Taekwondo Studies: Advanced Theory & Practice

Luigi T. Bercades, M.S., CSCS, received his master’s in physical education from the University of Oregon and is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Dakin Burdick, Ph.D., began his study of martial arts in 1980 at Indiana University. where he received his academic degree. He has earned 3rd and 4th dan rankings in taekwondo, hapkido, and iaido. For his Ph.D. work, Burdick wrote The American way of fighting: Unarmed defense in the United States, 1845-1945 (1999). Marzena Czarnecka, M.A., (d. 1997)-when she wrote for the Journal of Asian Martial Arts-was a 3rd degree black in taekwondo, instructor with a Calgary taekwondo club, and national-level coach/competitor. She completed a master of arts in anthropology at the University of Calgary. John Heijmans, Ph.D., studied at the University of Oregon. He collborated with Dr. Willy Pieter in the Oregon Taekwondo Research Project. Heijmans recieved a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1992 and a Ph.D. degree in 2007, specializing in anesthesiology. In 2014 he finished a three-year course in acupuncture for medical doctors. Udo Moenig, Ph.D. is a Professor at the Department of Taekwondo, Youngsan University in Yangsan. He has a Ph.D. in physical education. He has practical experiences in martial arts for over thirty years. Willy Pieter, Ph.D., received his doctorate in physical education from the University of Oregon in Eugene. He initiated the first multi-disciplinary scientific research project on elite adult taekwondo athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. José Saporta, M.D., is a psychiatrist in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. He received his medical degree from University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has been involved in taekwondo largley because his daughter, Sondra Saporta, was a two-time Olympic National Gold Medalist in the sport. Dennis Taaffe, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in the area of exercise physiology from the University of Oregon, and a D.Sc. from Charles Sturt University. For this chapter, he conducted research at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Derek Van Rheenen, Ph.D., received his degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Cultural Studies. His research interests include the connections between sports and learning, and the history of intercollegiate athletics in the American university system.