As instructors, it is our mission to accept the challenge and responsibility to teach the traditional line of Moo Doe knowledge as it has been taught over the centuries. It is our hope to apply the morals of Chung Doe to our lives and to follow the principles of honor, integrity, loyalty and compassion above all else. It is also our hope to remain open and willing to learn, and through good communication, help continue this tradition of knowledge for others to follow.
The full-time Oom Yung Doe Instructors in the Northwest bring a wide range of backgrounds and experience to teaching Oom Yung Doe martial arts to the communities of the greater Seattle area. The Oom Yung Doe Instructors of the Pacific Northwest continue to go through a rigorous training and qualification system overseen by and certified by Oom Yung Doe, LLC to ensure the highest quality instruction for each Oom Yung Doe International level student. This system includes over 128 hours of instruction for each Certified Instructor per year from Head International Instructors, the highest level instructors currently teaching in the United States today.
Many professionals see being an Oom Yung Doe instructor as an opportunity to challenge themselves, improve their lives and help others do the same while earning personal satisfaction, recognition, and a financial opportunity for the future.
Sherry Picatti |
Head Instructor
4th Degree Black Belt |
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Sherry began training in April 1994. She had been a runner for 10 years, and the running was taking a toll on her physical condition, and her upper body was very weak. She saw her running friends start having knee, hip and foot problems resulting in surgeries and continual medication. Then there was another problem, she had a propensity for radical mood swings, which was taking a larger toll on her family, friends, and her job.
Only expecting to improve the physical side of the problem, she signed up for a degree program to commit to physical improvement, but soon realized studying Moo Doe and practicing gave her much more. It gave her a positive place to improve herself, encouragement, and a continual challenge mentally and physically. Over the years, the improvement in mind and body, and level of understanding has gone beyond expectation. Wanting to share and give back, instructing others in the benefits of Moo Doe seemed a natural progression. There is a great satisfaction and privilege to pass on knowledge that has been so valuable in your life. |
David Mallory |
Head Instructor
3rd Degree Black Belt |
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David began his training the summer of 2001 in the Queen Anne school. “I had looked for several years for a way to improve myself, but had not found anything that really changed my condition. At the time I hoped for a form of exercise more interesting than what I tried before, since then I see that I found a way to change myself mentally and physically as far as I can go.”
Not only has David seen a remarkable improvement in himself, but both of his parents and his wife have witnessed his progress and have encouraged him to pursue his goal of becoming a full time instructor. David intends to continue in his development and to help others do the same.
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Jason Alberts |
Assistant Head Instructor
3rd Degree Black Belt |
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Jason grew up in the bay area of California and hen moved to Seattle to pursue more opportunity. He began training in Oom Yung Doe to build fighting skill and ability. After curing a very serious back injury through the correct movement and direction from higher level instructors, he chose to reach out and share the benefits of Traditional Moo Doe with others.
“Being an Instructor has brought more meaning into my life than any other challenge I have ever pursued.” |
Chris Woodward |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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I originally began training in Oom Yung Doe back in 1992. My inspiration was a simple one – I wanted to move like Bruce Lee. I knew that Bruce invented his own style that included a combination of five other styles. Looking through the phone book, I began searching for a local Dojo that trained in his style. As I looked, however, I came across Oom Yung Doe – a school that claimed to combine eight entire martial arts as one. I thought, “That’s more than Bruce Lee!” I had to try it out for myself.
At the time, my mind wasn’t completely devoted to training, nor did I have a clear vision of what I wanted in life. After 6 months, I quit to go on to college, but I never forgot how interesting and unique Moo Doe training was.
In college I began training in Kyokushinkai Karate – a style that emphasized taking a punch more than anything else. Two years later, only a green belt and concerned that if I continued training I was going to permanently injure myself, I quit. Afterwards I worried that my friends who were still in the style were starting to sustain significant injuries. Common were broken fingers and ribs, hyper extended elbows and knees, I even witnessed a friend of mine get knocked out by a kick to the head. While this may have been an impressive spectacle to some, to me it was an alarming example of how self-destructive this style is. Testing was little more than a brawl, and even the black belts showed very little skill and ability.
