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Sir
I would like to wish you many congratulations on your outstanding achievement on gaining your 9th Degree - a true
achievement in every sense.
Master Paul R Liversidge, AMA Tae Kwon-Do
Received 9th January 2008
Dear Grand Master Choy IX Dan
We would like to congratulate you on the truly great achievement of Grand Master.
It is a testament to your embodiment as a true Martial Artist in spirit and body.
We are proud to be training with you and will hope to gain more drops of wisdom and skills from you for many years to come.
Gursharan S. Kambo IV 'SA' Dan
Rasmeet S. Kambo III 'SAM' Dan
Received 18th January 2008
Dear Grand-Master Choy,
I hope that you are well. I would firstly like to extend my most heart-felt congratulations to you on your ascent to the status of Grand-Master.
Although I have not practiced Taekwon-Do for approximately nine years and am currently unable to, Taekwon-Do remains firmly in my heart. I still remember the first time that I came under your scrutiny when I was ten years old taking my first grading examination at the “Open Door Community Centre” in Putney in 1988. Although Master Sangha had briefed me on what to expect, the grading itself filled me with fear – especially as I entered the dojang.
The atmosphere in the room could have been cut with a knife – I knew that every student in the room was totally single-minded in their own purpose, which was to stand in front of you and show that they had achieved the required standard and were worthy of promotion. Fortunately I DID reach the standard and I was promoted to 9th Kup. The sense of elation was unsurpassed when I was handed my yellow tags to take home for my mother to sew onto my belt.
As more gradings passed, I was surprised that the fear never lessened every time that I stood before you. It was not quite fear in quite the traditional sense though – it was fear of failure. Fear that by not passing the grading that I would be bringing dishonour in some way on Master Sangha by making it look as if he had not schooled me to the appropriate standard. I passed all of my gradings the first time until I was examined for promotion to 1st Kup. I failed this grading twice, but as well as having feelings that I had disappointed Master Sangha, I felt much more strongly that I COULD achieve the standard and gain my Black Tags. The tenet of Indomitable Spirit was firmly within me and on my third attempt I DID pass the examination.
As I achieved my First and Second Dan grades, I enjoyed assisting Master Sangha by teaching the other students. I also felt great satisfaction in assisting you during the gradings; not only because I was sitting behind the desk rather than standing in front of it (obviously I still had LOTS to learn about Taekwon-Do and was due to spend LOTS more time being in front of the desk!), but also because I could see the students that I had helped to school as they flourished.
Unfortunately as my career started to take off, practicing Taekwon-Do was forced to the back-burner. This is one of my biggest regrets in life – I quite often wonder what rank I would currently be holding and how capable a practitioner I would be if I was able to continue to train.
As of 2008, I am living in Exeter, Devon and have been running my own IT Consultancy Company since 2001. I am continually being asked by my partner and others who know of my eleven-year history of training in Taekwon-Do as to why I do not find a local school to train under. The answer is always the same and immediately obvious – there is NO school in the locality that comes remotely close to the standard that I am used to. There is P.U.M.A. and I believe, T.A.G.B. in the area, but unfortunately, no B.U.T.F.!
One day, much to the annoyance of my partner who has always lived in Devon, I hope to expand my business to include a London office. If I did this, I would hope to be able to spend more time in London, hopefully train once more with Master Sangha, and one day, stand in front of you to show that I had achieved the required standard to proceed to the next grade.
Even though I am currently unable to practice Taekwon-Do due to a lack of a school to train under (and also time to devote to training), Master Sangha’s and your teachings are still in the forefront of my mind on a daily basis. My business is now really taking off and is becoming quite successful – this is most DEFINITELY due in no small part to Master Sangha and you. I have many memories of attending Black-Belt training sessions at the U.S.A.F. base at High Wycombe, and performing the same move at least twenty times in succession with the remainder of the class, until EVERYBODY was performing the move PERFECTLY.
Your dedication to the pursuit of excellence with such examples as the above has more than rubbed off on me in every aspect of my life, from ensuring that anything less than a perfect finish when decorating my house is NOT an option, through to making sure that the work that I do for my business and customers is ALWAYS conducted to the same excellent standards that I was always told to strive for in the dojang. The tenets of Taekwon-Do had not just given me not just a code to live to in the Taekwon-Do “sphere” of my life, but rather they have given me a code that I try to live my life to in every way. I no longer approach any new challenge with fear or hesitation, but with a confidence that I CAN succeed through Perseverance, and that if I do fail at something the first time round, that I have enough of an Indomitable Spirit inside me to shake it off, get back up off the ground and give it my best shot again and again, until I DO get it right!
Once more I would like to extend my congratulations to you on your appointment and I wish you many happy future years of training and success in all that you do. Please also pass on my regards to Master Sangha (I only manage to visit London approximately four to six times a year and my parents have moved away from where the Tooting dojang was, so it is quite hard to visit on a training night). I do most definitely hope one day to see Master Sangha and you again!
