Meaning "Stone Dragon", Yung Chul is the birth name of Mr. Daniel Ra, the Grand Master and Founder of Rocky Mountain Tae Kwon Do. GM Ra was born in the farming community of Kimje, South Korea. As a young man he studied the Chang Hun system of Tae Kwon Do under its founder, General Choi Hong Hi, known as the "Father of Tae Kwon Do." GM Ra quickly became one of the leading international instructors for the General's worldwide organization, the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF). When he arrived in America, he was one of only twelve people who had mastered all 24 patterns in this system. GM Daniel (Yung Chul) Ra is a certified International Tae Kwon Do Instructor.

As part of the campaign to spread the art of Tae Kwon Do around the world, GM Ra came to the USA in 1972 to instruct. Denver, Colorado became his new home where he commanded one of the largest American branches of the ITF and it was there where his superior skills earned him the nickname, "The Fastest Feet in the West."

GM Ra has dedicated over 40 years to studying and teaching our art. He is constantly striving to find the most efficient techniques for self-defense and new methods to teaching those techniques. He is a true master who innovates, and adds to the body of martial arts knowledge, without losing the traditional and unique aspects that make Tae Kwon Do the effective self-defense system that it is.

One Kick - One Punch

This describes GM Ra's fundamental approach to Tae Kwon Do. He believes this is our ultimate goal in self-defense. A Tae Kwon Do martial artist will never attack first. Should it be necessary to injure the attacker, only one punch or one kick should be required to end the altercation. Any thing more than that is an assault - not self defense.