The Self Preservation Reflex by Richard Hackworth

THE SELF PRESERVATION REFLEX

 

Self preservation is the first law of nature. Deep within every living being there is the self preservation reflex. It is a neurological reaction to a deadly situation that gives us great strength, speed and timing when our lives depend on it. When studying martial arts the goal of any practitioner is to achieve the self preservation reflex. Learning to achieve this is the difficult part! Can anyone learn it? Yes, if they have the perseverance to undergo rigorous training, learning, believing, and finally the ability to let go! What does the self preservation reflex do for you? Well, it allows you to in a way perform magic! It allows you to perform complex movement without thought!

 

That is the key, without thought! Imagine you are attacked and you have to think what you need to do to defend yourself. That thought process will invariably slow you down, so slow that you are at a distinct disadvantage. Imagine the attacker, who has already thought out his attack strategy. You are at a disadvantage because they act first and have a preplanned attack strategy. Now the situation is compounded because you have to think through your defensive strategy and pick an appropriate tactic (palm heel strike, etc.) to counter their tactics. This is slow, not impossible, but slower than if one is in the self preservation reflex. If you slip into the self preservation reflex then you bring your training, understanding, faith, morals etc. together without thought to defend yourself. In other words you defend yourself without thought! Amazing yes, but impossible to develop, absolutely not! Slipping into the instinctive response is the key. Once you achieve this, your skills have certainly developed to a new and incredibly effective level. In this state, everything slows down, at least to you. Things happen like lightning as your body moves, opponents seem completely vulnerable and unable to stop your counter attacks. More importantly as you protect yourself, all of this is over in the blink of an eye and your technique, training, knowledge, morals and spirit are brought to bear to defend yourself or your loved ones. Entering into the self preservation reflex is the true method of bringing together the physical, mental and spiritual side of the martial arts. Best of all, if you are willing to train, understand, have faith and let go then you can achieve this too! It is available for everyone and anyone! Even people who have not undergone training can achieve this state too, however they enter into it more out of luck than anything else. I for one, do not wish to leave this to chance and therefore I have trained

almost my entire life to be able to bring the physical, mental and spiritual side of the martial arts together when needed.

 

How to achieve this? First, let us start off with the training aspect. It is vitally important to train and when I say this I mean train. Train with passion, train with importance, train correctly, train with a quality instructor, but first and foremost train. Even if you are away from your instructor for a period of time or cannot attend class because of work, etc. TRAIN! Train in class at the training hall, train out of class at home, but make no mistake that the importance of training your body cannot be taken for granted. Our bodies can be like well oiled machines that can perform miraculous feats when needed to, but if we lie around and let them get stagnant, well, they may not perform for us when we need them most. So in the end, we must take the approach that our body is our temple and we will treat it right! Part of training is eating right and nourishing our body appropriately. Then exercising our bodies and achieving our peak athletic potential. If you throw yourself into your training regimen learning martial arts then you will have the potential to enter into the self preservation reflex!

 

Next one must learn and understand the knowledge of what is being taught. Learn the martial arts techniques, strategies, tactics, ethics, morals etc. and delve into them and understand them. When I say understand, I mean truly make them a part of you. Not solely by rote or by memory but make them part of your being, your spirit, your essence. Understanding comes from learning martial arts in class, applying it in class, then working on it out of class by yourself. Solo training makes for the most improvement when done correctly. When I say correctly, that means that you cannot solo train poorly or in direct contradiction to your training in the training hall and expect to achieve good results. One must solo train with an eye for perfection of the technique that one has been taught!

 

Faith, this five letter word has been used for a long, long time by our human race. What does it mean? Well, one must believe in what one is doing, learning, etc. You simply must have belief in your training, your knowledge, your spirit! Faith in martial arts truly separates the unique martial artist from the non unique. Those people who train, understand and have faith are truly fearsome when confronted.

Believe in what you are doing, believe in your teachers guidance, believe in your own innate abilities and your understanding of the martial arts that you study. Most importantly you have to believe! This is what separates some martial artists. There are many martial artists who lack faith in their training or teaching. One only needs to look at some Internet forums and you will see many who really do not have faith in their training, knowledge and spirit. They also generally do not have faith in their teachers! This faith is essenctial, find a system or art of martial art that you can believe in!

