RECOGNITION & PROGRESSION
Your training at Ashford Martial Arts is certified by Choi Kwang Do International — the worldwide organisation founded by Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi. Every grade you earn is registered internationally and recognised at CKD schools across the globe.
INCLUDED FOR ALL MEMBERS
Every member is registered and certified with Choi Kwang Do International. There is one membership and one certification pathway — everything below is included.
International recognition, structured progression, and the standards of a global organisation — for every student, from their first class.
WHY CKD INTERNATIONAL
Choi Kwang Do International is more than an awarding body — it is the organisation that created the art, trains its instructors, and keeps its standards consistent in every country it reaches. Here is what that gives you as a member.
Choi Kwang Do was developed by Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi, 9th Degree Black Belt, between 1978 and 1987 — the culmination of more than 40 years of martial arts experience.
CKD International schools span the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea and beyond, so your grade travels with you wherever you go.
Techniques are built on anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and biomechanics rather than mysticism — natural, sequential movements that are kind to the joints.
CKD is a non-contact, non-competitive art. Students develop with each other rather than against each other, in a safe and supportive setting.
The same certified pathway serves children and adults — students range from age 3 to 90, and instructors train well into their seventies.
The organisation's primary goal is to improve health, fitness and wellbeing, with practical self-defence built in — not to produce tournament champions.
WHY IT MATTERS
Certification is not just a belt or a certificate — it is proof that your training meets recognised standards. Whether you train for fitness, self-defence, or personal development, formal certification gives your progress meaning and portability.
Your rank is recorded with the international organisation, not just with one club.
Membership includes the cover required for safe, professional classes.
Drop into other Choi Kwang Do schools in the UK and worldwide while you keep training.
A structured syllabus and grading criteria keep you motivated.
Ashford Martial Arts is proud to certify all of its members through Choi Kwang Do International, the global organisation founded by Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi. CKD International sets the syllabus, trains and certifies the instructors, and runs gradings and seminars worldwide — so the grade you earn here is recognised wherever your training takes you.
Book a free trial class and start training with internationally recognised Choi Kwang Do International certification from day one.