Mr. Frederic Absher began his martial study in 1960. His initial training was in Kempo Karate under Sensei Joseph (Jack) Gorick in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Absher attended the Army Corps of Engineers School in Ft. Belvoir, VA where he began the study of Judo. His subsequent transfer to Europe with the US Army provided Mr. Absher the opportunity to study Karate and Tae Kwon Do. He received his first Black Belt award from the USAFE Karate Do Club in 1964. He later received his 1st Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do from the Tae Kwon Do Association of Seoul, Korea in 1966. The following year, he opened his first Karate school in Las Cruces, NM. Today this organization has many clubs located primarily in the western United States and even some representatives in foreign countries.

Between 1960 and 1974 Mr. Absher maintained an active competitive Martial Arts career, participated as a judge, and organized Martial Arts competitions. During Mr. Absher's competitive career, he won state, regional and national championships culminating in 1973, when he was named Captain of the United States team to the First World Tae Kwon Do Championships in Seoul, Korea. Additional background information is available at Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame.