Draft:John Pellegrini

John (Giovanni) Pellegrini is an Italian Hapkido grandmaster known as the founder of Combat Hapkido. He is best known for bringing a more effective modern self-defense curriculum of Hapkido to the notice of American Korean-style martial artists since 1992.

Early Training
Born in Florence, Italy on August 8, 1948, he began his martial arts training in Judo in 1964 in Italy. He later became involved in Italian Military hand-to-hand combative training while serving in the Italian Armed Forces. In 1973 after Pellegrini moved to the United States he began training in the Korean martial arts of Taekwondo and Hapkido under various instructors over the years including Myung Kwang-sik, Michael Wollmershauser, and In Sun Seo.

Hapkido Master
By 1990 John Pellegrini had earned the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt under Myung Kwang-sik in the World Hapkido Federation, and became a Master Instructor. After serving in various Hapkido Organizations Pellegrini decided that a more streamlined approach to self-defense and effective techniques needed to be achieved, along with a more open and responsive service in quality to Organization Members. So, in 1990 John Pellerini began teaching what he called Combat Hapkido and founded the International Combat Hapkido Federation (ICHF) to govern its instruction world-wide in 1992.

In Sun Seo
After founding the the ICHF in 1992, Master John Pellegrini sought continued education and mentorship from In Sun Seo, then President of the Korea Kido Association and World Kido Federation. In 1999, In Sun Seo and the Korea Kido Association recognized Combat Hapkido as an official Kwan of Hapkido, known in Korean as Chon-Tu Kwan Hapkido 전투관 합기도 and was promoted to 7th Degree Black Belt by Grandmaster In Sun Seo. . Since then Pellegrini has received regular promotions from Grandmaster In Sun Seo culminating in his advancement to 9th Dan in 2006.

Military Support
John Pellegrini has been an ardent supporter of the United States Military between 2006 and 2011 Pellegrini visited several bases in Iraq and Afghanistan in an effort to help improve moral and training for many soldiers, sailors, marines, and air crew. .