Hapkido; a Martial Art of Korea

Sugar Coating What?

2011-05-09T13:44:00.001-04:00

I just got off the phone with a very good friend of mine who is the head defensive tactics instructor for a major police academy here in the USA. We are just about fed up with all the political correctness and "sugar coating" of the world we live in. Let me sum it up for you. In class, I use strong words and a type of presentation that most martial arts instructors try to stay away from because it scares students away and they can't make as much money. WHAT? You're killing your students by giving them a velvet coated rope to hang themselves with. I use scary words like; rape, murder, kill, blood, strangle, and presenting the martial arts in the context of what it is. Martial means military for those who do not know. Not your fault. Today's society is afraid to hurt your feelings. I am not. I will hurt your feelings if it will save your life. There is a proverb that goes like this, "the bruises of a friend is health to your bones". That means to your very core you will be strong and appreciate their brutal honesty. That is why we hurt the ones we love most. Brutal honesty to save their life.

Martial arts original intent is to maim and kill people. When I get a student who whines that they can't do it, I simply say, "Then prepare yourself to be raped, murdered, or permanent physical injury." It is your choice at that time. The attackers job is to attack and your job is to neutralize the attacker, by nullifying the attack and making sure they will not or cannot attack again. In self defense do you have to kill your attacker, NO! You must be prepared enough to survive the attack and make sure it is not repeated. Ever heard the saying, "to repeat the same thing over and over with getting any results"? It is call insanity. To think that you are going to try and not injure the attacker physically is absurd and ignorant.

For children to learn discipline, confidence, and get some self esteem is priority. It is the parents job to protect their children, PERIOD!!! Children are in our care, not their own. When they are at school, they do need to stand up to the bully, protect them self, and then report immediately to a teacher of what just occurred. Child predators beware!!!! We know you are out there. We are getting prepared for your gutless attacks on children. Parents need to take their kids to a very important website called http://www.amberwatchfoundation.org/. I work with them on projects. 800,000 children were abducted last year alone!!!! WAKE UP PARENTS!!!

Adults.....get over yourself. Just because you live in a gated community and drive in your fancy car with an alarm will not keep you safe. Where to criminals go to steal? Wealthy neighborhoods not their own. A concealed weapon is great if you can get to it as you are being stabbed from behind. Get educated. Don't get me wrong, I have such a license and do carry a handgun and/or knife. You have to have it OUT for it to work for you. 99% of the time, there is no time to get it out. You must learn to defend yourself with your hands and feet in a realistic manner. A kick to the groin will only anger the seasoned offender. Try to gouge their eyes out, they will simply turn their head and continue to choke you out...dead. I have seen it a hundred times over. A small person will NOT be able to out violence a bigger person who is a killer or serious about their attack. The crime reports from the FBI show that Strong arm robbery, rape, murder, cop killings, and other such violent crimes are at an all time high. We are hiding from reality with all this political correctness crap and people selling you on their "deadliest defenses" garbage. "I will sue you if you touch me!" will not cut it with an asocial serial killer or rapist. Panic is what kills you. The asocial attacker counts on it an uses nothing more than brute force and violence to take what they want from you. Criminal are only going to prison to learn how to be a better criminal. They are not being rehabilitated as you think.

Get on the ball....if you are not in a realistic school which teaches you to survive the attack by seriously injuring the attacker as fast and as effectively as you can...come to us. Merely escaping will only put you on the run and you will only die tired. We will not butter you up and tell you that you are doing a great job when you are not. We will encourage you and show you the correct way to apply technique in a real world scenario setting without yelling at your or using profanity. Profanity is not necessary in the martial arts. Tough guys use profanity to shock you and show you their tough and intimidate you into thinking they know what they are doing. Whatever. We will teach you martial arts like it was meant to me learned. I will be brutally honest with you and hurt your feelings sometimes. It is your low self esteem that thinks I am egotistical. I am confident and so you will as you train with us and grow. I will have to break your will to build your spirit. I will make you the strong, confident human being you were created to be. Period.

Getting Back to Basics

2011-04-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

So many martial arts schools have gone sour in many ways nowadays. I wanted to take a look into just a couple ways into what is going on in the martial arts and why so many "black belts" are getting beat up in the street during simple assaults and muggings. Why a woman who has been in the martial arts for years is getting abused by their spouses and vice verse. What is going on?