After college when I re-established myself in Redmond, I took up Oom Yung Doe again in April of 2001. I had already been active, biking 15 miles every day, and thinking that I would be able to train with little difficulty. My instructor proved to me how very wrong I was. I couldn’t believe how quickly I wore out at the beginning. But after a year of training, I was amazed by how easy my activities outside of class had become.
Time and determination has consistently changed my condition for the better. Even now I see a deeper well of knowledge and wisdom than I could ever begin to comprehend. I have seen how Oom Yung Doe has benefited many others as well as myself, and knowing that there is so much more only makes me more excited about training. I have come to realize that, although each one of us is an individual, we are also part of a greater community. By helping others improve their lives, we are helping our community and by extension ourselves. We are as connected with each other as much as we are unique.
A question once arose as to why I should show charity and compassion to others when so many refuse to show me the most basic of kindness. My answer is that people lash out because they have lost faith in God, government, and society. If I were to give in to this disappointment I would be adding to the misery. However, to show compassion, charity, and kindness I can become someone that others can look up to, and in time learn to trust again.
I have decided to become an instructor to connect myself with a deep well of knowledge and wisdom. It is my hope that by doing so I will be able to train others to reach a higher level of personal excellence by which our society may have renewed faith in itself again, grow stronger, and achieve a true sense of peace, unity, and justice. |
Robin Mallory |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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After having two children, Robin started training as a way to get back into shape. “Before I started I did not expect to continue past two months. Six years later, I am amazed at how much I have accomplished and still have to learn. I keep training because life is always going to be challenging, I want to make sure I am strong enough to be successful in spite of any hurdle. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be an Instructor, so I can share with others what I have learned.” |
Justin Martin |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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Justin began training in October 1998 when a friend noticed that an Oom Yung Doe school was located close to his work. He had been looking for a martial arts school in which to train, and he enjoyed the physical and mental development he achieved through his training. He soon realized that Oom Yung Doe was much deeper than it seemed at first, and many of his questions about life and relationships were answered as his spiritual development unfolded. Justin became an instructor because he feels that teaching others and providing the tools for them to overcome their limitations is an incredibly valuable thing to do in life. |
Thomas De Leon |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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Thomas began his training in 1995 at the age of ten. Originally, training was simply an activity, however he eventually began to see himself change both physically and mentally for the better. As he grew up, the training was always there as a guide through any challenge. Thomas holds a degree in Information Systems from Seattle University, and is a software engineer. “My training has not made me who I am, it has allowed me to see who I can become.”
Now, he has felt the need to begin to share what he has gained with others and help them to improve themselves in their own lives. “I believe that helping someone else improve their lives for the better is one of the greatest things you can do for another person.” |
John Criddle |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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Jon began his training in 2004 on the recommendation of his Brother-in-law who was a student at the school. “I had studied Aikido for many years and after being away from martial arts for several years was looking for something to improve my condition.” He was immediately impressed by the strength of movement exhibited by the Instructors and decided to join. Our training uses forms and herbs to develop physical and mental ability, improve flexibility, and balance condition, as well as to help people recover from injuries (Jon had knee surgeries 20 years ago due to running and other activities).
“I became an instructor to continue my development and to share what I have learned with new students.” |
Susan Campbell |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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Susan received her Master of Arts in Psychology from Antioch University in 1997. Her studies at Antioch University piqued her interest in mind and body development. She completed additional graduate level studies in movement psychology. In her desire to help people improve their health, Susan became a NASM certified personal trainer for 2 years before starting at Oom Yung Doe.
“I stepped through the doors of Oom Yung Doe with a challenge and a choice. My challenge: No martial arts experience, 46 years old. My choice: To see what benefit could be gained through practice. The choice to practice Oom Yung Doe is one of the most important I’ve made. The quality of my life continues to improve, strengthening and harmonizing mind, body and spirit beyond all my expectations.”
When Susan started practice she was tired of what personal training offered and was hoping to maintain her physical condition. “Not only have I maintained my physical condition, I’ve regained more physical ability and mental clarity then I remember ever having.” In her practice, she also saw how other students’ lives were changed and improved. As a result of these observations and her personal benefits experienced, Susan decided to take on the challenge of being an instructor. “An opportunity that has this much potential to improve the quality of a person’s life needs to be shared with others.” |
Tom Grate |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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Tom originally joined Oom Yung Doe to relieve neck and shoulder pain he had experience since a car accident approximately 16 years earlier. He has been practicing Oom Yung Doe since 2006 and has found his training to have resolved his neck and shoulder pain while increasing flexibility throughout the body and increasing agility overall. Oom Yung Doe has also helped him to relieve stress, increase focus, while helping him to balance both mentally and physically for more effective communication. Tom is married and his wife is also an Oom Yung Doe student who is credited with encouraging Tom to join Oom Yung Doe. For ten years Tom held management positions at Microsoft and has worked as an independent software design and architecture consultant. |
Greg Martin |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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Greg is a first Degree Black Belt and has been studying Oom Yung Doe since 2005. His original goal was to challenge and improve himself but soon learned that Oom Yung Doe also offered him a way to achieve his long-term life goal of helping other people to improve the quality of their own lives. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2006 with Bachelor’s Degrees in Philosophy and Comparative Literature and speaks Spanish fluently. He also has past experience with Martial Arts having earned a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, receiving a position as a Tae Kwon Do Instructor and competing in many regional and national Tae Kwon Do Tournaments. Assistant Instructor Greg Martin is currently the main instructor at the Wallingford School of Oom Yung Doe.
“I began studying martial arts because I wanted to move beyond just playing a sport or lifting weights. I was looking for something with deeper meaning and purpose. After several years of dedicating myself to Tae Kwon Do I saw that it was being taught and promoted in the same ways as other sports I had played like football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. The focus of the training was on being able to outscore your opponent and win the game. The self-improvement that one could get from Tae Kwon Do was more like an added bonus rather than the main goal. I needed to move past competing with others and focus on competing with and pushing myself. What I found in Oom Yung Doe is a meaningful challenge that sets a solid foundation of physical and mental health which will allow me to enjoy a high quality of life and be able to pass on knowledge, wisdom and lessons of enduring value to my family and community.” |
MacKenzie Graham |
Instructor
2nd Degree Black Belt |
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MacKenzie began her training at the Bellevue location in May of 2006. She joined with the desire to connect with her internal self on a more spiritual level. Her training with Oom Yung Doe has given her the ability to begin to still her mind and allow it to be open to life’s great possibilities; beginning to eliminate negative patterns and replace them with positive habits. Through consistent training she has begun to heal mobility limiting injuries that occurred over 13 years ago. MacKenzie took on the challenge of becoming an instructor to better understand herself and help lead others on the path to healing themselves and their lives though Traditional Moo Doe Training. |
Olivia Ahl |
Assistant Instructor
1st Degree Black Belt |
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Olivia started training in Oom Yung Doe because it was the most beneficial for healing neck and shoulder injuries from a car accident two years prior. "Yoga, chiropractic work, and physical therapy were all helpful. But the amount my condition changed in the first two months was beyond those three combined." The physical benefits were only the tip of the iceberg. Through training she has been able to cleanse mental negativity. Friends and family have noted how her personality has become much more happy, calm, and peaceful. She has also seen an increase in meditation, being able to connect deeper and more consistently. She took the challenge of being an instructor to help continue the passing of knowledge of the school of Oom Yung Doe so that others may have the opportunity to benefit too. She is currently a student at Bellevue College majoring in Geology. |
Many instructors first begin training to learn self-defense. Then quickly they begin to realize more important improvements in their daily lives. As they share what they have learned with others, they can see a big defference in the energy and confidence of students. The students begin to express a genuine enthusiasm and look forward to doing more in their lives. As the relity of their lives begins to change, their faces express their happiness. From this, instructors believe that they have done something good toward others and that this is one of many ways to build the personal value, recognition, and meaning in their lives. |
