Hapkido Rank Requirements to 1st Guep

I have posted this rank requirements outline from the Korean Hapkido Federation so that people can get a better understanding of what they should be learning at each rank on the way to black belt. These are the minimum requirements that are taught at Hapkido schools in Korea. I hope that you find the outline useful. This outline is used by more than 70 styles of Hapkido in Korea. So even if the individual techniques are different the order of teaching is the same that way people can continue to progress in rank even if they change styles in Korea. If you are looking for a great Hapkido school that teaches the Korean standards visit www.haemukwan.com .

To your success,

Richard Hackworth 

HAEMUKWAN TESTING REQUIREMENTS

9TH GUEP

Kyung-Nae: (Etiquette): formal class opening and closing

Dojang Kyu-Chik: Learn Hapkido School Rules & Etiquette

SulYunsaeng Kyu-Chik: Learn Hapkido Student Creed & Student Oath

Soo-Chik: Students of the Korean martial arts adhere to the 4 fundamental guidelines of Mudo Philosophy:

1. To be Loyal to one’s parents and family

2. To be Brave during battle

3. To be living Honestly and cleanly both mentally and physically

4. To be Trustworthy and helpful toward others

Won-Ri 1: Principles of Non-Resistance: When pushed, Pull. When pulled, Push. This is the fundamental application of the principle of non-resistance.

Won-Ri 2: Principle of Off balancing: Breaking balance.

Epson Dan-jun Ho-hup: (Breathing) Ki exercises 4 standing

Chason Dan-jun Ho-hup: 4 seated

JaSe: Stances

1. Cha-yun Che: Natural

2. Cha-yun Che: Natural at 45

3. Ki-ma Jasae: Horse

4. Ki-ma Jasae: Horse at 45

5. Ki-ma Jasae: Horse from the side

6. Dweet-Ku-bi Jasae: Back

7. Bumsoegi Jasae: Cat

8. Ahp-Ku-bi Jasae: Front

9. KongGyok Jasae: Fighting Stance

10. SooBi Jasae: Blocking Stance

SonMokSool: Wrist grab defenses:

Wrist Grabs: Escapes 1-5 (Baygi)

Escapes and Strikes 1-5 (Chigi)

Sleeve Grab: 1-5 Breaks (Goki)

KiBon Jasae: Basic Tumbling and Rolling From kneeling & squating position

AhpGurugi: Forward Roll, DweetGurugi: Backward Roll, OkgaeGurugi: shoulder Roll

Nahk-bop: Falls: from kneeling & squating position

Chunbang Nahk-bop: Front Fall, ChaChukbang Nahk-bop: Left Side Fall, WooChukbang Nahk-bop: Right Side Fall, and HooBang Nahk-bop: Back Fall

TonJiGi: 5 Basic Throws from wrist grab

Shoulder Throw, Hip Throw, Major Reap, Leg Sweep, Shoulder Wheel

1. Shoulder- hook under shoulder

2. Hip- grab belt

3. Reap- their leg back

4. Leg Sweep- their leg forward

5. Shoulder Wheel- hook under other shoulder

DanShik Palchagi: Fundamental single kicks:

Ahp-chagi: Front, Yup-chagi: side, DweYup-chagi: back, DweKumchi Cha-Uligi: leg raise, Andari-chagi: inside, Pakahtdari-chagi: outside

Low Kicks (Knee to Foot) 1-5

Andaricha-noki: Scoop Kick to shin

Dwekumchi hataebu-doluchagi: Sweep Heel Kick (Inside of the Knee)

Chokdohadan-douchagi: Round Kick (to Outside of the Knee)

NopJukdari-chagi: Hook Kick (to the Outside of the Knee)

HadanYup-chagi: Side Kick (Front of the Knee)

Hadanchago-naryu-jiki: Side Kick and Stomp (Front of the Knee Top of the Foot)

PalBang Maki: Hand & Arm Blocks against punching

1. Rising, High

2. Down, Low

3. Inside, palm facing you

4. Outside, palm facing away

5. Parry, 45 degree angle down

6. Parry, 45 degree angle up

7. Cross Palm

8. Downward Palm

JiRuGi: Strikes against punches:

1. Inside

2. Outside

Note: Your body dictates whether it is an inside, or outside technique, not your hands. Both are knife hand strikes to the radial nerve point on top of the forearm.