The first thing we notice is watering down the real thing and making techniques so fancy and complicated that they just aren't functional for real world use. Some instructors use this and "parlor room trickery" to attract a whole lot of students but their retention is low and they have to constantly market to keep the school up to what the "martial arts industry" or society sees as successful. They may have hundreds of students, they are wealthy financially, and have two or more schools under the direction of only one truly real instructor. I am not saying that martial artists are supposed to be broke. By all means, please give your family the quality life that any person should have but focus on giving quality instruction to the students and not on how much money can we get out of people through marketing schemes and lies. I have attended so many seminars of so called "martial arts marketing geniuses" and they all say the same EXACT things. Things I learned reading the same books they probably read. I have had sales specialists in the martial arts business industry tell me how to run my school and that it is okay to lie to people and tell them I am teaching whatever they are looking for just to get them into my school so I can "sell them on a program" of which I am supposed to have many to choose from. What am I a restaurant or amusment park? So many martial arts school owners have that "a sucker is born every minute" mentality. I see students walking out of martial arts schools everyday that cannot defend themselves in a real world scenario. It is just not right. I see it as they are literally killing their own students. I will put it this way; It is like selling someone a professionally trained German Shepherd Dog to protect their family but only to ignore the fact that the dog has no teeth. Get it?

Another way is to go to the sport side of the house. I have nothing against this. I do like to see a good fight on TV with all the rules and referees...except that it is a false sense of security. It is NOT martial arts. Think about the fact that the word "martial" means "military". NO friendly competition in the military between opposing sides. Boxing was considered a brutal sport but is now widely accepted. Boxers have a numerous amount of endurance. They suffer from brain injuries and other things that could have avoided if they chose another sport instead. I realize all sports have their risks, but to get hit on the head repeatedly on purpose is an adult choice (we will go into this later). Back to sports; You had a great workout, your sweat, you're sore, you've built some muscle, and you got a great cardio work up. What did you actually learn about defending yourself on the street against multiple armed attackers? I am being realistic here. People want to be recognized. True. I feel as many "martial artists" do; that it is proper to recognize your students for their hard work and dedication. So why do some feel it's entirely okay to exploit other people's needs in order to make money? They don't seem to care that they will suffer serious injuries related to getting kicks to the head repeatedly as long as they feel good about themselves and they are making you and themselves allot of money? There are some people who legitimately want to be professional fighters and then there are those who have no place doing professional fighting, especially as a minor. If you're a parent and letting your kids destroy themselves with concussions so they feel good about themselves...shame on you. Maybe you didn't know the dangers of letting a child get punched on the head while they are being "choked out". If not...ignorance in no excuse in this area. Common sense should take over. We don't want our kids getting beat up by the bully at school and will sue the other party involved when injury happens, but turn around and put that very same child with another child and cheer them on as they do the exact same thing in the name of "training". I really don't understand "double standards". As a matter of fact, I dislike them as much as I dislike going head first into a cactus.

If you have any feelings about this...please share them. We need to hear from both sides.

Women's Self Defense of Hapkido

2011-02-28T11:36:00.000-05:00

Grandmaster Chang's Visit.

2009-08-05T23:04:00.006-04:00

It looks like Grandmaster Chang's visit will be delayed due to scheduling conflicts. The seminar cost will be around $300US. We are planning on him being here for a week. The seminar will be on Friday night and Saturday all day. We will focus on instructor training and other things during the week. If you are a part of the IHF, please don't pass up the instructor training.

If you are not part of our organization, don't miss the seminar. You will get to see how we do things and learn some great stuff. If you have never met Grandmaster Chang, don't miss out this time. he doesn't come to the US often. There is no better way to learn Hapkido than to feel it. With his 50 years in Hapkido, he will surely help you understand deeply the technique and why we do what we do.

Contact the US HQ for more information.

954-229-7444.

www.hapkyoosool.com

Remodeled Dojang

2009-07-30T23:02:00.005-04:00

Well the school is all remodeled except for a few minor details. It looks great and feels even better. With the drop ceiling gone and two new A/C systems in place, there will be more room for sword and staff training not to mention we can train even harder with the missing humidity.

The seperated visitor area keeps unwanted people and things off the mat so we can focus more on training. I actually have an office to eat my lunch in and have meetings with visiting instructors and potential students. The days of a 4' x 5' office are over.

With the now almost 1,500 sq ft of tatami to roll on, we can add more students. That is the idea right? Spread the art to as many as possible while keeping it pure.

I have talked Grandmaster Chang into coming for a week seminar in October, the first week. It didn't take much. I told him we remodeled the school and he wants to see it.

Some people are bummed out because the seminar will be $200. I understand. I too had to sacrifice many things in my personal life to train with Grandmaster Chang in Korea. Going out with my friends, eating out, going to the movies, etc. If you really want to do something in life, you can do it. People starve while going to college for 4 years. Try it now and you can train with one of the greatest martial arts instructors to ever grace the face of the earth. Grandmaster Chang. Not being biased. Come see for yourself. You be the judge.

David Carradine Dead at 72

2009-06-04T14:33:00.011-04:00

I was texted by a friend this morning informing me of the loss of a "Kung Fu Legend". David Carradine died in his hotel room in Thailand. It was an apparent suicide. According to my contact, he hung himself with the curtain rod ropes. He was reportedly to be at a dinner on Wednesday night with the movie crew of which he was filming a new movie. I wonder why no one went looking for him to see if he was okay. I guess they assumed he simply decided to retire for the evening and gave him his privacy. He was found by a maid on Thursday morning Thailand time. He will be missed. He greatly influenced interest in the martial arts in the 70's.