I do not think that I can sign this email as “Ajoy Chundee, Second Degree” as even though I DID achieve this grade, I am not currently at the standard that would permit me to call myself that. I would however like to think that I am still learning from the principles that you, via Master Sangha have instilled in me. So I think it would be appropriate to wish you and all of the instructors and students of the B.U.T.F. my very best and sign myself of as follows:
Master Sangha's & Your Student,
Ajoy Chundee II 'EE' Dan
Received 21st January 2008
NOTE: B.U.T.F. grades, be they kup or dan are earned, never given away and as such once the student has earned the grade, no one on this earth has the right to take it away.
Grandmaster RMK Choy IX
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Dear Grand Master Choy
As a young impressionable man growing up with friends getting into trouble, I wandered into the community centre in Beaumont Road Southfields with a friend, to find a bunch of guys wearing what looked like pyjamas in the hall.
Upon entering the hall the instructor a fifth decree black belt welcomed us and asked if we would like to sit and watch, for me it was probably one of the best decisions of my life!
I signed up and became a member of the Putney School for Tae Kwon Do (despite what you all from Hillingdon believe it was the best.)
A couple of years previous to this I had been involved in a serious motor cycle accident and had fractured both of the femur bones in each leg badly and was informed not to expect to much of sporting activities.
The teachings that followed were amazing I soon found myself taking the dreaded first grading, soon after that we were learning patterns, and when the instructor finally thought his new students capable Sparring, then followed competition suddenly I was winning medals and trophies.
Before long I became a first kup, sadly a drunk driver put me out of action again, then work commitments as they do, took over my life.
Now as I write this letter to you as a man of forty eight years of age, I am proud to say I was there when the BUTF was formed and I was one of it’s first students, I am proud to say that when my son decided after seeing my old trophies and grading certificates, that it was time for him to learn the BUTF welcomed him. Now after seventeen years I myself have returned to this way of life, in truth I never left I only had a rest, the quality of the teachings from that first instructor are still there the foundations are firm the rest just needs polishing and conditioning.
All those years ago seems like only yesterday when that fifth degree black belt started my life involvement in Tae Kwon Do, his name then was Mr Raymond M K Choy and now I am proud to celebrate his attainment of Grand master 9th degree Black Belt.
For all the students of the BUTF we are fortunate enough to have probably one of the finest instructors in the world and he is backed by an array of black belts from 8th degree down, all students of Tae Kwon Do, his students who are still learning from him.
So to others what may seem a simple ‘well done’ Grand master Raymond M K Choy 9th Degree Black Belt may seem to be a small accolade I hope and believe you knew me as the boy now a grown man, what the true sentiment and value I place into these words “I am proud to call you My Instructor”.
Michael Kusneraitis
1st Kup BUTF
Received 10th February 2008
Grandmaster Choy
Many congratulations on your promotion. It couldn’t happen to someone who deserves this more than you. To someone who has dedicated most of his adult life to teaching the art of Taekwon Do to many hundreds of people of people (and probably thousands) over the years I raise a congratulatory toast to you.
In 1978 I started practising Taekwon Do in Hillingdon on the recommendation of my elder brother Lakhbir Sangha who has now gained Master status himself with the BUTF. During the time I trained with you I was extremely impressed by your professional manner and the total impartiality with which you taught and graded all students.
At the time I trained with you, Trevor Nicholls, now also Master and head of his own association, was a 2nd degree black belt who used to help you with teaching the students. Wayne Brown, now a Master and Mike Aylett were both red belts. Gary Daniels, who has recently seen success in the US in some martial arts films, joined Hillingdon around the same time as me. He also went on to get his black belt. Amazing, when I look back at how many people who you have been directly involved in teaching or helping, who have spread their wings further. Yet one thing remains constant – the nucleus of this success was you.
You may recall after getting my black belt under you I opened Cranford Taekwondo School. Sadly I could not match the dedication that you and Master Sangha had shown with teaching and it quickly passed into Master Sangha’s hands and to this day is still producing black belts. I spent considerable time during the late 80’s and early 90’s helping to teach at my brother Master Sangha’s schools in Cranford, Tooting and Richmond and always made sure that the teaching methods I used reflected how I had been taught by you originally when I was at Hillingdon. Be fair, firm where necessary, and always show impartiality.
Having got to 3rd Dan I retired from TKD in 1996 due to injury. But I am proud to say that I had the honour of having both you and Master (Miss) Au at my wedding in 1993. I still enjoy keeping in touch with you through Master Sangha and have enjoyed meeting with you on a social basis on a number of occasions.
Finally, I can confirm that this great man who heads up the BUTF still has bags of enthusiasm for the art and still refuses to compromise on his already high standards. Grandmaster Choy – I salute you
Shaminder Sangha III ‘SAM’ Dan BUTF
Received 1st April 2008
PLEASE NOTE: Further testimonials or acknowledgments may be emailed to headoffice@butf.com with the subject line "Grandmaster Promotion". We will endeavour to publish all appropriate messages.
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