Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A.
Articles
Profile of Dan & Ying King
by Dan King
Re-print of a 1997 article that first appeared in the TBA Newsletter.
Mr. Dan King and his wife Dr. Naulchand Yaemsiri-King (Ying King) opened Black Belt U.S.A. in 1992 in Charlotte N.C. where they teach the arts of Tae Kwon Do (they hold 4th and 3rd degree black belts respectively) as well as teaching Muay Thai 4 nights a week. Their school is open six nights a week, Monday through Saturday from 11am to 9pm.
Dan King
was born in Bangkok, Thailand where his first exposure to Muay Thai and Thai Boxing training occurred. Although informally, his friends who were competing in the ring at that time, gave him some lessons and from there at the age 13 until at the age of 16 when he briefly trained in boxing before he moved to the United States with his family in 1977.Although at that time Muay Thai was pretty much unheard of and his interests led him to study various other styles of Martial Arts such as Shotokan and Kempo Karate, before concentrating on Tae Kwon Do. During this time his future wife Dr. Naulchand Yaemsiri, or Ying King, moved to the United States in 1979 to continue her education.
Around 1985 while Dan was attending college at North Carolina State University and earning his Black belt along the way, he met Ying and her first exposure to the Martial arts occurred, they were married a year later in 1986. Dan earned his bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering while his wife, Ying, went on to earn her Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1989.
They opened their school Black Belt USA three years later and in 1993 Dan attended his first seminar with Ajarn Chai. He soon discovered that what he thought he knew of Muay Thai wasn’t much at all. Dan was so impressed with Ajarn Chai teaching and personality that he decided to join the TBA of the USA and learn from a true Master.
They both started training under the guidance of their local TBA representative, instructor Rob Kelly of Charlotte N.C. Dan tested for his apprentice instructor level in Atlanta in March 1995 and passed. Then he proceeded to concentrate on training his wife for several intensive months and in October of that very same year Ying tested for her apprentice Instructors level test and passed as well.
Since they both earned their certificate from the TBA of the USA, their schools Muay Thai program has grown immensely. There are many more females that are enrolling in the Thai Boxing program now as much for the self-defense but also for the fitness that it provides.
Dan says, "having the chance to train in Muay Thai early on and then when opportunities to train in other Martial Arts came along , I always knew deep down in my heart that Thai Boxing was the most powerful and effective arts in the world. Everything is ring-proven, not just theoretical technique.
Back in 1977, when I first came to the USA, people were always trying to correct me when I did a foot jab (tiip) because they thought I was doing bad front kicks. Or they insisted that I didn’t know to snap a round kick. Today most serious Martial Artists have heard of Muay Thai and I’m proud to be part of the Association that is led by a true Master, Ajarn Chai, who wants to promote and educate people in the Art of Muay Thai."