I do have a hard time digesting this. He was popular, famous, wealthy. He was a healthy man who was involved in natural ways of living and a Tai Chi instructor. It is hard to believe a man like that could be so depressed or maybe lonely. Why would someone who had so much going for him take his own life. Why do so many celebrities take their own lives? What's missing that causes someone to lose all hope?

We try to fill our lives with everything from material things like money to sex. Why do we forget about God? Why not cry out to Him for help? "I did, where is God now?" He is answering the call you put out. Right here, right now! I know that we all have a God shaped hole in our hearts.Only God can fill that emptiness. To be more specific, with God's son Jesus who died for us on the cross and bridged the gap from God to man. Calling out to Him for help. He will answer your call. He promised that. He promised he would NEVER leave us or forsake us. Having His true peace and comfort in your heart that is beyond human understanding. God loved us so much that He sent His only son as a sacrifice for us. He did it for you. He did it so we wouldn't have to pay for our sins. There is nothing you have done in your life, nothing so bad that God will not take you into His forgiving and loving arms, rescue you, and begin the healing process. What a loving God.

Would you like to know God for real?

http://www.calvaryftl.org/HowToKnowGod/

Moving Forward

2009-06-01T15:42:00.009-04:00

Well it has been a long time folks!!

We wanted to remind everyone of the June Seminar. You can get all the details on the website http://www.hapkiyoosool.com/
We are getting an overwhelming response! You have to join quickly because spots are disappearing.

We are still waiting for the new school to be finished. It will be up and running within a few weeks. In the meantime, remember we are still at the temporary location until June 11. If you don't know where that is, call me at 954-229-7444 and I will explain how to get there. It is two blocks from the new school. It is exciting to see the school grow so that we have to expand. It is good stress.

All my congratulations go out to those who have tested recently. Moving up and training on a different level on each step. Working hard for promotion is a good thing. So many schools out there are selling rank now days. As long as you pay your dues, learn your forms, attend classes, pass your "tests", and "whalla!", get more rank. A shame but true in our society. As I have said in class, Rank is earned, not paid for. It is much different to BE a black belt that to just HAVE one.

Costume Party

2008-10-16T16:43:00.003-04:00

Because of our beliefs, we do not really celebrate Halloween. So in lew of that, we will have a costume party to see how creative our students can be. Kids can friends but, bring only two friends. It will be held on Friday, October 31, 2008. We will start at 6PM and go until 8PM. Everyone must bring a dish of FOOD. No alcohol. parents MUST STAY and participate. It is a family event and not a babysitting party. If you want to just drop off your children, there will be a $20 a child charge for watching them. Hopefully this will discourage any children from getting dropped off and encourage parents to stay and have fun too! See you here at the school. Be prepared to have fun!

Freestylin'

2008-10-03T13:09:00.004-04:00

Thursday night proved to be another night of real world applications. Students pushed each other to find the weakness in each others technique by "challenging" their effectiveness and students proficiency. Of course there is the issue of keeping students from injuring each other so they can stay healthy and train. That is the reason they are there, to train. The two main reasons that students tend not to train to their full potential as I note in my book, "The fear of getting hurt and the fear of hurting others". You have to learn to take it if you dish it out. Trying to only be the defender is not being a harmonious part of the school. In essence, the attacker is teacher to the defender which is a higher position. It shows the defender where the holes in their technique are and how to fix them is information provided by the instructor. It is also a humble position to place yourself in. Humility comes before honor does.

"Why so....Serious?"

2008-09-11T21:13:00.004-04:00

"Why so...serious?"

This is a quote from the new Batman movie from the Joker. One of my students who came from another school of martial arts asked me, "Why are so many other instructors are so serious?" So many martial arts instructors seem to think that you have to be so when teaching because of multiple reasons. They teach entirely with fear and intimidation. This breaks the students spirit. As instructors we act like military leaders, and rightly so to a limit. As a military leader myself at one time, I never screamed and yelled at my team. I taught them and talked to them like adults and the trained professionals which they are. People tend to act like you treat them. I have great respect of my students. I try NOT to be an instructor but a teacher and guide them to the truth rather than scaring them into respecting me. As martial arts teachers, our role is to inspire and encourage our students. To break their will but build their spirit. In turn, this builds their body because of the hard physical training which also sharpens the mind and creates discipline. THIS is what we must strive for. I deeply appreciate my students and wish them all to be at my level but without them thinking they are better than me. That negative mindset leads student into trouble and breeds ego. A student should strive to be like his/her teacher. Encourage that! Someday they will be better than you, you will die. They MUST carry the art on for you as a disciple. Make them worthy of it by training them correctly and right. Equip them for the future with the right tools for success and victory.

Lead them through victory by going first and going onward through the fog.

