GRANDMASTER JIM MUSE FURTADO : NINTH DEGREE BLACK BELT.

GRANDMASTER JIM MUSE FURTADO BEGINED HIS JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF MARTIAL ARTS IN 1973 IN HIS HOMETOWN BALTIMORE MARYLAND. IT WAS THE TIME WHEN THE MARTIAL ARTS WERE BEING TAUGHT IN VERY " TRADITIONAL MANNER " , IT WAS NOT TRAINED AS A SPORT , " RATHER " AS A MARTIAL ART. HE STARTED OUT IN THE KANG - DUK - WON / TAE - KWON - DO / KWON BUP STYLE IN WHICH HE CURRENTLY HOLDS A GRANDMASTER RANK OF SEVENTH DEGREE BLACK BELT. AFTER SEEING A KUNG - FU STYLIST BY THE NAME OF MASTER PAULIE ZINK PERFORMING A VERY " RARE " AND " EXCOTIC " MONKEY FORM HE WAS TAKEN IN " AWE " OF IT AND LATER ASKED TO BECOME ONE OF HIS STUDENTS. AT FIRST, HE WAS TOLD THAT MASTER PAULIE ZINK WAS NOT TAKING ON ANY MORE STUDENTS AT THE TIME, BUT WITH PERSISTENCE HE WAS EVENTUALLY ACCEPTED INTO HIS " PRIVATE " CLASS! THIS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF HIS JOURNEY IN THE " TAI SHING PEK KWAR MONKEY KUNG - FU SYSTEM , AS WELL AS THE ARTS OF " TAOIST YIN / YANG YOGA " , AND CHI - KUNG.