 

Finally, you must let go! Yes, that is it! You have to let go of everything and just connect with your unique spirit. When you let go, you bring your training, knowledge and faith together. This allows the self preservation reflex to come out. When this happens, if you are being attacked, you will have a very good chance of defending yourself and your loved ones effectively. Everything seems to slow down when you are in the self preservation reflex! Everything and anything are possible in this state! Average humans have accomplished amazing feats by going into the self preservation reflex, but to get there you have to Let Go! This is sometimes the most difficult aspect but really, if you take care of the first three principles i.e. Training, Knowledge and Faith, letting go is easy!!! Once you have accomplished this it is easy to do it again, and again and again. It is like learning how to walk once you have it, you have it! Just Let Go!

 

The self preservation reflex is really what all martial arts are striving for. Some systems and arts may not even talk about it, but it is there. Some systems and arts may talk about it using different words such as the void, mushin (mind – no mind) or other various phrases. It is found in all endeavors, from athletics to academics. It is just that people around the world have found different ways of explaining it. Some people call it the void, mushin, the zone, the flow, etc. Regardless, it is a part of our species and anyone and everyone can achieve it if they are willing to Train, Learn, have Faith and finally Let Go! Good luck on your martial quest and may all of the martial artists before you bless your path.

 

About the author: Richard Hackworth is the host of the “World Martial Arts Magazine Radio Show” at www.actionradio.net sponsored by www.worldmartialartsmagazine.com .

Hapkido and Jujitsu Techniques

If you like Hapkido and Jujitsu finger locking techniques then you will want to read this review!

DVD Review by Dr. R.W. Stone

As I have mentioned in previous articles I have an extensive collection of martial arts training tapes and DVD’s.  There was a period in my life when I believed I could bypass the  traditional training systems and speed up my martial arts prowess by entering the world  of visual technologies.  Like many, I fell prey to the ads that were popular about ten years ago with titles like “Learn the Secrets Other Shaolin Monks Won’t Reveal” or “This Tape Will Turn an Old Overweight Executive into a Navy Seal In Two Weeks Without any Exercise!”

It took me a while and quite a few bucks to realize that when I tried these self taught techniques in class they always seemed to result in getting my butt kicked by my instructors.  I finally I realized is that there is no quick fix and no way to learn the touch and feel necessary for most techniques to be truly effective.  Learning form a tape with a bad camera angle or a superficial discussion of  a pressure point can be the difference between successfully  applying a devastating or  incapacitating grip and having your opponent laugh just before he decimates you.

Over the years I have seen truly professionally produced videos that sadly featured unqualified want- to- be media stars,  poorly produced videos using  improper filming techniques so the viewer can’t benefit from truly talented artists, and videos that purport to offer valuable instruction while wasting the viewer’s time with long-winded unsubstantiated theory and unabashed lies about the artists credentials.

Every now and then however a truly valuable tool is produced that can be of benefit from both a practical and theoretical standpoint.  These are videos from practitioners with years of experience, filmed by professionals and offering just enough techniques to learn in the time allotted.  One such DVD I just finished watching and reviewing is Dynamic Fingerlocks volume 1 featuring Sensei John Borter, available from Single Step Productions.   Sensei Borter is a senior instructor of Modern JuJitsu and holds the equivalent rank of 5th dan.  He also pays homage to the influence received while  training in Small Circle JuJitsu.

Some of the qualities I like to see in a good martial arts video are
1. A short but thorough explanation of the technique followed by
2. A practical demonstration at normal speed
3. A slow motion demonstration of the technique with repeated explanations
4. A change in camera angle to view in slow motion the technique from all sides and above
5. Demonstrating the technique with the other hand or leg
6. An explanation of the errors commonly made while attempting the technique
7. Finishing with a repeat of the technique in full speed real time.
8. Limiting the number of techniques taught to an appropriate number for the time allotted.
9. Limiting instruction on film to valuable techniques and tools, not just filler material.

This fingerlock DVD filled those requisites very nicely and even added some subtitles for emphasis which was a very nice touch.  Anyone who might question the value of such techniques has merely to see the first one demonstrated to realize how devastating and painful they can be and to realize the control they afford the  practitioner over his or her opponent.

I would like to take this opportunity to explain how I now view the use of such DVD’s.  I no longer believe their principle value is as a rapid replacement for traditional training.  I especially resent those who would use them as a quick way for a pseudo master to learn techniques to teach in a daily lesson plan.  I believe  that martial arts videos have a useful purpose as a reference tool to help the student review techniques already learned or as a way of exposing the student to the variety of other options available to be learned in the future.

