Grandmaster Strong

Grandmaster Strong began his martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do through the Jhoon Rhee Institute in Austin, Texas when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Texas. He received his 1st  Dan from the Alabama Karate Institute in 1974 and his 2nd Dan from the Kuk Ki Won in 1977, both in Tae Kwon Do. He achieved his 3rd and 4th  Dan from the Korean Tang Soo Do Association, Moo Duk Kwan, Hwang Kee, President, in 1981 and 1983 respectively. In 1986, he joined the World Tang Soo Do Association and achieved 5th through 7th  Dan promotions from Grandmaster Jae C. Shin and 8th Dan from Grandmaster Robert Beaudoin in 2014. The Board of Directors of the World Tang Soo Do Association voted his promotion to 9th Dan in the fall of 2020 with the formal ceremony conducted in October 2021 at the US National Championship.

On April 1, 2017 at the 28th Annual Masters’ Clinic, the Board of Directors voted to approve Grandmaster William Strong as the President of the World Tang Soo Do Association. He began the presidency on May 15, 2017. In this position, he was responsible for numerous administrative duties for the Association and the WTSDA Foundation including general headquarters office policy, studio/club approval, coordination of travel for the two Grandmasters, Dan promotions, financial reporting, legal issues, Board meetings, and World Championships. He was also responsible for diplomatic issues, organizing publications, and sanctioning WTSDA events. Grandmaster Strong served as the chair of the Membership committee 1987-1990, Technical Advisory Coordinator 1990-1995, chair of the Technical Advisory committee 1995-2014, and Director of Masters’ Clinics 1991-2024. He  is currently a member of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Governance Committee, Management Team, and Publications Committee. Grandmaster Strong received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin. He served as professor and chair of the Department of Geography at the University of North Alabama, interim vice-president for Academic Affairs for one year, and worked at the National Geographic Society as Geographer-in-Residence for two years. He retired from the University of North Alabama in 2012. He continues currently as The Grandmaster to give greater support to the promotion and enhancement of the World Tang Soo Do Association and its membership.