Remember, "The only easy day was yesterday." Easy because you did it and learned through experience. THAT is the best teacher.

See you in class!!!!

2008-09-04T13:30:00.015-04:00

It has been a Looong time since I posted last! The reason? We added a new member to our family! Phoebe was born the first week of July and it has been full speed ever since. I love it! She is an absolute bundle of joy and a pleasure to care for. The doctor called her the deluxe package. Thank God she sleeps ALL night long and is sparky and fun all day. She is keeping my wife and I very busy and happy. I love to see her smile and giggle. My son Jeff is absolutely in love with her as well, always willing to help feed and care for her. He is a great young man and I am very proud of him.

Well, as it always goes. Classes are spectacular and everyone is moving up the ladder of success in a strong, secure, and steady pace. I can't say enough about my wonderful students. They are always willing to train hard and do whatever they are tasked to do. I thank you all for the hard work you put into your training. I do have a question for all of our Hapkido people.

Putting training or demo videos of children's classes on the Internet. With the rising problem of child predators, I am very concerned in this matter. Do you think that such people search the Internet for such videos, then go to that school and ogle at the children, losing control of themselves, and actually attack or try to lure a child from your school?

Am I being over protective of our child students or do I have a good point? I am looking for responses in this dilemma. Please post comments and I will publish them on this blog for all to see. Let's share our input and discuss. I worry for the children even though it's the parents responsibility to teach their children safety and well as ours in a secondary support to those parents.

I am so happy to have all of my students. They are all very positive and supportive of each other even though they have their differences. It's expected! What an great challenge to instructors!

2008-06-20T18:07:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Friday night!

Well, it has been an exciting week! Working on the Asian Festival for NOVA Southeastern University in Davie, FL. It will be held in the library as it is every year. We will have Korean fan dance, martial arts demonstrations, mini seminars, music, food, and language/cultural classes. It all starts at 1pm and goes until 4pm this Saturday. June 21, 2008. We always have a very large turnout numbering in the thousands.

We talked allot this week about pressure points and their applications within the techniques. We also touched on many aspects of philosophy and combat mentality vs self defensive mind set. we had some visitors that had a great time and joined our family here at the school.

Please send me questions. I can think of a million things to write about but, I would rather give you the information you are seeking.

One question that was emailed to me is: "Master Allen, what is the difference in the children's techniques and the adults techniques?"

Well, with the children we focus more on breaking the attackers balance and making the attacker throw them self on the floor smashing their wrists or knees on the ground creating an escape for the children to run, scream, and attract attention from bystanders. Hopefully people will be willing to help a screaming child. Most people will run from a screaming person in fear that they will have to inconvenience them self to help another human being out of trouble and in doing so getting them self sued for trying to be a nice person. Sad but true in our modern society.

The adults learn how to dislocate joints and throw people by breaking their balance as well. Sounds like Aikido, but I assure you, it is not as forgiving nor as nice even thought they are the same type of techniques, to a point. You do not want to give an attacker a second chance to get it right. You have to get it right on the first try. People don't give in so easy to the techniques on the street or battlefield.

There are people out there who claim their martial art is better than someone else's. If that were true, the Asians would have taught only THAT art. If it works in the real world, then why is one better than another. Fortunately there are many arts for many tastes and types of people's needs. If it is taught correctly and learned correctly, it should work correctly if applied correctly. You can't base how good a martial art is because you saw one person doing it. You have to experience it for yourself. If you are interested in Hapkido, come in to our school and have a free class on us. We will be happy to share our knowledge with you.

We hope to see you soon. Either at the Asian Festival at NOVA this Saturday, June 21, 2008 or at the school at one of our classes!

Oh, by the way. Don't mistake our kindness for weakness. Many do, many are surprised once they step on the mat. There is a fine line between naughty and nice. My students train very hard. I have learned that some people need to feel harsh technique to see how it all works. Some only need to feel it a little to have an understanding of how it actually works. The latter are the smart ones. The prior usually go home wishing they had never come and bad mouth us after they leave because they were embarrassed by their own egotism. Either way, they learn the technique never fails. ^_^

2008-06-12T13:33:00.023-04:00

It's been a few days since I could get back to the Hapkido blog. I had a great question over the weekend.

I have been asked by a reader to touch on the "twelve base techniques of Hapkido". I will have to keep it brief. Why...Well, this picture shown above is how my students view me teaching. It was emailed to me and I posted it our school. I expect nothing less from my students and they absolutely appreciated it.

There are 6 major movable joints in the body. These are ball and socket joints, condyloid joints, saddle joints, hinge joints, pivot joints, and gliding joints. They either manipulate to Uem(earth) or Yang(heaven). Simply put.

There are twelve main meridians (nerve lines) which go through the entire body and control the major organs' function and form. You also have major meridians/vessels; Pericardium, conception and governing to name a few. The meridians/vessels are effected by manipulation of the bones in these joints as well as by pressure points. Therefore; 12 base techniques.

