THE SANGROK TEAM

Sangrok is run in such a way that, with only a couple of exceptions, all instructors and club managers are volunteers who generously commit their time to building and supporting the Sangrok community.

GRAND MASTER CHANG SEONG DONG – CHIEF INSTRUCTOR

Grand Master Chang began learning Taekwondo at the age of ten. His Master was Lee Jong-woo, who is now vice president of Kukkiwon. His first teaching job was in the military, where he was the Korean marines Taekwondo instructor and member of their competition team. When he left the military, Grand Master Chang opened the Sangrok gym in 1979 with the aim of spreading the practice and beliefs of Taekwondo to those outside Korea. There are now Sangrok gyms in England, Norway, US, Israel, Germany, Australia and India. Grand Master Chang is based in South Korea, and is represented in Australia by Pravin Bhatia.

MASTER PRAVIN BHATIA

Master Pravin leads the instructing team at Sangrok Taekwondo Australia. His journey in Taekwondo started under Master Killan Kapitan and Master Sujay Bangera when he was 15 years old. He spent the next seven years learning and practising the art. In 1998 Master Pravin achieved his 1st Dan Black Belt under Grand Master Chang Seong Dong, Director of Sangrok Korea.

In 2014, he started the Australian arm of Sangrok World Taekwondo Academy under the guidance of Grand Master Chang. Master Pravin now continues to train alongside the instructors at the Sangrok World Taekwondo Academy located in Mitchell. Master Pravin loves spending time on the mats with students imparting his knowledge. He believes it is not what you can do today but what taekwondo can help you achieve tomorrow.

TRIPHARN TEKI – HEAD INSTRUCTOR

Tripharn joined Sangrok when his son, Matt, was interested in starting a martial art. He was excited to join a family-friendly club where everyone could train together.

Tripharn enjoys all aspects of taekwondo, but is particularly focused on fitness, sparring, and self-defence. He enjoys seeing families training together and can often be seen encouraging parents to join the training with their children.

Tripharn is also an Infantry Officer in the Army Reserve having enlisted in 2000 and was the captain of the ACT Men’s Netball team in 2017 and 2018.

DARIEN LIU – SENIOR INSTRUCTOR

Darien started taekwondo pretty young when he began his training under Master Allen Hwan Kim at the age of 5. Ever since he started, his love for martial arts has pushed him to continue to train, instruct, compete and better himself well into his mid 20’s.

After a 20 year break, he has come back to where it all started to help pass his passion on to anyone who steps into the Dojang.

Although he enjoys all aspects of martial arts, he especially prides himself on sparring, advanced kicking and old school techniques.

Darien enjoys seeing the students gain confidence and progress through their martial arts journey, especially the new students.

Assistant Instructors and Junior Instructors

Sangrok has a number of assistant instructors who support our club and students through classes and gradings. All senior belts, regardless of age, support and guide their peers and junior belts as a part of their development and understanding of taekwondo.

ERIN BARRY & LIBBY TEKI – CLUB MANAGEMENT

Erin joined Sangrok with her daughters, Alex and Eloise. She was excited to find a family-friendly taekwondo club where they would be welcome as a family. Erin grew up in Port Macquarie where she started taekwondo as a teenager. In her other life, she is a science teacher, a (terrible) netballer, reader, beach goer and bushwalker. She says she can’t leave Sangrok because the friends she has made here are just too amazing.

After insisting it was not her thing, Libby was handed a uniform and told to jump on the mats and loved it (as so many other Sangrok parents have experienced)! Libby started her fitness journey as a personal trainer and studied exercise physiology and sports dietetics at university. In her spare time, she works as an epidemiologist and enjoys paint by numbers (adult ones of course) and reading. Libby has a passion for yoga and sports physiology.

Libby and Erin are passionate about being role models to their kids as well as encouraging women to embrace martial arts!