Wooster martial arts teacher achieves Eighth-degree black belt standing
WOOSTER – Chuck Murzda was disillusioned the World Taekwondo Jidokwan Federation did not require him to check for his eighth-degree black belt.
“I examined on a regular basis as much as seventh-degree,” Murzda mentioned. “This time they mentioned they researched me and mentioned my fame preceded me, so I did not have to check. We’re simply going to advertise you, they mentioned.”
For somebody who has labored laborious for all the things he has achieved, Murzda mentioned, he wasn’t anticipating such a straightforward street to his newest milestone in taekwondo.
Canine shelter will get assist:Residents elevate almost $3,000 in two fundraisers for Wayne County Canine Shelter
Nonetheless, he is educated laborious within the Korean type of martial arts for greater than 40 years to succeed in such a lofty stage, and the 58-year-old mentioned it should take about 9 extra years to earn ninth-degree standing.
Not dangerous for somebody who was usually the smallest child in his class rising up in Youngstown, graduating highschool at 5-feet, 2-inches tall and 110 kilos.
Murzda mentioned he obtained into taekwondo at age 15 as a result of he was being bullied and wanted to guard himself. He did not develop a lot after highschool, reaching 5-4 at one time, and is now 5-3.
As a result of his household did not have a lot cash, Murzda mentioned he needed to stroll a number of miles after faculty to attend a taekwondo faculty and a number of other extra miles to proceed doing membership gymnastics, which he mentioned he began as a 12-year-old as a result of it was the one sport the place his measurement wasn’t an enormous issue.
Then he needed to stroll to his house in a tough neighborhood late at night time, Murzda recalled.
“You begin preventing to keep away from bullying and if you begin successful fights you develop into a goal and other people need to beat you,” mentioned Murzda, who then added shaking his head: “It bothers me that I needed to battle in highschool.”
Bureau of Motor AutosWooster BMV workplace ‘briefly closed’
Whereas he teaches his college students at his martial arts academy in Wooster methods to battle, he does not need them to battle.
“There’s much more to martial arts than preventing,” he mentioned. “There’s the self-discipline, the persistence, the persistence, the respect and the pushing previous what you assume you are able to do.
“There’s numerous psychological issues to martial arts,” he added. “These are the issues that you simply actually be taught with marital arts — discovering out what you are able to, what sort of individual you might be.”
‘You need to work your butts off,’ in Murzda’s martial arts class
It wasn’t straightforward 25 years in the past when he began his marital arts faculty, which he named Grandmaster Chun Tae Kwon Do after his instructor in Youngstown, Grand Grasp Kae Bae Chun, who examined him as much as his seventh-degree black belt till he died a couple of years in the past at 87 years outdated.
“The primary couple of years have been tough,” Murzda mentioned “It is robust to open up one thing new in a city like Wooster the place everybody is aware of everybody.”
The previous few years throughout COVID even have been troublesome for his martial arts academy. He was left with seven college students when he reopened after being closed for a number of months of the pandemic in 2020. He mentioned he is slowly rebuilding and now has 39 college students.
At one level, he had 65 college students and, over time, he mentioned, he has taught hundreds of scholars, together with a number of hundred black belts and 25 event grand champions. 5 college students even have gone on to develop into docs, two attorneys and one an engineer, in addition to a number of others who’ve gone on to have good careers, with the assistance of the self-discipline and hard-work ethic he teaches, Murzda added.
“I train conventional martial arts, which is not straightforward,” He mentioned. “You need to work your butts off. Our black belts are true black belts. I’ll put my college students up in opposition to anyone.”
Kat Amstutz, Murzda’s assistant who has been concerned along with his faculty for round 20 years, mentioned Murzda is each a superb instructor and mentor who is devoted to the martial arts.
“He is at all times been keen about passing his data and abilities on to the numerous college students he has had and continues to have,” Amstutz mentioned. “Not solely does he domesticate well-rounded taekwondo practitioners, however he additionally helps individuals higher themselves as nicely.”
Started educating martial arts half time whereas working at Bob Evans
Earlier than beginning his martial arts academy, Murzda was working as a supervisor at Bob Evans in Wooster. After graduating from Youngstown State College with a enterprise diploma, Murzda began working for the restaurant chain, going from Virginia to Maryland and at last to Wooster, the place he determined the sum of money he was making for the hours he was working (about 70 hours per week), wasn’t price it.
He determined to offer his love of educating martial arts a strive. He saved educating taekwondo half time whereas working at Bob Evans.
“I simply fell in love with educating and making a distinction in peoples’ lives,” he mentioned. “There’s a lot extra than simply the preventing side to taekwondo. There’s the understanding and the self-confidence, studying to get together with individuals, studying methods to diffuse a battle and studying to stroll away when you do not have to battle.”
Not solely does Murzda plan to proceed educating whereas working towards his ninth-degree black belt, he plans to earn the Tenth-degree rank, which few individuals obtain solely after a lifetime of devoted service to martial arts, oftentimes after their deaths.
“I will do it till I am unable to,” he mentioned smiling, then paused and added, “till I am lifeless.”
