Awards - Affiliations - Competitions - Photos

Master Sergio Cardenas started martial arts (Kung-fu) at the age of 12 in Santiago, Chile. Like many others, he practiced just for fun and because it was cool among his friends. After four years of practice, and advancing to a black belt in Kung-fu, his master stopped teaching. Master Cardenas was not sure what to do — he was only 16 years old and enjoyed competition very much.

He and his teammates decided to try a different martial art— Taekwondo —an Olympic sport recognized around the world
for its well-organized and serious federation. He also knew that if he made the national team, he could compete internationally.

Master Cardenas set small goals to reach his dream of becoming one of the best in the world. He started at a local school as a white belt. After the first month, he realized he needed to work extra hard to get where he wanted to be. He trained six days a week, didn’t go out with friends, and had no summer vacation — he needed all his energy to reach the level of skill that would take him closer to his goal.

After two years, Master Cardenas received his black belt. He then competed for the national
Taekwondo team, and soon thereafter made the team. His first international competition was the U.S. Open, where he placed third in his division. He remembers, “I was the happiest man in the world. I had worked for two years for this moment and I’d finally proved to myself that I could compete side-by-side with the very best of the world. Now I had to train even harder to mark my dream come true.”

That same year, Master Cardenas won the gold medal at the South American Championships and the silver medal at the Pan-American Championships. The following year his coach moved to Oregon from Chile. Master Cardenas moved with him, convinced this was the only way to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming one of the best in the world.

After his move to the U.S., Master Cardenas competed in four World Championships, three
Pan-American Championships, four U.S. Open Games, and two South American Games.
Twice he travelled to South Korea to train. At many of these competitions he lost, although
sometimes he had a place at the winner’s stand.

Finally, at his fourth World Championship, Master Cardenas achieved his dream to became one of the best in the world — taking the Bronze medal! On that day he knew he was done with competing.

Now, Master Cardenas’ goal and vision is to teach the Taekwondo spirit to his students. He explains, “Here at Tae Kwon Do Jang you must develop your mind and body together to achieve the ultimate goal of the real martial arts, which is to become a better person – honest, kind, strong, and humble.

Together with the physical skills we teach, we also focus on those very important life skills which teach how to be better kids, better students, and better adults.

“No matter how hard things are, don’t ever give up on your dreams. They will come true if you focus and if you are passionate about them. Trust yourself, believe in yourself, love yourself and your family, and don’t forget that you are the only one that can make things happen.”
"Shoot for the stars and you just might reach them!"

Master Sergio Cardenas
5^th degree Black Belt of The World Taekwondo Federation

Awards received -

1992 - Best TKD Player of the year (Santiago, Chile)

1995 - Best TKD Player of the year (Santiago, Chile)

1997 - Best TKD Player of the year (Santiago, Chile)

1997 - Presidential Sports Award (President Clinton) (Washington DC, USA)

2001 - Presidential Sports Award (President Bush) (Washington DC, USA)

2001 - World Taekwondo Federation Citation (Award) (Seoul, Korea)

2001 - CBS Studio Center Award (Los Angeles, USA)

2003 – World Hapkido Federation Award (Tustin, USA)

Current Affiliations -

World Taekwondo Federation

United States Taekwondo Union

California State Taekwondo Association

Competition Career -

Teams Participated

1991- 2001 Ten Years Chilean National Team Member

1994 and 1997 World All Star Team

1997 World All star Team Tour and Exhibition Member

2001 World Champions CBS Team Member

International Competitions

1992 U.S. Open TKD Championships Bronze (Colorado Springs, USA)

1992 South American TKD Championships Gold (Brasilia, Brazil)

1992 Pan American TKD Championships Silver (Colorado Springs, USA)

1993 U.S. Open TKD Championships (Colorado Springs, USA)

1993 World TKD Championships (New York, USA)

1994 South American Games Gold (Valencia, Venezuela)

1994 Pan American TKD Championships (San Jose, Costa Rica)

1994 World TKD Festival Gold (Los Angeles, USA)

1995 U. S. Open TKD Championships (Colorado Springs, USA)

1995 Pan American Games Bronze (Mar del Plata, Argentina)

1995 World TKD Championships (Manila, Philippines)

1996 U.S. Open TKD Championships (Colorado Springs, USA)

1996 Pan American TKD Championships (Havana, Cuba)

1997 U.S. Open TKD Championships (Colorado Springs, USA)

1997 World Best Player Championships Gold (Portland, USA)

1997 World TKD Championships (Hong Kong, China)

1998 Mexico Open TKD Championships (Acapulco, Mexico)

1998 Pan American Championships (Lima, Peru)

1998 South American Games (Cuenca, Ecuador)

1999 World TKD Championships Bronze (Edmonton, Canada)

2001 C.B.S. International Championships Silver (Los Angeles, USA)