Below is a reprint of the cover article of the May 2003 issue of Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine. It captures the spirit and essence of Master Sang's life experiences and what led him to formulate his TNT Martial Arts.

MASTER SANG KOO KANG
Making Martial Arts Explode in the Sunshine State
By Hyung-Min Jung

Sang Koo Kang looks like he lives well, and he does. Surrounded by opulence in the posh Miami neighborhood in which one of his schools is located, "Master Sang" looks right at home. With the right blend of traditional Taekwondo roots and modern teaching and training methodologies, his three schools are booming. Yet the road to success wasn't always an easy street for the chiseled 36-year-old.

Born in Seoul, Korea, during the winter of 1966, Kang grew up without a silver spoon in his mouth, living hard, and living lean. As with many Korean children, his first introduction to martial arts came at the age of 5 with WTF style Taekwondo training. He took to it like a fish to water, and excelled among his peers, even at an early age. Yet, even though the young Kang excelled in Taekwondo, he would find that another art - Dong Bang Mu Sool - would leave an even deeper impression on him.

Translated directly as "Eastern martial arts", Dong Bang Mu Sool was a synthesis of martial knowledge that was the brainchild of a Grandmaster Lee. According to Kang, there were very few Dong Bang Mu Sool dojangs in Korea, most of which were run by Lee's direct family members. Kang began his training under the founder himself at the age of 13. The art's techniques were greatly similar to Hapkido, featuring joint locks, breakfalls, wrestling, weaponry, and specialized kicks that were different from those that he'd learned in Taekwondo. Kang would continue to train directly under Grandmaster Lee until the age of 18, earning his sa-dan (4th degree black belt), before leaving to the USA in 1983.

"The training in Dong Bang Mu Sool under the grandmaster was incredible," recalls Kang. "Back then, we trained in the middle of cold winter - no climate control like these days up in the 5th floor of that building, and Grandmaster Lee would drink really hot water to stay warm." The grandmaster left a deep mark on the mind of the young Sang Koo Kang, who continues, "He had a very strong presence when he taught. He'd show a technique and his students would struggle to practice it. Very tough, very serious. After training, we would just rinse off with ice-cold water, and steam would rise up off our bodies in the middle of the Korean winter. Such training made our minds so strong, so focused."

In the US, Kang continued with his martial arts growth and trained in Taekwondo with Grandmaster Suh in Tallahassee, Florida. Always driven to succeed, Kang hustled hard to distinguish himself in the dojang, while struggling to help his family make ends meet. He would train intensely, go to school, play football, and then teach many unpaid classes (mostly to elementary school children). Regardless of how much was on his plate, Kang still managed to distinguish himself in each of his pursuits.

From 18-25, Kang traveled around with a group of his classmates, competing in tournaments around the southern US. Anytime the young Kang returned without a first place medal, he took it as clear proof that he had to work harder, turning disappointment into motivation. With an already intense work ethic, such motivation proved to be the deciding factor in some of his victories, such as the Florida State TKD Championships, the Sunshine State Games, and a host of other tournaments, where he competed in both sparring and forms. His championship title at the Florida State tournament earned him a berth into the nationals, but again, because of finances, Kang was forced to stay in Florida to scrap for a living. Nonetheless, Kang earned his Kukkiwon-certified yook-dan (6th degree black belt) and continued to teach.

As a football player, Kang was a high school standout in his position as field goal kicker, attracting the attention of Jimmy Johnson, who was then coaching at the University of Miami. Unable to attend the University of Miami due to financial difficulties and unwilling to live so far away from his father, Kang enrolled at the Florida State University, where he played as a walk-on in 1986, and made the team for four years.

Shortly after college, Kang's martial arts evolution took a slightly different turn when he met with the well-known Las Vegas-based muay Thai coach, Master Toddy. Toddy turned Kang on to a different way of looking at the kicks he so loved as a TKD stylist. The powerful leg kicks were off-limits to tournament TKD fighters, and the vicious effectiveness with which they were delivered impressed Kang. The use of the shin as the primary striking surface for the round kick also left an impression on him, both literally and figuratively.

For Kang, muay Thai was the ring version of the ho-shin-sul self-defense techniques he'd learned in TKD. Elbows, knees, face punches, and leg kicks were a standard part of sparring, and not just limited to demonstrations only. With Kang's love of hard training, he excelled in Thai boxing under the tutelage of Master Pon, a coach whom Toddy had introduced him to. Whenever situations brought them together again, Kang would also train with Toddy. Kang speaks highly of Toddy's training, saying, "Master Toddy's muay Thai is very physical, which is different from what I was used to with TKD. He's not just a great trainer, but a great teacher."

Eventually, the time came for Kang to strike out on his own, and in 1990, he opened his first TKD school in Miami Beach. Kang refers to that time in his life as "rough" - rough because he didn't know the business of running a martial arts school. That first location had no air conditioning, no mirrors, and a very traditional setup. During those early days, Kang slept in the school and worked as a bouncer in the Kitchen Club in South Beach to make ends meet. Between running the school and bouncing, he barely slept at all. He even made up cheap flyers and distributed them with the help of his father, Sok-sang Kang.

During that time Kang taught harshly, with the same rigor he learned in Korea. Those students who stayed and endured the forging process were outstanding, but most of his students fell by the wayside, unable to handle the traditional way of teaching and Korean style discipline. Kang recollects, "During those days I was an amazing teacher, very rough, very motivating, but very harsh. I was 'Master Sang' on the floor, but a total white belt with the business end of things." Kang got wise to the game and studied American style teaching and management methods to turn things around.

With a new attitude towards teaching that emphasized compassion, patience, and positive reinforcement, Kang took his faltering enrollment and sent it sky high, opening a second location in Davie, FL, in 1993, then shifting to a larger Davie location in 1999. During this time, Kang received accolades and recognition both from the martial arts media and the communities in which he taught. He was honored with the keys to the cities of Miami Beach and Surfside. Word of his skill with teaching children spread around, and soon, he found himself teaching the children of local Saudi royals and Boris Becker's son. He also found himself with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker on the set of Rush Hour 2, which was directed by high school buddy, Brett Ratner.

During this boom-time, Kang was not content to merely sit back and stick with the status quo. While sitting on the dock one afternoon with a friend from Los Angeles, he discussed his plans to offer his students a way of reaping the benefits of both WTF TKD and muay Thai, just as he had. Kang went on and on about the merits of such training, combining Korean and Thai styles of kicking to produce a total art for the foot fighter. His visitor gave him the idea to call his creation "TNT", which stood for "Taekwondo and Thai boxing", and Sang loved the idea and ran with it.

Recently, Kang opened a third location in Plantation, FL - a 5000 square foot structure devoted solely to his teachings. His explosive mix of TNT was catching on, and the Florida locals couldn't get enough of it. As Kang looks back on his successes, his memories are bittersweet, with the passing of his beloved father in 2002. His words are also reminiscent of the old Sang Koo Kang who weathered the rough times and lean years. "Don't look at your successes and become complacent," he warns. "You have to take what you've been brought up with and keep evolving, keep adapting, keep growing, and keep making new successes. Otherwise, you dishonor the people who put so much love and effort into providing for you and helping you grow."