Master Paul J. Moe

Master Paul J. Moe, a distinguished 6th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, boasts an illustrious and continuing career under the tutelage of Grand Masters Pat Worley and Gordon Franks. At 69, he competes vigorously in Traditional and Creative Forms and Weapons, maintaining a dynamic presence in the martial arts community for over two and one-half decades.

Master Moe embarked on his Taekwondo journey at Mid-America Karate in 1983. After two years of training, an injury caused him to stop full contact, leading him to step away from martial arts. During this hiatus, he was introduced to Master Gin Foon Mark, one of the last living Masters of Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu, and studied under him for four years.

On December 29, 1999, he decided his passion was Taekwondo Forms and Weapons. On January 2, 2000, at 45, Master Moe returned to Taekwondo under Grand Masters Pat Worley, Gordon Franks, Master David Younglove, and, more recently, under Master Alan Kunstmann at USA Karate MN. His competitive spirit flourished within the North Central Karate Association (NCKA) from 2000 to 2015, where he dominated the 40+ and then 50+ age categories in Forms and Weapons. During this time, he clinched eight overall Grand Champion titles for the year and amassed over 200 first-place awards.

In 2015, Master Moe extended his prowess internationally, securing a silver medal for Team USA in the 40+ Taekwondo Weapons category at the WKC. That same year, he transitioned to the North America Sport Karate Association (NASKA) circuit, achieving World Champion status in the 50+ Traditional Forms category and continued success in subsequent competitions. He took a sabbatical in 2016 to train for and successfully achieve his 5th Degree Master Black Belt.

From 2017 through 2024, Master Moe added 15 more NASKA World Championships for the year to his name in the 50+ categories for Traditional and Creative Forms and Weapons. His excellence was further recognized by earning four NASKA 50+ Overall Grand Champion titles for the year: Forms and Weapons in 2021, Forms in 2022, and Weapons in 2023. In 2021, he tested for and successfully achieved his 6th Degree Master Black Belt, with all his career Black Belts granted by Grand Masters Worley and Franks.

From 2015 to 2018, Master Moe trained under Sensei Suzann Wanket-Yue, a multi-time NASKA World Champion in Forms. From 2019 to 2023, Master Moe trained under Grand Master Terry Creamer, a multi-time NASKA World Champion in Forms and Weapons.

The onset of the pandemic in 2020 didn’t slow him down; Master Moe triumphed in the NASKA World Virtual Tour, securing World Champion titles for the year in Forms and Weapons against a global roster of competitors. He replicated this success in the 2021 Sports Martial Arts World Virtual Tour.

Master Moe’s remarkable contributions to Taekwondo were honored in 2022 with his induction into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Master Moe has upheld the highest standards of martial arts, earning his ranks under the World Martial Arts Ranking Association, guided by pioneers such as Grand Master Jhoon Goo Rhee and Grand Master J. Pat Burleson. Master Moe is a very proud single father of his 27-year-old daughter, Teneglis Celis Moe, a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic and licensed Acupuncturist in MN, and her fiancée, Nick Nelson.