Edward “Co” Chinn holds the rank of Shodan (1st Degree) Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do from Sensei Jim Schwarm and the rank of Nidan from Hanshi (Grandmaster) Clarence Murray in Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate. Edward started studying Tae Kwon Do at the end of 2004 when Sensei Schwarm started a new branch of the Karate for Christ ministry at Grace Bible Church in Seabrook, MD after performing a demonstration for the church’s evening service. Edward achieved his Tae Kwon Do rank of Shodan at the age of 14; he achieved his Shorin Ryu Shodan at the age of 23, and Nidan at the age of 25.
When Sensei Co was 15, he met Sensei Michelle Burrus who came to the Karate for Christ dojo after seeing an ad in the local newspaper. Through Sensei Michelle, Sensei Co was introduced to Hanshi Murray. When Sensei Co was 18, Sensei Michelle asked Hanshi Murray if he would start a kobudo (weapons training) class at the Karate for Christ dojo, which he agreed to. This is where Sensei Co first started training under Hanshi Murray; he started with the bo, then moved on to learn the nunchaku, and eventually to the sai.
From the first time that Sensei Co met Hanshi Murray, he has always been inspired by him. After his first class with Hanshi Murray, he came home and, being in awe of Hanshi Murray’s techniques, said to his brothers, “Wow, he moves as fast as lightning! I didn’t know that was possible”.
Through Hanshi Murray, Sensei Co has also trained under Hanshi Ali Shabazz (Aikijujitsu), Kyoshi (Master) Rik Lostritto (Uechi-Ryu), and Hanshi Doug Perry (Shorin Ryu). Through these different instructors, Sensei Co has been able to supplement his karate and kobudo to the point of developing new techniques in both karate and kobudo.
Outside of karate, Sensei Co has earned an AS in Chemistry from Montgomery College, a BS in Chemistry from University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), and is currently pursuing a Ph. D. at UMD in Photochemistry. At UMD, he has served as a TA in Organic Chemistry where he has taught over 1,000 students by the same principles and passion with which Hanshi Murray taught him. It is Sensei Co’s dream to continually improve his karate and his ability to teach karate to his own students, so that future students can achieve what he has achieved in the Martial Arts world faster and better than him.