Senior Master George R. Bleil
Dayton Area Taekwondo is under ownership and personal directon of Master Instructor George Bleil who earned the rank of 7th Dan in February, 2008. Master Bleil's rank is certified by the Kukkiwon, in Seoul, South Korea.
Born October 1, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Bleil moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 13 to live in monestary. He remained there studying classical languages, theology and philosophy for 8 years. When he graduated from the undergraduate collegiate program, he moved back to Pittsburgh where he taught 4th grade and directed a religious education program for two years.
In 1963, he moved to Dayton, Ohio, to pursue his teaching career. Teaching led him to public schools in Middletown and Dayton where he taught English to junior high and high school students in the inner city schools. In 1967, he began a private tutoring practice. By 1969, he had developed that practice to the point of founding a private school, chartered by the State of Ohio, for children with learning disabilities and behavior disorders.
During that time, Mr. Bleil found himself inclined to pursue a childhood ambition to study martial arts. That inclination was fueled not only by a desire to achieve a better sense of personal safety, but by his philosophical background, and by what he had been able to determine to be the incredible personal benefits of martial arts practice for children. The benefits of Taekwondo practice for all segments of the population are set forth elsewhere in this site.
In October, 1975, Mr. Bleil began to practice taekwondo under Master Young Chi Kim, then 7th Dan, and has remained steadfast in that pursuit and lineage. In that regard, Master Bleil reflects, "If something is to last, it must have strong roots. While the growth of a tree, for instance, will undoubtedly be influenced by its environment, its ultimate strength is in its roots."
During the early days of his taekwondo practice, Mr. Bleil developed academic curricula and taught elementary age students enrolled in the private school he founded. He also attended graduate school and achieved teacher certification in Ohio at the elementary and secondary levels. At the same time he was heavily involved in teaching taekwondo classes under Master Kim's direction. This also gave him the opportunity to participate administratively in the sport side of taekwondo.
Major Events Participation
International
World Cup I Col. Spgs, CO July 1986 Announcer
6th Pan American Games Indianapolis, ID Aug. 17, 1987 Observer
World Games LasVegas, NV Feb., 2008 Commissioner
USOC
U.S. Olympic Festival Raleigh, NC July, 1987 Referee
U.S. Olympic Festival Oklahoma, OK July 1989 Referee
National Junior Championships
AAU/USA Junior Oly St. Louis, MO June, 1986 Official
8th USTU Nat. Junior Oly Tampa, FL July, 1988 Referee
9th USTU Nat. Junior Oly Rochester, MN June, 1989 Referee
10thUS Nat. Junior Oly Ft. Worth, TX July, 1990 Media
11thUS Nat. Junior Oly Cincinnati, OH July, 1991 Referee
13th U.S. Junior Olympic Dayton, OH July, 1993 Asst. Dir.
National Senior Championships
5th Nat. AAU Dayton, OH April, 1979 Referee
8th Nat. AAU Ann Arbor, MI May, 1982 Referee
10th Nat. AAU Chicago, IL June, 1984 Referee
11th US TKD Hartford, CT June, 1985 Referee
12th US TKD Dayton, OH April, 1986 Asst. Dir.
13th US TKD Anaheim, CA April, 1987 Referee
14th US TKD Miami, FL April, 1988 Referee
15th US TKD Columbus, OH April, 1989 Referee
16th US TKD Madison, WI May, 1990 Media
National Jr & Sr TKD Detroit, MI July, 2008 Commissioner
USAT-MAC Ft.Lauderdale,FL Nov., 2009 Commissioner
USAT Jr Oly / Sr Nat Orlando, FL July, 2010 Commissioner
State of Ohio Junior/Senior Championships
OH Assoc Junior TKD Dayton, OH Mar., 1987 Director
OH Assoc Senior TKD Dayton, OH May, 1987 Director
OH Assoc Senior TKD Dayton, OH Feb., 1988 Director
OH Assoc Junior TKD Dayton, OH May, 1988 Director
OH Assoc Junior TKD Dayton, OH May, 1991 Director
Ohio-MAC Cincinnati, OH Oct., 2009 Commissioner
Ohio-USAT Columbus. OH May, 2010 President, OHTMAC
Ohio-MAC Cincinnati, OH Aug, 2010 President, OHTMAC
During these years of intense participation, Mr. Bleil achieved many levels of referee certification:
United States Taekwondo Union
Association June, 1979
Regional June, 1984
National June, 1985
Continental - Class A (#87C-113) July, 1987
Pan American Taekwondo Union
Pan American Referee (#873RD132) Aug. 17, 1987
at the 6th Pan American Games; Indianapolis, IN
Mr. Bleil had many other taekwondo experiences during those years as well, not the least of which included:
Editor USTU Tournament Committee Code of Operations 1985
Editor Taekwondo USA (Official Newspaper of the USTU) 1989-90
Editor Ohio Taekwondo Association Bulletin 1990-91
President Ohio TaeKwondo Association 1990-91
Secretary Ohio TaeKwondo Association 1987-90
VP Ohio Martial Arts Commission 2008-2009
President Ohio Martial Arts Commission 2010-
Member MAC - National Board of Governors 2010-
Regional Dir. National Martial Arts Commission(OH, IN, KY, MI, IL) 2010-
Compiled & Edited 2 vol Taekwondo Testbook authored by Grandmaster Y. C. Kim, 1983
Produced 10 Vol Video Instruction Series: White to Black Belt, 1994
Produced 16 Vol Video Instruction Series: White to 3rd Dan, 1999 - 2001
In October, 1993, Master Kim moved to Atlanta, Georgia. The opportunity presented itself for Mr. Bleil to assume the role of program director in Dayton. During the early years of that undertaking, Mr. Bleil, who had since retired from elementary education, was employed as a mental health technician in the psychiatric unit and subsequently as a nursing assistant in the physical rehabilitation unit of a local hospital. In 1998, he resigned those positions to devote his full time and attention to the teaching of Taekwondo.
Mr. Bleil says, "The most important thing for me is to provide a fully-rounded program of taekwondo practice to each and every student I enroll so that each one will find, in his or her own unique way, the maximum benefits for a healthy body and spirit for themselves and, at the same time, find a way to make their own society a healthy and secure place in which to live and find peace and happiness."
While most other taekwondo instructors bring a career as competitor and athletic coach to their schools, Master Bleil has a unique educational background and experience that affords his students the benefits of studying under an exacting practitioner who has extensive life experiences on the vast landscape outside the competition arena.
Master Bleil's Taekwondo Ranking History
Enrolled Oct., 1975
1st Dan 12/2/78
2nd Dan 3/1/84 Kukkiwon Certification # (03) 2-B-1308
3rd Dan 2/28/87 Kukkiwon Certification # (03) 5900381
4th Dan Skip Dan awarded
5th Dan 8/30/97 Kukkiwon Certification # 5900381
6th Dan July 2007 Kukkiwon Certification # 5900381
7th Dan February 2008 (at the Special Testing conducted by Kukkiwon - in LasVegas) Kukkiwon Certification # 5900381
Professional Memberships
USTU/USAT Club Membership (#2548) 1974 to Present
USTU/USAT Individual Life Membership (#0015) Dec., 1990
USAT-MAC USAT Martial Arts Commissioner - Detroit, MI - 2008
ICHF** Individual and Club Membership, April, 2005 to present
OMAC*** Individual & Club Membership, Nov.2005 to present
** International Combat Hapkido Federation
*** Oriental Martial Arts College
To contact Master Bleil for Speaking Engagements or Demonstration:
e-mail: DaytonTKD4U@woh.rr.com