I.d

Judo

notes from the mat

Interview with Master Moore: questions

These are the questions Spirit Forge Martial Arts prepared for its interview with Master Moore, recorded on October 17, 2026.

The edited video of the interview is posted on the Spirit Forge Martial Arts website, where you can also learn more about the club.

Dr. Steve

In 1965 you spotted Hanshi Hedderman's school from a streetcar in Castle Shannon and talked your parents into letting you join. What do you remember from those first classes, and what kept a teenager coming back?
Watching two Air Force veterans do Tang Soo Do kicks got you hooked on Korean martial arts. Why did you go on to master both a striking art and a grappling art instead of picking one?
You trained under Grandmaster Kyu Ha Kim for 28 years, and he taught his Judo students to strike and his Taekwondo students to fall. What's the one lesson from him you most want your students to carry, and where do we see his influence in SFMA classes today?
You founded Spirit Forge in 2013, after decades as one of Mr. Kim's senior students. Why was that the right time to open your own school?

The school's name comes from Musashi: "One thousand days just to forge our spirit, ten thousand days to polish what we have forged." What does forging the spirit look like on an ordinary night on the mat?
Integrity, discipline, perseverance, self-control and humility: which is hardest to teach, and how can you tell when a student has started to get it?
You've written "The first discipline is to attend class." What would you tell an adult who thinks they're too busy, too old or too out of shape to start?

SFMA teaches Taekwondo under the Kukkiwon and Judo from Kano's original Kodokan syllabus, including all seven kata. Why keep that traditional depth when many schools teach only the sport side?
What do students gain from training in both arts, and how does that come together in your self-defense training, including the Red Man suit work?
How does your background in strength coaching and mobility shape the way you scale each class to a student's age, condition and experience?

Mr. Kim failed his first black belt test nine times. Tell us about a student whose journey through the belts moved you. What changed in them besides their technique?
Families often train together at SFMA. What happens when parents and children are on the mat side by side?

Community service is required for 1st-degree black belt in both arts, grounded in Jita Kyoei and Hongik. Why make service a promotion requirement, and which service stories make you proudest?
SFMA now trains at Peace Lutheran Church in McMurray, after years in Bridgeville. How has the move changed the school, and what do you want families in the area to know?
You wrote a history of Judo in Pittsburgh and Southwestern PA. Where does Spirit Forge fit in that lineage, and what do you hope it looks like ten years from now?

How should someone interested in SFMA first get in touch with you, and what's the best way to set up a first visit?
What happens at a first class, including the evaluation and free first lesson? Can a newcomer watch a class before trying one?
What should a new student wear and bring, and what should they plan for: arriving early, eating beforehand, water, any medical or fitness concerns?
What age can kids start, and can parents and children begin together?
What's the class schedule, what does membership cost, and when does a new student need a uniform (dobok or judogi)?
What would you say to someone who is nervous about walking in the door for the first time?