Unlike many modernized martial art systems in America, the Moo Duk Kwan® organization was founded in Yang Son Ku South, Korea in 1945. Moo Duk Kwan® certified instructors and schools teach the traditional Korean Soo Bahk Do® martial art system as interpreted by the Founder Hwang Kee. His proprietary martial art system is a composite of movements and self-defense techniques and strategies that draws heavily on the ancient documented Korean martial art of “Soo Bahk” or “Soo Bahk Hi” as interpreted by Hwang Kee plus northern and southern Chinese influences. The resulting system has linear, hard movements plus softer, circular flowing movements and techniques, so it has something that practitioners of every age and every level of physical ability can enjoy and benefit from. Soo Bahk Do® can empower a student to very effectively protect themselves from bullying and other violent behavior by aggressors, so every student is also taught values, etiquette and philosophy to balance the powerful new self-defense skills they are learning. Five of those key values include History, Tradition, Philosophy, Discipline/Respect, and Technique. Students gain deep new insights into how important it is to integrate these values in our everyday life and society. Since 1945 Hwang Kee’s Moo Duk Kwan® has continuously instructed and monitored the instructors and school owners whom he has certified to teach his martial art system in order to insure the accurate transmission of the essence from instructor to student.