Instructor Gary Phillips' martial arts career started in May of 1980 when he won three free lessons from the Chuck Norris Martial Arts Studio in Virginia Beach, Va. He was in the military, stationed nearby at NAS, Norfolk, Va.
In June of 1981, he was honorably discharged from military service and returned to his home state of Indiana. One day while in Richmond he went past a store on the promenade and saw a pair of nunchuks in the window. He spoke to the sales person and learned that there was only one martial arts studio in Richmond and that it taught Tae Kwon Do.

He started taking classes and was instructed by two teachers; Gary Hubble - a teacher in Richmond and Mike Johnson - a doctor of chiropractic medicine. Four years later he earned his first black belt in Tae Kwon Do and later became an instructor at the same school for the next five years.
Additionally, Gary took two years of Wing Chun from Master Chris Minor.
Mike Johnson, one of Gary's instructors in Tae Kwon Do, went to Davenport, Iowa to school in order to further his training in chiropractic medicine. During his time there, Mike discovered a school of Korean martial arts called Kuk Sool Won. Mike came back to Indiana after completing his schooling with an MD in chiropractic medicine as well as a Jo Kyo Nim (1st degree black belt) in Kuk Sool Won. Thus, the first Kuk Sool Won school in Indiana was formed in Richmond, Indiana.
The first members of Kuk Sool Won of Richmond were Mike Johnson, Brain Morgan, Jarrett Kahl and Gary Phillips who had earned his 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do by that time. Starting over, Gary learned all the principals of Kuk Sool Won and worked his way up to Jo Kyo Nim (1st degree black belt) and served as one of the primary instructor of the school.
As Dr. Johnson's chiropractic medicine practice flourished, he became unable to devote the necessary amount of time to heading the Kuk Sool Won school and turned the reins over to Gary in 1995.
Gary has since traveled extensively nation-wide to Houston (world headquarters for the Kuk Sool Won Association), St. Louis, New York, South Carolina, Cleveland and Michigan to attend tournaments and seminars. He has earned his Kyo Sa Nim (2nd degree black belt) in Kuk Sool Won. He has concentrated on making Kuk Sool Won of Richmond a family and community activity which advocates and promotes positive social and family ethics and values including education, drug and alcohol resistance, gang and crime avoidance, respect, honor, self-discipline and charity.
Having studied various types of martial arts and holding 2nd degree black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Kuk Sool Won, Gary is convinced that Kuk Sool Won is the most exciting and rewarding form of martial arts there is.