I realize that many traditional martial arts schools have a prohibition about students requesting to be taught specific techniques or requesting that the instructor demonstrate something they want to see rather than merely following the prescribed course.  This might (in my humble opinion) be one area where the traditional philosophy might bend a little.  Exposure to new technologies is not a bad idea and perhaps such requests shouldn’t always be frowned upon. After all the instructor can always refuse by explaining that such a technique is above the students pay grade (to coin a phrase)   Sensei Borter is articulate and obviously talented in his area of expertise.

I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone’s library.  His explanation of the importance of the techniques and of the history of how he came to learn them was interesting and brief.  I could not fault any of the graphics, cinematography or technique choreography, except to say that I felt sorry for the recipient (or uke) of all those finger locks.  He must be double jointed.

If there were to be one area of critique (and it wouldn’t be a fair review without some criticism) I would recommend the occasional use of humor and energy to hold the viewer’s attention.  I also think that some scene changes in an instructional film can be important for holding one captivated.   I realize it is difficult to go on location but it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.  Interjecting a scene change or even adding some simulated background can make a world of difference.

While I can certainly learn from a video filmed entirely in a dojo, (and this one was as good as it gets), demonstrating one or two of the real world defense techniques on location in perhaps a parking lot or a crowded restaurant can mean the difference between a good lesson and a spectacular one.

That said I have added this DVD to my library and intend to continually review it as I am sure the techniques taught will give me a decided advantage.
Dr. Ron Stone

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An American Hapkido Icon: Grandmaster Gary Pointer

Hapkdio Self Defense Instructor –  Grandmaster Gary M. Pointer’s humble martial arts journey began over 40 years ago in Saint Louis, MO.  Through the years, Grandmaster Pointer has had the opportunity to be personally invited and trained by some of the world’s highest ranking Grandmasters.  Over the decades, he has studied several martial arts disciplines and systems including but not limited to Karate, Gung Fu, JiuJitsu, TaeKwonDo, Hap-Ki-Do, Shootfighting, etcetera; with some of the world’s leading authorities in their respective fields of those  arts. 

In the earlier years, his initial training within the Korean and Japanese military arts disciplines began respectfully under Kyung Woo Yu (ChungDoKwan TaeKwonDo) and Melvyn P. Brown Sensei, 10^th Dan founder of  Yoshin Ryu ‘Combat’ JiuJitsu.  Master Yu encouraged young Pointer to train with Chung Do Kwan’s TaeKwonDo 9^th Dan Grandmaster Duk Sung Son of New York, NY.  During his travels Grandmaster Pointer also learned from Master Earl Alston and 9^th Dan Grandmaster Russell J. Perron (TangSooDo) from Denver, CO.  Grandmaster Pointer also continued his traditional Korean studies with ChungDoKwan TaeKwonDo’s 9^th Dan Grandmaster Jong Song Kim and the founder of HanMuKwan Hap-Ki-Do and the former Korea Hapkido Federation Technical Director, 9^th Dan Grandmaster Yong Ki Song from South Korea.  Upon Grandmaster Pointer’s release from active duty military, he was introduced to 10^th Dan Grandmaster Leo D. Wilson (MYB or Shin-Shin JuJutsu and MYB or Shin Nagre Karate) founder of the Midori Yama BudoKai.  He also was very fortunate to have met and been invited to study with martial arts Icon and pioneer Dr. Moses Powell, 10^th Dan founder and creator of the Sanuces Ryu Eye-to-Eye JiuJitsu system.  These experiences, events and opportunities were truly a blessing for Grandmaster Pointer to have these gentlemen of the martial arts as friends, teachers, mentors and guides of the martial way.

Grandmaster Pointer also has alliances and affiliations with several international and national martial arts entities in which he has chartered recognition as a certified, registered and licensed ranked Grandmaster instructor, administrator and official representative within  the Korean and Japanese military arts and sciences.  Currently, he is a member of the executive board of directors for the Korean Martial Arts Instructor’s Association and the United States’ national director for the Korea Hapkido Federation HaeMuKwan.  Grandmaster Pointer is also humbled and honored to be a historic member of the world’s first and most prestigious grandmaster’s organization, the World Head of Family Sokeship Council.

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Hapkido’s Founder: Yong Sool Choi

History of Hapkido: Yong Sool Choi (1904- 1986)

Yong-Sool Choi is recognized as the founder of Hapkido worldwide and was given the title of Dojunim. Yong Sool Choi was born in Chung Buk province in Korea, was one of the most influential people in the development of modern Korean martial arts. His parents died when he was very young, and he was taken to Japan from Korea by a Japanese candy maker when he was 8 or 9. Choi became very homesick and was abandoned by the candy maker so he had to wander the streets as a beggar which resulted in him being regularly assaulted by other children.

