ATA Tae kwon do

ATA Tae kwon do is the American Tae kwon do Association. This organization was founded in 1969 by Grandmaster Haeng Ung Lee also known as Eternal Grandmaster Lee.

Grandmaster Lee met General Choi Hong Hi in 1968. General Choi taught Lee the first 16 of the Chang Ho Hyung or Chang Hun forms in 4 days and 3 nights.

Eternal Grandmaster Lee founded the American Tae kwon do Association in Omaha, Nebraska. His schools taught the 24 Chang Hun forms until 1983 when he introduced the Songham system of tae kwon do.

The Songham Tae kwon do Federation (STF) and the World Traditional Tae kwon do Union or WTTU were also founded by Grandmaster Lee. Eternal Grandmaster died in 2000 and the ATA is now led by Grandmaster Soon Ho Lee.

The ATA boasts 53,000 black belts, 3000 certified instructors in over 2000 schools. Their forms are protected under U.S. copyright laws. There are 9 colored belt and 9 black belt standard forms.

All aspects of the ATA from forms and promotion requirements to unforms and logos are regulated by the organization. For you, this ensures that a belt rank is exactly the same at any ATA school anywhere in the US or the world.