To go further into this would be like trying to explain to someone what vanilla ice cream tastes like if one has never actually eaten vanilla ice cream. The only way to understand is for one to actually eat vanilla ice cream. As like unto; You must feel the technique, be able to ask questions, and receive immediate answers to your questions Johnny on the spot. Nothing quite like a live instructor.

If you are close enough to us to visit as well as attend or sponsor one of my seminars, then I am able to go into far more detail on how they work and how they are applied. I am sorry that this is only as far I really wish go with this subject in a blog.

We are planning a seminar soon. Keep updated on this by visiting this blog or our website www.hapkiyoosool.com regularly. We have such a great response to seminars, we sometimes barely have breathing room. With new students joining on a regular basis, it is good to come and listen in or join in on a class. We allow first class free. We like to introduce people to Hapkido. It is an amazing art, just as any martial art if it is learned correctly and taught correctly.

That's it for today. visit daily or several times a day. You never know when or what I will post. It keeps us excited and feeling alive to have wonderfully unexpected suprises. Then again, is there any other kind? Train hard and train well. Until next time. Cheers!

2008-05-30T13:26:00.003-04:00

Exciting!
Tonight is testing for the adults class! I could feel the tension in the air all week at the dojang. Nervous people training hard for their "chance to advance"! Earning rank is very important in the martial arts. Many places that do teach martial arts these days tend to hand out rank just for showing up and paying testing fees. I am so glad to be in the minority on that issue. We have a poster in the window of our school that states, "Our rank is not issued, it's earned!" This is true.

The week has been interesting. The morning classes have been great of course. This morning we did a "What if?" class. Students love this aspect of our training. It shows them that the techniques really do work in real situations. We simply attack each other in many different ways either one on one like a bully would do or multiple attackers like in the street. The challenge is out there to see if you really know your stuff!

The law enforcement officers we have in class always have stories on how the technique had saved them time, safety of the officers, protecting the suspect, and safety of innocent bystanders. They find they rely on their guns less in close quarters which leaves them more options to create safety for them and the offender. It is an officers job to protect the suspect, believe it or not. They must stand trial, and to do that they must make it to jail and then the court house.

A police officer(remaining unnamed) responded to a call which came in for a domestic disturbance outside a nightclub. Arriving on the scene hoping to diffuse the situation, he found he was facing a drug crazed suspect swinging a knife at anyone that came close to him. The suspect saw the badge and it became his target. The suspect was coming right at him from 10 feet away with a large edged weapon. With no time to pull his weapon to fire on the suspect, he used a single Hapkido technique which he learned at our school. Using technique, he disarmed the suspect but dislocated the suspect's elbow in the process. The man decided to sue for police brutality and excessive force. At the court trial, the judge asked if the police officer's council had prepared a statement to his defense. The Police officer's council asked the court's permission for the police officer to speak directly to the plaintiff or his family members. The judge agreed to do so with the plaintiff's council's permission. He was granted permission to speak to the family members but not the plaintiff directly. He turned to the man's family members and said,
"By law, anyone has every right to protect them self, even with the possibility of using deadly force. I or any of the other officers on scene could have shot him dead. You would be without him forever. No chance for rehabilitation, or a new lease on life, or to provide for you, his family. Yet, you consider it wrong to have saved his life. Sure, he has a broken arm, but he has his life and you still have him to love. So you see, I saved your husband's, your father's, your son's, your brother's life and instead of a thank you, a decision to ruin my life in return. "
The man dropped the suit.

Not everything you think or believe is right. What you believe to be true and was is really true may not be the same thing. Sometimes we disagree with people before we have all the facts. We listen to rumors and hearsay. Things we read. If you want to know something for sure, check it out for yourself. Don't go by what others are saying. It could land you in hot water.

Remember: life is a boomerang. If you don't throw it out, you don't have to remember to duck.
Of course there is always: "Don't dish it out if you can't take it!"

2008-05-25T07:55:00.008-04:00

Wow, it is has been a busy week. I hope everyone had a good week. I would like to post more often and even host some questions. If there are any questions you might want to ask, please do. You may email me from this blog. I do ask that you ask intelligent and serious questions. I will ignore questions that are obviously sarcastic and rude.