A Japanese man noticed Choi’s situation so he took Choi in and eventually adopted him. Before Choi went to school to get an education, his name was changed to Tatujutu Yoshida.

His education was not a success because he did not speak enough Japanese to understand the teachers. He became disinterested and often wound up fighting with the other school-children, so he was asked if he wanted to get a regular education or learn to fight.

He chose fighting, and went to a Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jutsu dojo with Sokaku Takeda (1860-1943), where he trained for nearly 30 years. He began to make plans to return home to Korea and did so in the winter of 1945. Upon his return, he changed his name back to Yong-Sool Choi.

During the trip home, Choi lost his money and the certificates which were proof of his training with Takeda Sensei. Because of this lack of money, he decided to stay in Tae Gu rather than to return to his home in Chung-Buk. He worked as a bread salesman on the street for a year, and managed to save enough money to begin raising pigs. To feed his pigs, he would travel to the Suh Brewery Company to obtain free leftover grain chaff.

In 1947, Bok-Sub Suh, who was the president of the Suh Brewery Company, witnessed Choi defend himself successfully against several attackers, with little effort. He was very impressed so he sent someone down to bring this man to his office.

Suh asked Choi what kind of martial arts he practiced. Choi didn’t answer, instead he just asked Suh to grab him by the lapel. When Suh grabbed the lapel, Choi easily executed an elbow lock and threw Suh to the floor. Suh grabbed Choi’s lapel again, and he was thrown to the floor a second time. After being defeated twice, Suh asked for Choi to teach him, promising him more free chaff, as well as paying him for lessons.

Choi agreed so Suh prepared a Dojang at the brewery where Choi could teach what he had studied for so many years in Japan.

Over the next few years, Choi began to establish himself as an outstanding, well respected martial arts instructor. He called his art Yoo Sool (Korean pronunciation of Ju-Jitsu). He mainly taught what he had learned from Takeda Sensei, slowly adding other techniques, including some kicks and weapon techniques.

Suh suggested to Choi that the name Yoo Sool be changed to Yoo Kwon Sool, to represent the fact that as well as joint locks and throwing techniques, they were also practicing strikes and kicks.

After the end of the Korean war, he opened his own private school and began to teach a few other students. This was in 1953. Some of the students during this period had already founded, or have gone on to found their own martial art styles. These include, Hwang-Kee (Tang-Soo-Do), In-Hyuk Suh (Kuk Sool Won), Dr. Joo-Bang Lee (Hwa Rang Do), and Han-Jae Ji (Hapkido).

Yong Sool Choi’s influence on martial arts world wide is historical. This month’s issue of World Martial Arts Magazine is dedicated to his memory.
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From the South Lake Press News Paper in Clermont, Florida

At a Hapkido school in Clermont, Florida a 15 Year Old Girl Earns Third Black Belt!

Clermont, Florida Hapkido Black Belt Andrea Stone

Andrea Marie Stone, a 15 year old student at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Florida recently earned a black belt in her third martial art.  Having previously achieved 1st degree rank in the Korean martial arts of TaeKwondo and TangSooDo, Andrea switched to Hapkido when her family moved to Clermont from Miami.

“I could have continued on with TaeKwondo, but I prefer the more realistic self defense training that Hapkido offers.  It’s not a sport or a stylistic art, but rather a reality based self defense system for both men and women.  It’s what they teach the Korean police and Special forces. I visited and trained at every martial arts school in Clermont, Florida and was lucky to find the best school.”

Andrea trains in Clermont at the American Dragon Martial Arts Academy, located at 1158 Fifth Street in Clermont.  Her instructor, Master Mi Yi, is a sixth degree internationally reknown expert and co founder of the DukHoKwan style of Hapkido.  She also holds a fifth degree in Tae Kwon do and offers instruction in either art for both adults and children, as well as offering an after school program.

Hapkido Black Belt Andrea Stone of Clermont, Florida

“I like training under a Korean instructor,” Andrea explained.  “You get a more accurate explanation of what the moves mean and how they are supposed to be applied.  I have been doing this since I was five and can really tell the difference.  Of course I’m still learning, but I do know that you don’t want any mistakes or have any misconceptions when it comes to self defense training. That is why I want to learn from the best.”

