MOON TAE KWON DO HISTORY

 

The year was 1991, and Dennis Hernandez, a black belt of 14 years at that time, decided to start his own school in Tracy, CA. With his wife Maria, he founded what would later become Moon Tae Kwon Do Academy.

 

The beginning wasn’t easy. There was no budget for a full-featured Dojang, and the new Tae Kwon Do school, then called Central Valley Tae Kwon Do, started in the front room of the Hernandez residence.

The martial art of Tae Kwon Do had just achieved worldwide recognition as Tae Kwon Do sparring became an exhibition sport at the Olympic Games (and later gained full medal status).

The classes started growing rapidly, and it was time to move to a larger facility. Over the next seven years, the classes were moved to several locations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Tracy and the Tracy Racquetball Club. Central Valley Tae Kwon Do operated under the care of Master YooKon Moon, who had awarded Dennis Hernandez his black belt two decades before.

 

In January of 1998 the school reopened its doors as the Moon Central Valley Tae Kwon Do Academy at a brand-new facility on 336W. Grant Line Rd., with the largest training facility in Tracy. This facility served Moon Tae Kwon Do for the following 10 years.

 

During the summer of 1998 Master Moon officially announced his retirement from Tae Kwon Do. Moon Tae Kwon Do carries his name and his tradition to this day.

Moon Tae Kwon Do was now under the care of Grand Master William Kim, United States Tae Kwon Do Won, California State president.

 

In 2007, Moon Tae Kwon Do has become the host of the Bay Area Open Tae Kwon Do tournament.

 

A year later, in 2008, after 17 years of operation, Moon Tae Kwon Do moved down the road to its new facility at the Grant Line Station (“Rite Aid”) Shopping Center, on 1914 W. Grant Line Rd.

Moon Tae Kwon Do continues to serve generations of students practicing Tae Kwon Do, and is operating at this facility to date.

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