Muhammad Ali’s martial arts training

I found these photos of the legendary Muhammad Ali on the website of Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, the world-renowned 10th Degree Tae Kwon Do Black Belt. Rhee is known as the Father of American Tae Kwon Do. Few people know that Muhammad Ali studied martial arts, and even fewer know that he studied under Grand Master Rhee in the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do.

Grand Master Rhee has also been the martial Arts instructor for Jack Anderson, George Allen Sr., Bob Livingston, Tony Robbins, Jack Valenti and over 300 U. S. Senators and House Representatives.

This is a quote from Ali about his training with Grand Master Rhee.

“Mr. Rhee taught me Tae Kwon Do Accu-Punch; it is so fast, you can hardly see it.”
– Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali practices with Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee
Muhammad Ali practices with Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee
Muhammad Ali and Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee
Muhammad Ali and Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee

Rhee’s martial arts film with the producer of Enter the Dragon

Rhee also had a very brief film career, having starred in the 1973 film When Taekwondo Strikes (Tai quan zhen jiu zhou), which was also known as Sting of the Dragon Masters or Taekwondo Heroes. The film – which marked Jhoon Rhee’s only starring role in a commercial martial arts movie – was written and directed by Feng Huang and produced by Golden Harvest’s Raymond Chow, who also produced Enter the Dragon. When Taekwondo Strikes features experienced and well known martial artists, including Rhee, Angela Mao & Sammo Hung (both whom appeared in Enter the Dragon), Wong In Sik, Carter Wong, Kenji Kazama, Biao Yuen and Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan.

When Taekwondo StrikesThe story is about the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II, and centers on a Korean patriot played by Carter Wong, who gets into a fight with some Japanese people and is chased into a church, where the church’s priest is soon captured and tortured. Trying to secure his release, the leader of the resistance, Jhoon Rhee, is himself captured and tortured by the Japanese. Carter Wong, Angela Mao and Ann Winton have to now try and rescue him, leading to an explosive climax with the heroes having to fight the likes of Wong In Sik (Hwang In-Shik), Sammo Hung and Kenji Kazama.