Martial arts is about not only training your body but, your mind and spirit as well. Every martial art is perfect in it's own way as long as it was learned correctly and taught correctly. Unfortunately, today martial arts has become a big business. People that have never been formally trained and obtained their black belts from the mail/internet or through crooked instructors who have sold them because of greed for money and fame. Some of these people open schools and tell people they are this and that, show me your proof of training and credentials. I have heard of several martial arts schools in which the instructor had no formal training or lack in proof of training, lie about who their instructor was, or they don't even posses a black belt certification from anyone and yet have schools with large followings. What happened to asking the instructor for his or her credentials? Are you scared of your instructor? We know that the US government doesn't regulate the martial arts. Can you call them out on fraud? There is an understanding of what a coach of any sport is and yet there is no "certifications" to my knowledge you need to be a couch. One needs only to have been a player of the sport and worked their way up to coach-hood.
The Martial arts are the same and yet different. Well, martial(military) arts are not sport. Sport is something that has rules, time limits, referees, and drafts. Martial arts are for life and death on the street and on the battlefield. It has only been turned into a sport in the last 50 or so years. Yes the military trains to kill people without killing each other in "exercises" and maneuvers. Yes we train in the martial arts the same way, safety is paramount. "We must survive the class to survive the street." as I always say. Train really hard, but train with control. That's another subject all of it's own. A true martial arts master should have many years as a student of a particular art and worked his or her way up to instructorship. I am tired of seeing martial artists with high degree black belts in several martial arts. It takes decades to become a true master and to absolutely understand what you are teaching by completing your training under ONE certified and legitimate instructor. (I understand if your first instructor died) How can you do that by jumping from style to style and getting a little here and a little there? What happened to forging your spirit and patience? A first degree black belt means you have only just begun your true journey with that instructor. Stick with your instructor and learn ALL they have to teach! Training stops when you're dead. Not when you think you've had enough. How do you know when you have learned enough? It's never enough. Success is not a destination, it is a journey. I hear this all the time.
The difference in martial arts to sports is that you should posses a legitimate black belt certificate which is connected to a lineage. Proof that you learned from a properly trained instructor. Doesn't this make sense? I challenge you to ask your instructors who their instructor was and what is your lineage. Don't be afraid to ask to see their credentials and proof of training. You do this if your buying a house or a car, if your getting married, if your doing anything worth your life. Why do we just let people lead us around by the nose when it comes to martial arts? Are we that gullible and ignorant?
I am not stepping up to the soapbox with an "I'm better than you attitude". Because of my training under a legitimate instructor in Korea, I feel I have a duty to stand up and defend those of us who have trained hard and do have a lineage of proper instruction.
I challenge instructors and students everywhere to call out the posers. Those who have bought their rank, those who have no lineage or proof of training they can prove. Not to embarrass them or destroy their lives but, to take them quietly off to the side and ask them politely. If they cannot produce concrete evidence of their training and certification, expose them publicly. They are taking other people's lives in their hands. If they get upset or angry and say that you disrespected them, they are afraid to be exposed. Get rid of the the movie version of martial arts instructor out of your head. We are fallible human beings just like you. Everyone has told lies and regretted them. Some step up to the plate and say, yes I lied and I am sorry. Here is the truth. That is a real human being, one can admit their faults and correct them. If you keep in your heart not to forgive someone of their faults, you are only holding your self as prisoner in your own prison of bitterness. They are laughing at you behind your back because of your own stupidity. Think about it. They are controlling you with your own anger.
People think that they are learning something that could save their life in a real life and death situation if need be. Don't you want to know that the person who is fixing the brakes on your car is a real mechanic, certified, and insured? Why do we care more for our cars than ourselves? Stand up for yourself and your life! Have a face to face with your instructor and take witnesses. Don't fear your instructor. I respect people more when they do this to me at my school. It shows me they are intelligent and sincere about their training. Not here for just a good workout. Martial arts is for your life!

2008-05-16T19:11:00.005-04:00

This is still Friday.

I wanted to catch you all up on the week in training.

Monday we worked on basics and I demonstrated some reasons of why we do what we do. There are always so many questions going through our minds as we do these basics and where does it all lead. Some of them seem so...confusing and useless until you actually have someone attack you in the randori sessions on Friday nights.

Tuesday it was advanced applications of some wrist/arm grabbing and grappling defense. There were definitely some eyes opened up on that night and some great techniques by the students. You guys never cease to amaze me. I am gobsmacked when I realize how fast everyone learns the techniques and how intently everyone pays attention in class. I am humbled.

Wednesday, of course basics night where most of the class ends up being white belts. The advanced stuff can be very confusing if you haven't grasped the basics. No foundation, no house.

Thursday, Sword class. We worked on 7 sword forms and why we do them and what each move means and how to apply them. I saw allot of faces light up when I showed WHY we do what we do. I enjoy that part, the enlightenment of the class. It excites me to teach even more, until sun up. We all have to go home and sleep unfortunately. I know as long as we train, no one really wants to leave. My wife has to get everyone to leave by getting on them using Korean. We all giggle and scurry out the door to our cars. Dreaming about the techniques and having a hard time falling asleep. Hapkido is so exciting!!!

Friday. Students showed up and we worked on basics. I let them go autonomous to see how they would exercise their patience with each other. I laughed inside as I watched them get frustrated with each other and get upset. Frustration intrigues me. It shows me that the students know the technique and mess it up because they try to hard. They do the technique incorrectly and say things like, "Man, I screwed that up!" I say, "Good! You know the technique or you wouldn't know you were doing it wrong. You know the right way to do it in your mind, now take your time and do it as fast as you comfortably can until you build the muscle memory you need to do it fast without thinking. This is reflex training."