Grab and joint lock or break against punches 1-2

Grab and throw against punches 1-2 Head hook throw, Arm lock throw

JinTeSool: Advancing and retreating footwork

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

8TH GUEP

WiBok-sool: (Clothing Grab defense)

Sleeve Grab at the Wrist Top 1-5

Sleeve Grab at the Wrist Bottom 1-5

Sleeve Grab at the elbow Top 1-5

Sleeve Grab at the elbow Bottom 1-5

Sleeve Grab Under the Shoulder 1-5

Sleeve Grab at the Shoulder 1-5

Lapel Grab One Hand and Two Hand Grab 1-5

Lapel Grab Fist Up, Thumb Up, Thumb Down

Escape from the Mounted Position 1-5

Middle Kicks (Waist to Knee)

Inverted Round Kick

Round Kick (to the Thigh)

Up Kick (to the Groin)

Pushing Kick (to the Groin)

Heel Kick (to the Groin)

Single Kicks: Ax, hammer, outside cresent, inside cresent, push

Basic Tumbling and Rolling from standing position, return to stance

Forward Roll, Backward Roll, shoulder Roll

Falls (Naup-Po): from standing position

Front Fall, Left Side Fall, Right Side Fall, and Back Fall

Cartwheel

DanJunKiBup: Ki breathing lying on back

TESTING REQIREMENTS

7TH GUEP

Chest Grab with 1 hand 1-5

Chest Grab with 2 hands 1-5

Side Body Grab1-5

Arm Twist 1-5

Defense against choke from front 1-5

Defense against choke from rear 1-5

SuBakSool: Closed Hand Striking

Punching

Hammer Fist

Hapkido Back Fist

MuRyup-Chagi: Knee Kicks: front, side, round

Hold Downs 1-7

1 Handed Cartwheel

Kicking footwork for stepping, sliding, turning, hoping, step over, step behind

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

6TH GUEP

Belt Grab with Palm Down 1-5

Belt Grab with Palm Up 1-5

Push from Front, Rear, and Side

Chest Push with 1 hand same side attack

Chest Push with 1 hand cross body attack

Chest Push with 2 hands front, side, rear attack

Bear hug: from the Front with Arms Pinned 1-5

Bear hug from the Front with Arms Free 1-5

Open Hand Striking: Palm Heel, Ridge Hand

Defense Against Kicks (Bang Jok Sul):

Front Kick

Side Kick

Kick- Up

Defense against throws 1-5

Yi-bun-bop Kyun-hyung WonRi: Bisecting Principle: The imaginary line running left to right across the tip of the sternum. Striking above this point causes the body of your opponent to lean away from you. Striking below this point causes the opponent to lean toward you.

Sonsul WonRi: Neural Stun Principle: Used as a preparatory technique to create a distraction.

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

5TH GUEP

Sa-bun-bop Kyun-hyun WonRi: Quadrant Principle: Divides the body into quarters from above view. Manipulating the quadrants will redirect your opponent to the exact position needed for your follow up technique.

Redirecting your opponent using the quadrant principle:

5 primary hair handles for control. 4 quadrants, top of head.

5 secondary handles for control: Left ear, right ear, chin, nose, brow line.

Hair Grab 1-5

Headlock Defenses: Front, side, rear

Single hand Collar Grab Behind the Neck from front 1-5

Single hand Collar Grab Behind the Neck from rear 1-5

Rear Shoulder Grab 1 hand Top 1-5

Rear Shoulder Grab 1 hand Bottom (arm pit) 1-5

Front shoulder Grab 1 hand Top 1-5

Front Shoulder Grab 1 hand Bottom (arm pit) 1-5

High Kicks (Head to Waist)

Round Kick

Side Kick

Front Kick

Hook Kick

Back Kick

Front Handspring

Grab and joint lock or break against punches 1-2

Grab and throw against punches 1-2

Body Movements: Footwork: side-to-side, pivoting, back spin, back step

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

4TH GUEP

Rear Sleeve Grab 1-5

Rear Wrist Grab 1-5

Bear Hug: from the Rear with Arms Pinned 1-5

Bear Hug: from the Rear with Arms Free 1-5

Rear Shoulder Grab 2 hand Top 1-5

Rear Shoulder Grab 2 hand Bottom (arm pit) 1-5

Front shoulder Grab 2 hand Top 1-5

Front Shoulder Grab 2 hand Bottom (arm pit) 1-5

Open Hand Striking: Knife Hand, Spear hand, Claw, Arc of the Hand

Defense Against a Hand Grab 1-5

Jump Dive Roll

JoWulBup: Basic Tumbling and Rolling with jump

Forward Roll, Backward Roll, shoulder Roll

Falls (Naup-Po): with jump

Front Fall, Left Side Fall, Right Side Fall, and Back Fall

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

3RD GUEP

Full Nelson Defense 1-5

Reverse Full Nelson Defense 1-5

Elbow Strikes 1-5

Low Spin Kicks

Low Round Kick

Low Spin Heel Kick

Leg Sweeps 1-5

Basic Chokes 1-5

Defense against head lock from front 1-5

Defense against head lock from side 1-5

Defense Against Kicks (Bang Jok Sul):

Roundhouse Kick

Hook Kick

Bokshik Pal-Chagi: Combination Kicking

Aerial Cartwheel

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

2ND GUEP

Open Hand Striking: Spear Finger, One Knuckle Punch, Middle Knuckle Punch

11 Primary Eye Strikes (historically used to penetrate helmet eye shield): Punch, Elbow, Finger Fan, Spear finger, Spear hand, Scissor hand, Deer hoof, Thumb spike, Thumb knuckle, Tiger Claw, Cranes beak, Snake mouth.

