Academy of Martial Arts

Altoona Area's Oldest Traditional Martial Arts Facility, established 1979 Pennsylvania's Only Jin Pal Hapkido Federation and Yamasaki Academy Affiliate Grandmaster Jin Pal Kim possesses a martial arts resume that would be admired by even the most accomplished of martial arts masters. He began his training in 1953, at the age of twelve, in Taegu, Korea. His initial training was in Tae Kwon Do, which was known as Karate during this period. He trained with Master Koo, under whom he attained his Black Belt. He also had the opportunity to train in the arts of Kendo and Judo. However, when he moved to Seoul, Korea, is when he honed his skills under the tutelage of Grand Master Ji Han Jae, the modern day founder of Hapkido.


Grand Master Kim's natural ability and dedication allowed him to reach the rank of Ninth Degree Black Belt under Grand Master Jae. His next graduation from the military police academy selected to instruct at the Blue House, the Korean equal to the White House, where he trained all the presidential body guards. He became one of a select group of body guards for Korean President Park. In 1965 he was assigned to the Military Special Investigations Divisions in Viet Nam which enabled him to introduce Hapkido to the Vietnamese. Later, in 1970, after his release from the military, Grand Master Kim was granted permission to instruct Hapkido in Hong Kong. He opened a successful Do-jang and was the first to introduce Hapkido in Hong Kong. His reputation spread throughout Hong Kong and he was approached by many actors requesting instruction in the ways of Hapkido, including Jackie Chan, Carter Wong, Angela Mao, and Samu Hung. After appearing on Hong Kong television, he was signed to a motion picture corporation which produced eight martial arts films with Jin Pal Kim as the lead actor. He also spent some time in the late seventies in Bahrain at the invitation of the Crown Prince teaching Hapkido at the presidential palace. In 1982, he moved to the United St...