It's always interesting to gain perspective on what we do through history. Although not that long ago, this is an interesting "human interest" piece on Grand Master Chae Goh from 1987. It's strange to think, at that time, the Dragon Gym had only been around for 14 years...now it's been over 40!
I'm so proud of this heritage, and am honored to, along with Lonnie Beck and Chris Taylor, have taken the reigns of this operation.
Developing Body And Mind In Martial Arts
By Ed Finkel, Special to The Inquirer
Posted: December 22, 1987: http://articles.philly.com/1987-12-22/news/26203075_1_martial-arts-bruce-lee-movies-karate
They danced their special dances in unison, but it didn't take long to realize that this wasn't Solid Gold.
Children, dressed in white robes and no shoes, began high-kicking and chopping their way through inch-thick wooden boards. They were followed by adults who split as many as four boards in one flying kick.
Both adults and children demonstrated non-contact and self-defense sparring with hands, feet and weapons.
"Please don't try these things at home," cautioned the emcee.
The Downingtown Inn & Resort Friday was the scene of, to many, this unusual spectacle: a Tae Kwon Do, karate and Apkido demonstration.
With its entry into the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, the ancient sport of Tae Kwon Do should become much more familiar to Americans.
The group in Downingtown tried to make at least several hundred parents, siblings and spouses more familiar with it. The demonstration was done by students of the Dragon Gym, a martial-arts training ground owned by grand master Chae T. Goh, who teaches his own method called TKA.
Goh is an eighth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, karate and Apkido - one of a handful in the country, he said - and the Pennsylvania chairman of the World Tae Kwon Do Athletic Union, which is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
He will be a Tae Kwon Do referee at the Olympics.
"TKA stands for Tae Kwon Do, karate and Apkido, three arts combined into one system," said Goh, 40.
According to Goh, the three can be distinguished primarily by which parts of the body they involve.
"In martial arts, we have two different ways to develop: hard art and soft art," he said. "Hard art is more aggressive art, like Tae Kwon Do, karate (as in) the Bruce Lee movies. Also in martial arts, there is softer art, (involving) body-weight development, breathing-system development, like kung fu and Apkido."
He said that Tae Kwon Do involves "70 percent leg development, 30 percent hand. Karate is 60 percent hand development, 40 percent leg. Apkido is a lot of joint work. So the TKA system develops the whole body."
Goh said Tae Kwon Do is being included in the Olympics because of the increase in popularity of the martial arts over the last 10 years. But he said many Americans had a hazy idea of what the martial arts are.
"About 10 years ago, there was a boom in martial arts, in karate," he said. "A lot of people have interest in the martial arts, but a lot of people don't know what martial arts is. They see this karate, chop the neck, then they come here and look and get a totally different picture.
"There's never any breaking bones. You come to my school to develop confidence."
Gary Narvid, 32, of Honeybrook, a two-year member of the Dragon Gym, said he believed that Tae Kwon Do would draw a lot of attention and interest at next summer's Olympics.
"It works every aspect of the body and the mind simultaneously, so I think it's going to prove to be one of the more exciting and involved aspects of the Olympics," said Narvid, who as a blue belt has only red and black belts to go.
Goh, who has taught students at both the Korean and South Vietnamese Naval Academies, came to the United States in the mid-1970s. He said he settled in the Downingtown area because several masters here saw seminars he conducted, were impressed with him and gave him a chance to teach. He has operated the Dragon Gym for 13 years.
Goh noted the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of the martial arts.
"People say to me, 'What is the goal of the Dragon Gym? What is the advantage?' " he said. "Martial arts not only develop physically, but they develop mentally, too. We develop your self-confidence, self-discipline, mind control over the body, and concentration. The physical benefits are inner-body endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, and . . . breathing from the inside, like a car's engine.
"We also have what is called the spirit of the TKA system," Goh added. He cited the five aspects of this spirit: be loyal to your nation, obedient to your parents, honorable to your friends, loving to your spouse, and kill only in self-defense, when you feel it is the only option.
Narvid said that when his son, Gary, 10, expressed a desire to learn martial arts, he decided to try it, too.
He said that he thought he would learn more from martial arts than by working out at a health spa.
The TKA system "improves your abilities to think clearly about yourself in other situations," he said.
Narvid said that practicing martial arts has helped him lose weight and improve his concentration. He said it can be especially valuable to youngsters by focusing their minds on their schoolwork.
Goh said he believes the training has helped Narvid with his work, as a district manager in clothing retail for County Seat.
"He manages 10 stores and deals with a lot" of stressful situations, Goh said. "Now, he says to me he can feel much more confident he can handle his stores."
To master the martial arts, Goh said, one needs the right attitude.
"Each technique is very serious," he said. "If you don't have discipline, there's no way you can develop.
"Just pretend somebody has a knife. If you don't have a serious mind, you can't defend. That already mentally buries you. If you make one mistake, you just die. You are late, too late."
He also said the martial arts continues to present challenges no matter how advanced one becomes.
He said a goal is set for each student. "And then when you get there, we have a next goal. That's why people are here 20 years training. That's why I've been doing this 32 years.
"It's my life for almost 32 years, the martial arts. This is my life."
The Dragon Gym has locations in Exton and Chadds Ford, and a new gym will be opening next month on Route 30 in Devon.
His students drive from 40 to 50 miles to the gym, with some coming from New Jersey, Lancaster and Langhorne.
Goh said they range in age from 5 years to 70, and added he has an even mix of males and females.
"They come here, they don't know what martial arts is," he said. "They train, and in two, three months time they feel like this is a different world. This is a different place."
