Sierra Vista Area Chamber Member
Choson Martial Arts is owned by Master Rafael Amill
Born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Master Amill grew-up in a middle class family. His mother was a stay at home mother and took care of the family and his father was well known in the community since he worked as a Federal Postal Worker. He was educated in an all nun and priest private catholic school until 6th grade in which he was enrolled in a public elementary school. There he was exposed and later introduced to gangs, drugs, among other things. It was not until 1974, at the age of 15th where he began his martial arts training at the YMCA. Since then, he has continous training it has done a lot of good throughout his life which has helped him with what is now commonly known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD].
In September 2002, he established Choson Martial Arts and began teaching privately. As a Universal Tang Soo Do Alliance Certified Master Instructor. He has a background not only in Tang Soo Do, but also in WTF Olympic Style Taekwondo, Hapkido, Chanbara, Kenjutsu, Iaido, Iaijutsu, and Tai Chi.
Korean Masters trained him in the arts of Taekwondo and Hapkido while performing military duties in South Korea (1982-83 & 1996-97), which is one of the reasons that Choson Martial Arts adheres to so many Korean customs and traditions. He has strong competition experience by participating in many local, state, national and international competitions. Master Amill has been teaching the arts of Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo for the past 12 years. During that time he has been passing on his knowledge to students throughout Sierra Vista, Arizona.
The Choson era (1392-1910) of Korean history emphasized family values and the importance of education. In addition, the Choson Dynasty was regarded as the "Last Traditional Kingdom" before the onslaught of modern culture. This is the reason why the name "Choson" was selected as a symbolic representation of the emphasis on education and family values, which are stressed in class.