About
The UC Martial Arts Program offers martial arts training through six different clubs, including Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Taiji, Wushu, and Self-Defense Yongmudo. Participants take part in activities such as organizing and hosting instructional seminars, symposiums, and martial art camps, as well as participation in collegiate, national, and world competitions like the UC Open, the Chinese Martial Arts Tournament, and the UC Yongmudo Championship.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
The UC Martial Arts Program was started in 1969 as the first major university-based martial arts program in the nation, and nearly 40 years later it had grown into a six-club martial arts program. Its stated purpose is to preserve the philosophy, techniques, and traditions of martial arts and to develop a scientific understanding of the physical and spiritual implications of human performance. The program’s mission includes providing quality technical instruction in martial arts and using the academic resources of the university to research the philosophical, spiritual, and scientific aspects of martial arts and sports.
Instruction in UC Martial Arts Program clubs is carried out by high-ranking instructors in their particular martial arts, and many instructors are themselves students of founder Dr. Ken Min. The program is led by Dr. Russell Ahn, Director of the UC Martial Arts Program, and Dr. Ken Min is recognized as the founder and namesake of the Ken Min Endowed Directorship for Taekwondo and the Martial Arts. The program is described as very beginner-friendly, with top-notch instructors, and its facilities are described as safe places to study martial arts.
The UC Martial Arts Program contributes to martial arts experiences for the campus and surrounding communities, including residents of Berkeley and neighboring communities, and it pools together hundreds of its members to run events in a university environment. It consistently sends student teams to national and international competitions and furthers the presence of martial arts in collegiate, national, and world competitions. The program has partnerships with Yongin University and Korean National Sport University and boasts Olympic hopefuls among its members and instructors.
In 1995, the future of the UC Martial Arts Program was secured with a one-million-dollar endowment awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Korea and the World Taekwondo Federation. This gift, officially named the Ken Min Endowed Directorship for Taekwondo and the Martial Arts, is described as unique in the United States academic community and established a permanent position for martial arts instruction at UC Berkeley. The program emphasizes scholarship and research through the International Martial Arts Research Institute (IMARI), which publishes an academic journal or monograph series with annual compilations of martial arts papers. The UC Martial Arts Program is described as unique in its combination of athleticism and scholarship, vision and history, innovation and tradition, and as one of the top producers of martial artists in the country.
Last updated May 13, 2026.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
The UC Martial Arts Program was started in 1969 as the first major university-based martial arts program in the nation, and nearly 40 years later it had grown into a six-club martial arts program. Its stated purpose is to preserve the philosophy, techniques, and traditions of martial arts and to develop a scientific understanding of the physical and spiritual implications of human performance. The program’s mission includes providing quality technical instruction in martial arts and using the academic resources of the university to research the philosophical, spiritual, and scientific aspects of martial arts and sports.
Instruction in UC Martial Arts Program clubs is carried out by high-ranking instructors in their particular martial arts, and many instructors are themselves students of founder Dr. Ken Min. The program is led by Dr. Russell Ahn, Director of the UC Martial Arts Program, and Dr. Ken Min is recognized as the founder and namesake of the Ken Min Endowed Directorship for Taekwondo and the Martial Arts. The program is described as very beginner-friendly, with top-notch instructors, and its facilities are described as safe places to study martial arts.
The UC Martial Arts Program contributes to martial arts experiences for the campus and surrounding communities, including residents of Berkeley and neighboring communities, and it pools together hundreds of its members to run events in a university environment. It consistently sends student teams to national and international competitions and furthers the presence of martial arts in collegiate, national, and world competitions. The program has partnerships with Yongin University and Korean National Sport University and boasts Olympic hopefuls among its members and instructors.
In 1995, the future of the UC Martial Arts Program was secured with a one-million-dollar endowment awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Korea and the World Taekwondo Federation. This gift, officially named the Ken Min Endowed Directorship for Taekwondo and the Martial Arts, is described as unique in the United States academic community and established a permanent position for martial arts instruction at UC Berkeley. The program emphasizes scholarship and research through the International Martial Arts Research Institute (IMARI), which publishes an academic journal or monograph series with annual compilations of martial arts papers. The UC Martial Arts Program is described as unique in its combination of athleticism and scholarship, vision and history, innovation and tradition, and as one of the top producers of martial artists in the country.
Last updated May 13, 2026.
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