They are in a hurry to get good and slow down their training by having to do it over and over again and then work on breaking bad habits. "Do the technique fast, but don't be in a hurry!" I tell them. Take your time. You have your whole life to learn Hapkido. One year goes by so fast and then, BAM, it's gone. You've lost that moment again. Take the teachings and hold them dear to your heart. Let them seep into your spirit. Even if you started Hapkido at 70 years old as some of my students have, you still have the rest of your life. Haste makes waste.

2008-05-16T18:21:00.008-04:00

Well It's Friday! Happy Friday everyone!

I love to do seminars around the world. It give someone a chance to experience different cultures and languages. Foods can be dangerous to the digestive tract if you know what I mean. Many cultures in the world have traditions handed down by both society and family.

Being we are a traditional school, people say what we do doesn't work in the modern world. I am at an indifference in this stance. Here are some facts that support my stance. People, since the beginning of time have not changed. We have not grown a third arm. We have not lost anything either. The only way that people have been able to attack each other is to reach towards another with either arm or leg and by closing the distance by moving in closer. They may have a weapon from a stone to a sword or gun. None the less, they have to close the distance. There are just so many angles that one can attack from.

As far as the human body, anatomy and physiology; the human body is limited to how far the joints can extend or flex as well as muscle, ligaments, and tendons. It also encompasses knowing what goes where and how far, the pressure points will dictate how easy the joint will be either displaced or dislocated. They will also instantly fatigue the muscle and can weaken the connective tissues.

Then you have the psychology of it all. That is a book all by itself.

I would love to see some positive comments posted. Any negative comments or personal attacks on anyone including the poster will be deleted. This is a constructive and positive blog to learn more about Hapkido and all that is involved in it.

If any of you have questions about Hapkido, they can be addresses here in this blog. Just email me and ask. Please, no smart alec or sarcastic questions please. Let's be mature. Thank you.

2008-05-12T18:52:00.007-04:00

Last week was so very busy I had no time to post to the blog. It was a full week of training and education. I am so glad none of my students complain. They are all so good and awesome.

Working on Jumping Rolls and Break Falls are no easy task. Yet, in every class we do it. Today was no exception. We worked on Basics with everyone doing great! As we train everyday for at least an hour and a half both in the morning classes and evening classes, people get allot of mat time. I always enjoy seeing the look on student's faces when they do something they never though they could. Of course, I push them way beyond their limits. Well, they think it's way beyond their limit. I know what they can do by watching them. People can do far more than they think they can.

It reminds me of a story of a group of people that climbed a mountain during the spring one time. At the bottom of the mountain it is warm and sunny and at the top of the mountain it is cold and snowing. There is about 50 all together. They all knew what they were getting into. It takes all day to get to the top of this mountain. They start out at 6 in the morning as the sun is rising, dew is still on the grass, and the birds are singing. They are jovial and joking with each other. As they start going up, the air gets thinner and the task seems more daunting than they though it would be. The air gets cold and wind cuts through their clothing. About two thirds up the mountain is a small restaurant. It has hot tea and coffee, soup, and foods. The fireplace has a crackling, bright, and warm fire that is far more welcoming than the cold outside. When it's time to continue up the mountain after a short lunch break, only about 5 of the people decided to continue up to the top. The people who stayed behind got comfortable in the warmth of the fire with their full bellies and decided to stay. They ended up taking a cable car back down, the easy way. Even though they did not go all the the way, they would go on to tell others they had "climbed the mountain".

Those who continued up to the top were met with a very pleasant surprise. A reward for their hard work. A person in the cabin where they stopped for lunch overheard them talking about what they were doing and notified the local media. It became a national news story. After another two hours, they were at the top, the local mayor met them with a medal and a key to the city as well as a helicopter ride back to the bottom of the mountain. Can you image how that felt? How good it was to receive those rewards for hard work and it all being a surprise to them? Imagine how those people who gave up and stayed in their "comfort zone" felt, because they just didn't feel it was worth it. After all, it was just a stupid mountain.

Do the goals in your life feel like "just a stupid mountain" right now? Don't give up. It is just a little more to the top. Get out of your comfort zone and step out into the cold. Go for it! You will receive your rewards for your hard work. There will be those who did not go all the way to the top but say they did. One day, everyone will know the truth.

I have had people call me a poser and a fake. Even though I have more than enough proof to show that I have gone all the way and still climbing. With my 32 years in Hapkido, With certificates from Korea signed by a real grandmaster from whom I did not buy my certificates. I did not stay at the restaurant, I did take a break and then went all the way. Now I am taking my students with me on this wonderful journey back to the top. I climb this mountain everyday. The great thing about life is that you never stop learning. The truth will set you free from the "real posers". Believe me, there are those who will ridicule you, they fear you. You are a threat to them. They know you are the "real deal" and they took the cable car back down but said otherwise. Stick to your guns. You can do it! You must make the decision to trust your instructor and follow them to the very end. Don't quit unless you are getting stagnant and going in circles. If you continue, you will find out if your instructor has gone all the way to the top.

http://www.hapkiyoosool.com/ for more information on our school.

