Grandmaster An’s Background:

• Born November 12th, 1947,
• 1955 Began learning TaeKwonDo at age 8.
• 1957 Received 1st Dan Black Belt at age 10.
• 1957-1960 Experienced Junior Competition.
• 1960-1963 Taught TaeKwonDo. Progressed from Training Instructor to Head Instructor in Incheon, Korea.
• 1963-1967 Head Instructor – Intern Masters Course.
• 1967-1969 Competed in heavyweight division kickboxing and held Championship title in Seol, Korea.
• 1969-1972 ROK army instructor in hand-to-hand combat, Green Berets in Seoul, Korea.
• 1972-1974 Achieved the rank of Master teaching TaekwonDo in Incheon, Korea. Helped develop the Korean TaeKwonDo Association.
• 1975 Master An came to the United States – San Clemente, California.
• 1975-1979 Head TaeKwonDo Instructor, U.S. Marine Corps, Ocean Side, CA.
• 1979-1980 Moved to Massachusetts – open TaeKwonDo school in Lowell, MA.
• 1980-1985 Instructed over 500 students in TaeKwonDo.
• 1986 Built current school in Lowell, MA, and developed school and school system.
• 1987-1992 Massachusetts State TKD Association President. Helped develop USTU National Championships.
• 1992-(present)Successfully held martial arts charity event to benefit The American Cancer Society and other community charities.  Opened a new school and instructional outdoor martial arts training course in Bedford, NH.
• 2000 Received Ninth Dan.
• 2000-2001 President, New Hampshire Korean Society.
• 2000-2002 President, Massachusetts State TaeKwonDo Association Appointee, and New England Korean Advisory Committee.

In Master Jefferson’s words:

When I was looking for a new school to train at I knew that I wanted to train with someone from the country of origin of whatever style I chose. Or at least someone who trained with someone from the country of origin. With Grandmaster An, I got exactly what I was looking for!

Training with Grandmaster was stressful at first as I was a bit intimidated by him and wanted to impress him. I remember my knees shaking during my first class with him! But through his teaching method, I soon was a better martial artist than I had ever been. I respect all the lessons I have been taught by my previous teacher and any others who helped me and would not trade those lessons for anything. However, Grandmaster had such a simple way of making everything I was doing better. I try to share these simple lessons with all of my students.

Grandmaster An did not just teach me in the Dojang but in life as well. Lessons on how to improve my punching power, teach others, answer the phone, clean, and everything in between was taught to me. In this way, I became, as he once said, his disciple. When I look back I am amazed at everything he taught me and hope to show him that I was paying attention and make him proud.

Sadly, Grandmaster Nam Yell An passed away in October of 2021.