For further information on th best Hapkido or TaeKwonDo training you can contact the American Dragon Martial Arts Academy in Clermont, Florida. Ph 352-536-1122.
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Hapkido Grandmaster Dong Kyun Kim

Grand Master Dong Kyun Kim

Leading the Future of Hapkido

In November of 2007 several of the Hapkido organizations united to form the Korean Hapkido Federation. This organization is dedicated to the support of Hapkido worldwide. Teaching the Korean standards for Hapkido on a worldwide scale has rarely been accomplished.

Grand Master Dong Kyun Kim is a R.O.K. Army Commando who has studied Hapkido all of his life. As a Commando he has also studied TukongMuSool. A military form of Hapkido that is also gaining popularity worldwide.

One of the goals of the Korean Hapkido Federation is to demonstrate the beauty of Hapkido around the globe. One way they have accomplished this is by encouraging the establishment of National Demonstration Teams. The Korean Hapkido Federation will be hosting the World Demonstration Team Championship in KwangJu, Korea. Martial Arts teams of all styles from around the world will be gathering in KwangJu to demonstrate the beauty of thier arts.

Grand Master Dong Kyun Kim has decided to make himself as accessible as possible for training events to personally oversea the progression of raising the standards of Hapkido in all countries. He has been appointing national representatives in as many countries as possible. Grand Master Kim appoints natives of that country whenever possible. “Hapkido can only grow if foreign masters are given the same training and support as Korean masters.” said Grand Master Kim. He went on to say: “Many of the Hapkido organizations were Korean based and did not teach the same level of Hapkido outside of Korea. Offering advanced certifications to non-Korean masters only as a way of generating income for the headquarters. We have put a stop to such promotion practices. ALL members of the Korean Hapkido Federation are given the same level of training no matter where they live in the world. We welcom everyone to join.”

Before becoming the President of the Korean Hapkido Federation, Grand Master Kim was recognized as the world’s leading expert on ancient Korean military arts weapons. A master of 16 ancient Korean weapons, Grand Master Kim also serves as the Vice President of the World Sword Arts Federation. (www.worldswordarts.org) He has encouraged Hapkido instructors to include many of these weapons in their systems to preserve these ancient fighting skills.

Grand Master Dong Kyun Kim invites everyone to visit Korea and participate in the World Demonstration Team Championships.

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Grandmaster Bong Soo Han We Miss You

Hapkido Movie Star: Grand Master Bong Soo Han

Grand Master Bong Soo Han

Born Han Bong-Soo on August 25, 1933 in Incheon, South Korea, known as Bong Soo Han in the United States, died on January 8, 2007 in Santa Monica, California. Han was a martial arts instructor, author, the founder of the International Hapkido Federation and one of the foremost promoters of Korean Hapkido through his participation in books, magazine articles and popular films featuring the art.
Han Bong-Soo was one of the world’s foremost practitioners of the Korean martial art of Hapkido. He is often referred to as the “Father of Hapkido” in America.

Han began his study of Hapkido as a teenager with Yong Sul Choi in Seoul, Korea. He studied and refined this powerful Korean martial art for more than 50 years. He held the rank of 9th Dan Black Belt. He was the founder of the International Hapkido Federation, and was its president until his death.

Throughout his life, Han led a dedicated effort in the ongoing development of Hapkido.

During the occupation of Korea by Japan, between the years of 1910 and 1945, all school-age children were required to read, write and speak Japanese. In addition they were taught judo and kendo for discipline and physical education. Han Bong Soo studied these arts from 1943-1945.

From 1948 to 1950, Han studied kwon bup, which was a mixture of Chinese chuan fa methods and Shudokan karate, and earned a black belt in the art under the late Master Byung In Yoon. Yoon’s teachings later led to the development of one of the Korean schools of kong soo do and greatly influenced two of the early schools who helped to form modern Taekwondo, the changmookwan and the jidokwan. At the outbreak of the Korean War all schools of the martial arts were closed in Korea.

There is some controversy as to how Han was introduced to the art of hapkido. In previously cited sources and a personal interview Han stated that he first began his study of Hapkido under its founder, Yong Sul Choi, in 1953. However some of his contemporaries like Kwon Tae-Man and Kimm He-Young assert that his training began first in Ji Han Jae’s SungMooKwan group and training with Choi Yong Sul came at a later time.