2008-05-04T20:19:00.002-04:00

I have a brief moment tonight to say hello to all of you. Friday night, the class went to see "Ironman" the movie. Everyone had a great time and we thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was one of the better movies we have seen all year. As for the demonstration we did at the Hollywood premier of "The Forbidden Kingdom", it went well and the movie was absolutely fantastic. Everyone really had a great time there.

I am planning for a great class on Monday. Since it is a basics night, we will be working on rolling and break falling along with some techniques which make the break falling happen. It will be a challenging and rewarding class. It will not be easy. The good thing about Hapkido is the building of character and strength. Not only with the individuals but within the school. Camaraderie is great and our moral is always high. Of course, being we have such awesome students.

Thank you all for your dedication and devotion to the art and to our dojang. See you on Monday!

Master Allen

2008-05-01T21:29:00.004-04:00

Well, It's Thursday night. I will probably not write every night as it seems difficult with my schedule. Working the kennels all day taking care of the dogs and puppies, then going to my school and teaching. Family resposibilities upon other things.

Wednesday night we practiced basic techniques. Everyone did excellent. My students never cease to amaze me at their will power and their dedication to the art and to me. Words just can't express my appreciation for my students. I really love them all.

We had a visitor from another Hapkido school. His name was Master Pete Santiago. A very pleasant man with a great personality. We talked for a while after class about the future of Hapkido and other things. I thank him for stopping by from his school up in Keystone, Florida. A long 4 hour drive just to meet. I appreciate that about good instructors being "ego-less" and willing to so whatever it takes to spread the art.

Thursday night. Today.
Tonight we practiced sword forms, some sword techniques and defense. It is not easy for people to realize how important the sword is to Hapkido. How all of our empty hand techniques come from the sword. How important it is to learn to draw and use the sword properly. I have had long talks about this with other instructors as well as with my non hapkido friends like Danna Abbott who is an extensive sword specialist. A good man and friend. It's amazing how our sword forms are so similar. Ours coming from the Takeda family schools in Japan anyway through Choi and to what is now Hapkido as we know it.

Thoughts:
I am glad we stick to the traditional way and haven't "sported" it out. I enjoy it this way as well as our students. They greatly appreciate it as well. As I learned from Grandmaster Chang in Korea, he taught and instilled in me that martial arts is not sport, nor is it for entertaining people. It for the battle field and for life. It makes a man out of you each and every day. It pushes out the anger inside and forges our spirits. I am so glad I have stayed in Hapkido my whole life. For that dedication and loyalty to my instructor and the art, I have become a better man and father to my children. It helped me work out all the painful memories by "working them out" through blood, sweat, and tears. I remember many times as a young man crying my way through the entire class while training. He didn't care about my feelings, but he cared about my perfection of technique and power because it would help me survive the real world. He would say (in Korean), "You think the attacker on the street cares if you had a bad day, or that your arm is sore, or that your family member died, NO! He will kill you just the same! Wake up!! He will exploit your weakness at that moment! " It was sobering. It made me remember this everytime when I saw the movie "The Last Samurai". When the little boy wrote that Kanji character for Tom Cruise's character. That character was the symbol for 'Moment". You only have that moment for that moment. After it is gone, you have wasted that moment. Take the chance, train hard, live well, love as much as you can, and give all you can to better yourself to help others. This is the Bushido Code. Place others higher than your self. Jesus said it as well. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

This is YOUR moment. Live it NOW! Take that chance! GO FOR IT!

2008-04-28T14:48:00.002-04:00

This is the beginning of my blogging sessions for the art of Hapkido. I am hoping it will help all of you in your training and understanding of the art. You can email me from here and I will post videos and pics on here from time to time. Keep you self up to date by visiting it everyday!

It's toward the end of the month and the children tested this last Thursday with make up tests on Saturday. Everyone did great! Next month is adult testing and I am hoping everyone in this cycle is not as nervous as last time. They all did excellent last time, but then there is always the nervous energy before the test. I know that all of you are nervous each and every time. I expect that.

Tonight we will work on basics since it is Monday. Everyone looks forward to basics. It know it allows them to perfect their balance and power. Friday nights are the most exciting night of the week with the "randori" freestyle. That's where everyone gets on the mat and attacks each student as a mob. It increases reaction time and let's them know if they are up to par.

There will be changes to this blog to make it more interactive as we go along.
If any of you have any suggestions or can help spruce it up, let me know.

See everyone in class tonight! I am excited each and everyday to see all of you!

Master Allen