Grandmaster Loh
Chief Instructor and Chairman of the Traditional Tae Kwon Do Association. Grandmaster T K Loh practiced under a variety of top Tae Kwon Do grandmasters and masters. Coming from a strong martial arts family background, Grandmaster Loh has acquired considerable knowledge and skills in a variety of martial arts ranging from karate to kung fu as well as lesser known arts like silat and pulculan.
Currently Master T.K. Loh is a Specialist Orthopaedic Physiotherapist. He has a vast amount of experience in sports medicine as well as an acupuncturist (both body and auricular).
Grandmaster Loh started Tae Kwon Do in his childhood years at the time when Tae Kwon Do was first spread from Korea. During his early days his fame spread as a fighter as he would test his skills against all the other martial arts. He was also a great innovator, one of the first in Malaysia to do the double front kick as well as fourth in the world to do the split kick.
By the time he left Malaysia, as a 2nd DAN, he had learnt all the patterns required in the whole of the Tae Kwon Do syllabus as well as being recommended for the post of International Instructor. He had been the founder and instructor of the TengKu Abdul Rahman (Prime Minister) College Tae Kwon Do Club. He has been the instructor to the armed forces as well as the special branch.
In the UK, he had trained the R.A.F. in the West Country as well as establishing Tae Kwon Do clubs. In 1977, he was the English Champion, followed by the European Champion in 1979 and 1980. He was appointed Academy instructor by Grandmaster Ki Ha Rhee 9th DAN (then 7th DAN). Master Loh was then appointed as Chief Instructor and Chief Examiner for the World Tae Kwon Do Federation in Britain. He was also in executive committee for the B.T.C.B. (1982 – 1990).
Grandmaster Loh was Head Coach for the 2nd World Games Demonstration Team as well as coach for the 2nd World Games and the 7th World Tae Kwon Do Championships in Seoul, Korea. He was the first person in the world to perform a five target aerial break. Grandmaster Loh was the first in both the UK and Ireland to test for 5th DAN on the floor instead of gratuitous promotions.
He subsequently tested for his 6th DAN and 7th DAN in Seoul, Korea under Grandmaster Park Hae Man 9th DAN. Grandmaster Loh is also the first in the UK and Ireland to have reached the 7th DAN. He is the only person in Europe to perform a Jumping Back Kick through 6″ of Pine as well as the first in the UK to perform the Aerial Triple Front Kick.
Grandmaster Loh was promoted to 8th Dan in July 2000 by Grandmaster Park Hae Man, see July 2000 issue of Taekwondo magazine. In July 2000 on a trip to Korea he was conferred Grandmaster status by Great Grandmaster Um Un Kyu, Vice president of Kukkiwon.
Grandmaster Loh, with his experience and knowledge, has maintained the true way of Tae Kwon Do in the form of the Traditional Tae Kwon Do Association. He has never devalued the journey a student has to make, the hardships, the joy as well as the steadfast attitude the student has to cultivate in favour of commercialism and sport. Coupled with his medical knowledge and Tae Kwon Do expertise, training in the Traditional Tae Kwon Do has been most effective in producing the highest quality of Tae Kwon Do student.
In April 2004 Grandmaster Loh coached the TTA to win the Overall Champions Trophy in the 8th World Chung Do Kwan Championship, which was held in Singapore. The team took a total of 6 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronzes. The team members also set the record for the highest jumping front kick at 9.5 feet and the longest flying sidekick at 12 feet. These are feats which will be extremely difficult to beat.
At the age of 56, Grandmaster T K Loh, founder of the Traditional Taekwondo Association has become the youngest person (out of 136) to ever receive the highest grade in Taekwondo – achieving the 9th Dan Grade in July 2010.
Significant achievements in Taekwondo earned Grandmaster Loh the grade and we at TTA Derby would like to – as I am sure is the case with all the TTA Clubs across the UK and Worldwide, offer our congratulations to Grandmaster Loh and to thank him for his dedication to us as students.
You can read the full article on the Cumbernauld News Website or on the TTA Moray website.
The standards of the Traditional Tae Kwon Do Association are high and many have fallen by the wayside and only the best will reach the top.