United States - Estados Unidos
Grand Master Peter DeFosses
Grand Master Peter DeFosses – known to most as Master Pete- started his self-defense training at a young age while growing up in New York City in the 50’s. At the age of 10, he started taking organized boxing lessons at the local Police Athletic League (PAL) gym; within two years, at the age of 12, he also started training with a NYC-PAL wrestling coach. By the time he was in high school, he had competed in both boxing and wrestling at city and state competitions with the Police Athletic League, with more than a fair record. In high school, he was on the wrestling, football, and track teams. At the same time, he continued his boxing and was now starting his training in judo at the PAL gym. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served two combat tours of duty in Vietnam assigned to the Third Marine Reconnaissance Group. This is where he was first introduced to Tang Soo Do and Grandmaster Jae Joon Kim. After Vietnam, he was assigned to the US Marines’ Counter Guerrilla Warfare School in North Carolina as a combat self-defense instructor. His last assignment in the Marine Corps was with the State Department in Washington, DC. After completing his training, he was assigned to the United States Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While in Brazil, he had the opportunity to train in Brazilian Jujitsu and Capoeira. After two years in Brazil, he returned to the States and returned to civilian life.
This is the time that he refers to as his butterfly years in the martial arts. Starting a family, working full-time, and attending College, unfortunately, left little time and money for any type of organized training. He trained when and where he could, like a butterfly going from flower to flower. Now that he looks back on this time, he had some great opportunities to learn without being tied to one single style. During this period, he trained in multiple styles as time allowed, learning what he could, knowing someday it would pay off. The styles included Karate, Kenpo, Aikido, Hapkido, and Pressure Points, just to name a few. In 1976, he moved to Florida to start a new career in law enforcement and started studying Tang Soo Do full-time. A few years he received his Cho Dan in Tang Soo Do. Later, he was transferred to Tampa, Florida, where he was reintroduced to Grandmaster Jae Joon Kim. This is where he continued to train and rise through the ranks under Grandmaster J. J. Kim in Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do. Over the years became one of the Master Instructors at the World Moo Duk Kwan Headquarters and served as one of Grandmaster J. J. Kim’s technical advisors. At the request of Grandmaster J. J. Kim, Master Peter DeFosses wrote and updated the student manuals for the World Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation, then designed the patch and flag currently used by the newly renamed World Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation. With Grandmaster Kim’s passing in 2007, Master Pete started training with Grandmaster James A. Saffold, one of Grandmaster Kim’s most senior students and founder of the American Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation. In 2020 he started training with Bi Sang Kwan under Sr. Grand Master Pedro Vangas Jr.
In 1994, Master Peter DeFosses founded Sebastian Karate Moo Duk Kwan and still operates the school in Sebastian, FL. On June 18, 2010, Master Pete was promoted to the rank of 7th Dan Senior Master by the World Moo Duk Kwan General Federation of Korea under 10th Dan Senior Grandmasters Yong Duk Kim, pin #2, Hee Seok Choi, pin #3, and the American Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation under 9th Dan Grandmaster J. A. Saffold. On November 3, 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Grand Master 8th Dan by both the World Tang Soo Do General Federation – Korea and the American Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation. On July 6, 2024 he was promoted to 9th Dan by Bi Sang Kwan – Kwan Jang Nim Vangas.
Inducted into the World Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Fame in 2009 as Moo Duk Kwan Master of the Year, in 2012, he was inducted into the Legends of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Tang Soo Do Master of the Year, presented to him by Grandmaster Cynthia Rothrock. In November of 2012, He attended the Seoul Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Forum along with only 18 other Grandmasters & Masters invited from around the world to discuss the past, present, and future of Tang Soo Do. This event was held by the World Tang Soo Do General Federation – Moo Duk Kwan in Seoul, Korea. On June 1, 2013, he was inducted into the 21st Sokeship Council Hall of Fame as the 2013 Tang Soo Do Master Instructor of the Year, presented to him by the founder of WHFSC, Grandmaster F. Sanchez. Over the years he has been recognized by numerous law enforcement, and martial arts organizations from around the world.
Today he has retired from law enforcement after 30 years and continues to study, train and teach the art of Tang Soo Do, that he loves. He believes we never stop learning and that it is his responsibility to honor the past and help create the future of the martial arts through current and future practitioners that comes knocking on his DoJang door regardless of style or age. We are all one family, we learn from each other (White Belts to Grand Masters).
