By Sarah Curtis
Photography: Alexander Michaels
Design: MODE Studio
Master Sang Koo Kang – Giving Back to The Community. Photo by Alexander Michaels
Sang Koo Kang, or Master Sang as he is more commonly addressed in the Martial Arts world, is one of those people that once you meet you know you like even before knowing much about them. He is a man with a long list of accomplishments who, in 2016, added to this list when he was elected Chairman of the Korean-America Association.
Sang Koo Kang was born in Seoul, Korea in 1966 and experienced a life of poverty and hardship in his younger years. He spent those formative years training in Tae Kwon Do, developing his focus and staying out of trouble. In his teen years, Sang relocated to the United States and continued his martial arts training. Always driven to succeed, he worked hard to distinguish himself in the Dojang while struggling to make ends meet for himself and his family. Sang survived those early days by immersing himself in the daily rigors of training, going to school, playing football and teaching Tae Kwon Do classes to elementary school children.
“Sang has appeared in three Hollywood Studio
movies: Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3,
and Shoot Fighter”
As a football player, his on-field accomplishment’s attracted the attention of Jimmy Johnson who was the head football coach at the University of Miami. Unfortunately Sang was unable to attend the University due to his perilous financial situation and a need to be near his father. Instead, he enrolled at Florida State University in Tallahassee Florida where he played as a walk-on freshman, eventually earning a position on the team for the next 4 years.
In 1990 Sang opened his very first martial arts school in Miami Beach, Florida. He soon followed this with additional locations in Pembroke Pines, Miami Gardens, Weston, South Beach, Coral Gables, Coconut Creek, and Aventura. Sang’s popularity soared with TV appearances including news programs and a nationally syndicated Fox Sports show where he would demonstrate self-defense and awareness techniques. Master Sang also specializes in custom tailoring training to provide individualized private lessons to many busy executives and working professionals, as well as to dignitaries, famous actors and professional athletes. Among these are local politicians, the Saudi Prince and Princess, Wimbledon Champion Boris Becker, and NFL Hall of Famer and Actor Jim Brown and their families. Master Sang’s Schools were awarded ‘school of the year’ in 2009 by Tae Kwon Do Times in their Hall of Fame Awards.
As an actor he has appeared in three Hollywood Studio movies: Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3, and Shoot Fighter. Master Sang Koo Kang has become an inspiration to the entire South Florida Community and the many persons he has met in his travels. He is a 6th degree Black belt in Tae Kwon Do (currently training for and qualified to attain 7th degree in the near future) and he has designed a specialized “TNT” program that incorporates traditional Tae Kwon Do with Muay Thai [kick-boxing].
*Read celebrity profiles in this issue of Mode Lifestyle Magazine.
* To become a MODE subscriber visit our subscriptions page: <Subscribe>
For more information send request to: info@ModeLifestyleMagazine.com
WWW.ModeLifestyleMagazine.com