5 Directions of Eye manipulation with open hand strikes: In, Left, Right, Up, Down.

Open Hand Blocking: High open hand block, High X Block, Wrapping hand inside block, Wrapping hand outside block, Low X block, Low wrapping block, Inside Arm Wrapping block, Outside Arm wrapping block.

Short Stick Training: 10 Angles of attack, 7 fundamental strikes, 7 fundamental blocks, blocking & striking 2 man drill short stick vs. short stick, 2 man drill sword vs. short stick

Defense Against a Short Stick

Basic Jump Kicks

Side Lick

Front Kick

Round Kick

Advanced Combination Kicks

JunHaBup: Advanced Falling, Tumbling and Rolling with jump turning

Forward Roll, Backward Roll, shoulder Roll

Falls (Naup-Po): with jump turning

Front Fall, Left Side Fall, Right Side Fall, and Back Fall

TESTING REQUIREMENTS

1ST GUEP

Cross Wrist Grab Front and Rear 1-5

Both Wrist Grab Front and Rear hands together escapes 1-5

Both Wrist Grab Front and Rear hands apart escapes 1-5

Both Wrist Grab Front and Rear hands together techniques 1-5

Both Wrist Grab Front and Rear hands apart techniques 1-5

Defense From Kneeling Position

Front Attacks 1-5

Side Attacks 1-5

Rear Attacks 1-5

Jump Spin Kicks

Side Kick

Round Kick

Back Kick

Outside Kick

Heel Kick

Hook Kick

HyolDoBup: Pressure Point Techniques

Basic Pressure Point Striking to the front of the Body

(Sun Sul)

PoBakSool: Belt (Di as a weapon) Training

Defense Against a Club

Disarming Techniques

Defense Against a Knife from thrust, diagonal slash down, diagonal slash up, slash from left and right

Visit www.haemukwan.com to subscribe to a free hapkido training e-newsletter. Here is an example of what not to do in a Hapkido class http://www.gogvo.com/evp/video/23257/Fake-Grand-Master-Martial-Artists

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Hapkido Ki Breathing by Andrea Stone

Hapkido Ki Breathing (DanJun Hohup)

By Action Radio Network Spokes Model, Andrea Stone, Hapkido Black Belt at the American Dragon Martial Arts Academies in Clermont, Florida, certified by the Korean Hapkido Federation.

Hapkido Ki Breathing is an essential part of the Hapkido system. In the martial art of Hapkido we breath in, inhale, to build or develop Ki energy and we breath out, exhale, to move Ki energy. This allow the Hapkido practitioner to apply the moving Ki energy to their techniques. The Haemukwan Hapkido system is well know for this application of Ki energy in all of the techniques.

Hapkido Ki Breathing Exercise #1

To the Front

Step 1:  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees facing straight forward. Bend your knees slightly so you are almost in a horse-back-riding stance.  Tilt your pelvis forward so that your back is straightened and all your Ki centers are aligned, look straight ahead.

Step 2: For the first breath, inhale deeply, through your nose, bringing your hands up to your chest, with you fingers curled slightly to cup your hands.

Step 3: On the exhale, bend you knees further into the horse-riding stance so that you lower yourself straight down. At the same time, push your arms straight out in front of you, keeping your hands verticals, with palms parallel to each other.

Step 4: As you finish exhaling straighten back up and bring your hands back to chest level. 

Hapkido Ki Breathing Exercises #2

Upwards

Step 1:  Stand with your feet shoulder-length apart with your knees facing straight forward. Bend your knees slightly so you are almost in a horse-back-riding stance.  Tilt your pelvis forward so that your back is straightened and all your Ki centers are aligned, look straight ahead.

Step 2: For the first breath, inhale deeply, through your nose, bringing your hands up to your chest, with you fingers curled slightly to cup your hands.

Step 3: On the exhale, bend you knees further into the horse-riding stance so that you lower yourself straight down. At the same time, push your arms up, with your palms facing away from you. Your index fingers and thumbs should create the shape of a triangle. Bring your arms straight up over your head, as you look through the triangle. When you’ve reached tup as far as you can, you should have about finished exhaling, at which point you should lower your arms back to the resting position.

