiding Grand Master G. K. Lee in 2019.
Mrs. Sun C. Lee, wife of the late Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee and the ATA's Chairman of the Board, continues the legacy of her husband by helping the youth of Songahm Taekwondo through her philanthropic efforts and devotion.
The Founders’ Council are members of the original Masters’ Council which was formed in 2000 just prior to Grand Master H.U. Lee’s passing. In 2000, the Council’s main purpose, as it is today, was to keep the ATA together, transmit ATA’s tradition and core values and guide Songahm Taekwondo and its evolution into the future. In recognition for all they did, this original Masters’ Council became the Founders’ Council after guiding the ATA for 20 years and will be forever part of ATA’s history.