In the late 1950s, Han Bong Soo would meet with other instructors to train and exchange ideas. From time to time, between 1956 to 1959, he traveled to Hwa Chun, Kang Won Province, where he spent time training in the art of tae kyon, under Master Bok Yong Lee.
Discovering hapkido Han and his friend Choi Seo-Oh were both employed by the Hankuk Shil Up Company which assisted other companies in bidding on Army surplus goods. Both had prior training in striking based martial arts, Choi in the Jido kwan Taekwondo and Han in kwon bup and tae kyon. However they both joined Ji’s Joongbooshijang hapkido dojang in 1958 to receive extra training in order to become bodyguards to Korean Labour Party presidential candidate Jun Jin-Han. When Jun withdrew his candidacy they both decided to continue their training in hapkido.

Han Bong-Soo being older and a native of Seoul was instrumental in assisting Ji Han Jae, a senior student of Choi Yong Sul, promote the first hapkido school in the country’s capital city. In 1959 Bong Soo Han opened his own hapkido school in the Samgangji section of Seoul. Han became one of the most important teachers in the very influential Korea Hapkido Association and taught many important people in the both the Korean military and the Korean presidential guard. Eventually he secured a position teaching martial arts to U.S. security personnel at the Osan American air force base where he continued to teach for 6 years.

In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Han taught self-defense to hundreds of American and Korean military personnel as part of a demonstration team for the Korea Hapkido Association that later became the Korea Hapkido Federation.

The United States
Later in 1967 he immigrated to the United States first staying with and teaching at his friend Choi Sea-Oh’s hapkido school in California later opening his own school in Los Angeles in 1968. His early years were difficult and he worked in factory during the day while he taught at a struggling hapkido school in the evening located in an economically depressed area. Later he relocated his school to the Pacific Palisades area in an effort to be closer to Hollywood and the movie industry.

On July 4, 1969, Han Bong Soo was performing a demonstration at a park in the Pacific Palisades, California. In the audience was Tom Laughlin. After a spectacular demonstration, Laughlin approached Han about being involved in a movie project called Billy Jack. Han gained critical acclaim for creating and staging some of the most realistic martial arts fight sequences in a film. Before Billy Jack, movies contained at most brief references to martial arts, with fights portrayed by actors who had little training. With Billy Jack, Han had introduced Hapkido to the West. In its sequel he received a co-starring part where he spoke about and demonstrated the art, mentioning the art by name for the first time.

Han continued to choreograph, double, star in, and produce films with martial arts sequences. In 1977, he played the evil Dr. Klahn in the segment A Fistful of Yen in the spoof film, The Kentucky Fried Movie.

Han Bong Soo has been the subject of many magazine and newspaper articles, martial arts magazine cover stories, and was a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 1999. He was also featured in the A&E documentary, The Martial Arts and the Wesley Snipes-produced Master of the Martial Arts.

In addition to being cited in dozens of martial arts books, he wrote many articles on the Way of martial arts, and also authored the book, Hapkido, The Korean Art of Self-Defense, that was published by Ohara Publications in 1974, which is now in its 23rd printing. He completed a series of ten instructional Hapkido DVDs which are in worldwide distribution.

In 1974, Han founded the International Hapkido Federation. On July 6, 2006 Black Belt Magazine presented the International Hapkido Federation with its 2006 Industry Award for Best Traditional School for its commitment to preserving the legacy of Hapkido.

Han Bong Soo died at his home in Santa Monica, California on January 8, 2007. He will be truly missed by all but his contribution to the growth of Hapkido will never be forgotten.

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The Korean Hapkido Federation blog is gaining popularity

The Korean Hapkido Federation blog is receiving more hits every day skyrocketing it up the search engine rankings. Thank you for your considerable support in spreading the word about this blog. The more people you send the link to the more visitors we get. Thanks again for making us the most popular Hapkido blog on the internet!

My radio show is also growing in popularity. We are now getting over 14,000 login listeners each week to the “World Martial Arts Radio Show”. Our special show on below standard Hapkido masters was so popular that we are going to replay it once a week for the next 3 months giving it the most exposure of any show.

Richard Hackworth receives Hapkido Grand Masters License from the World Headquarters in Korea

P.S. Be sure to let your friends in Hapkido know to rush right over to World Martial Arts Media and listen for our shows! Your hard work in spreading the word is making us famous!!! Thank you again for your support.

Our new season of shows starts in just 3 weeks so don’t miss it.

If you want to learn authentic Korean Hapkido from a licensed and certified instructor then visit this link www.haemukwan.com  . Don’t forget to get your free subscription at www.worldmartialartsmagazine.com