Cha Yun-do was developed from Dr. Randolph Young’s previous training in the disciplines of Tang Soo-do, Tae Kwon-do, Kwan Duk-do, Choi Kwang-do, limited training in boxing and the “on the street” experience of a police officer. Mr. Young retired January 2, 1994 after 28 years as a police officer. Most of his time was spent on patrol and he was never injured by an assailant during that time. He attributes that to his original training in (modified) Tang Soo-do in 1966-67 under Mr. Paul Casten.
In 1984, Dr. Young began further training under Kwang Jo Choi and Glenn Kleinow in traditional Tae Kwon-do. Shortly after attaining a rank high enough to spar (contact fighting), it became apparent that the average martial artist was still being trained for the “expected.” Added to this, the student was taught two styles of fighting; one for patterns or one-step drills and another for actual self-defense.
In 1987 the groundwork for Cha Yun-do was laid. Patterns were to be designed for practicality and the philosophy would have a Christian base. In 1988, having selected for 3rd Degree Status in Kwan Duk-do / Choi Kwang-do, Mr. Young separated from his original organization and began building a martial art system of self-defense for the average person that would parallel the teachings of the bible. The result is Cha Yun-do.
Cha Yun-do uses the natural motions of the body in all of it’s techniques, combinations and patterns. The movements work in an easy, flowing manner without rigidness or stiffness, combining the knees, hips, waist, shoulders and elbows into a compact defensive weapon, enabling the user to transfer the persons’ body weight into power. No movement is wasted. No extra energy is expended. The result is a quicker, more powerful and well-balanced movement without the damaging reaction force of the traditional martial arts’ thrusts. Because of this last item, it has been practiced or endorsed by doctors, chiropractors and sports therapists as a useful form of exercise and therapy.
The philosophy of the Christian Martial Arts Fellowship is best described by its motto, Mak-da, and our creed or Code of Conduct is Isaiah 1:17. The Fellowship’s motto was chosen as fitting our purpose and out of respect for our beginning. The Code of Conduct was chosen as it best describes our mission as martial artists regardless of religious affiliation.
Mak-da is a Korean word meaning “defend or protect.” That is our purpose, to teach the student to “defend” themselves and “protect” others. This further explained in the Fellowship’s creed and Code of Conduct, Isaiah 1:17. These are requirements of God and are our duty to others; and not just as martial artists and not just believers.
There is no perfect martial art. There are traditional martial arts which are unchanging and there are newer martial arts which are usually not new at all but an upgrade of a previous art. Cha Yun-do is an eclectic system of Karate, which, as the background of the founder indicates, leans toward the latter. It was not designed for tournament use or aggressive actions but is a combination of defensive and counterattacking techniques.
Cha Yun-do is not to be a traditional “closed” system. Once it or any style is “closed,” unchangeable, it becomes traditional. Changes can and will be made as the need becomes evident.
Cha Yun-do was designed and will continue to be redesigned to be the best system of self-defense available for the unarmed person. It is an American martial art system. In April of 1993 it was recognized as a legitimate karate-styled martial art and a useful form self-defense by a board of Grand Masters representing more than a dozen national martial arts disciplines.
The name of the Art, Cha Yun-do, is a phonetically spelled Korean word meaning “Natural Art.” As stated earlier, the Korean language is the same in Korea only. In the translation of the Arts from Korea to America there has been a translation of the language. This is most evident in the commands used by individual schools.
There are two basic styles of martial arts, defensive (soft fist) and aggressive (hard fist). Cha Yun-do is an “integrated” system, which uses defensive techniques followed by counterattacking techniques when necessary.
Cha Yun-do, as with other martial arts, has fine points that must be explained and exhibited. This will be done in a separate writing. There are five parts of the body used in the martial arts; two hands, two feet and the brain. Strategy (the brain) is taught when the student gets to the sparring level of training.