Hapkido Ki Breathing Exercise #3

Downwards

Step 1:  Stand with your feet shoulder-length apart with your knees facing straight forward. Bend your knees slightly so you are almost in a horse-back-riding stance.  Tilt your pelvis forward so that your back is straightened and all your Ki centers are aligned, look straight ahead.

Step 2: For the first breath, inhale deeply, through your nose, bringing your hands up to your chest, with you fingers curled slightly to cup your hands.

Step 3: On the exhale, bend you knees further into the horse-back-riding stance so that you lower yourself straight down. At the same time, turn your hands so palms face downward, with your index fingers and thumbs recreating the triangle shape from exercise 2. When you have pushed your arms all the way down, turn your palms outward, so that the backs of your hands are facing each other (thumbs down). Then rotate your hands back to the standard position and bring them straight up and straighten back into the standard resting position.  

Hapkido Ki Breathing Exercise #4

Outwards

Step 1:  Stand with your feet shoulder-length apart with your knees facing straight forward. Bend your knees slightly so you are almost in a horse-back-riding stance.  Tilt your pelvis forward so that your back is straightened and all your Ki centers are aligned, look straight ahead.

Step 2: For the first breath, inhale deeply, through your nose, bringing your hands up to your chest, with you fingers curled slightly to cup your hands.

Step 3: On the exhale, bend you knees further into the horse-back-riding stance so that you lower yourself straight down. At the same time push your arms out to your sides, as if trying to hold open the doors of an elevator manually. Once fully extended, rotate your wrists so that your hands are now thumbs-down. Keeping your elbows slightly locked, bring your arms back to the front, and when they meet in front of you, turn your hands so that your palms are parallel, and bring your arms back to the standard resting position.

About the author: Andrea Stone is a Black Belt in Haemukwan Hapkido at the American Dragon Martial Arts Academies in Clermont, Florida. She is also the official Spokes Model for the Action Radio Network and an honors student at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Florida.

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Kyung-Yea: The Bow of Acknowledgement

Kyung-Yea: The Bow of Acknowledgement

 The Standing Bow

 Bowing to each other is the most visible manifestation of martial arts etiquette. It is also the most misunderstood practices observed by “Western” students. The only exposure people in our culture have to the act of bowing, is with some type of worship. Many see bowing as an admission of subservience or inferiority. So the Western mind typically reacts to the idea of bowing with negative feelings.

 

In the East a bow is not a sign of subservience at all. It is used as a greeting, or it is used similar to the Western handshake or salute.

 

There are two types of bows that are practiced in Korean Martial Arts. The first is the standing bow. It is performed from an ‘attention’ posture by bending forward at the waist approximately 45 degrees and looking down as a sign of respect and trust. This bow is not held for any length of time. One should simply bow forward and then recover to ‘attention’ posture. Occasionally, situations arise where a Western handshake accompanies the standing bow. The handshake can be done either in conjunction with the bow or afterwards. Regardless of the timing of the handshake, proper etiquette is to always exchange a ‘two-handed’ handshake. This is performed by grasping the hand of the person you are embracing with both of your hands, or by placing the left hand (open and palm down) underneath and behind your right elbow.

 

The Kneeling Bow

 

The second type is the kneeling bow. It is the most formal type of bow, and is done at the beginning and end of each class, testing, promotion ceremony, demonstration, or seminar. All students should stop what they are doing and join in any time a formal bow is being performed. If you are injured, or not in uniform, a standing bow is appropriate.

 

The formal kneeling bow is performed beginning from an ‘attention’ posture. At the command “jung-swa” the left knee is placed where the left foot was while standing – this is followed by placing the right knee similarly where the right foot was – except that the right knee should be placed slightly wider so that a gap of one to two fist widths is created between the knees. The body may then be rested upon the heels. This is followed by moving the loose lengths of the belt to a position outside of the thighs. The hands are then placed, relaxed, on the inside of the thigh, close to the groin area.

At the command “kyung-yea,” the bow is completed by first placing the left hand, followed by the right hand on the floor in front of you, so the hands (touching) form a triangle.

 

When you bow, lower your forehead to the triangle created by the hands. This bow is typically held for 1-2 seconds. Recover to the original kneeling posture with the torso first rising to a position where the arms are nearly straight but still touching the floor – next, return the hands, left hand first, to their respective positions on the thigh near the belt knot. Standing from this position is accomplished by first rising up onto the knee’s and then placing the left foot where the left knee was touching the floor, followed by standing and drawing the right foot into position where the right knee was.

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A Lesson on Methods of Taoist Meditation by Richard Hackworth

A Lesson on Methods of Taoist Meditation

By Richard Hackworth, Ph.d., Lac.

The Taoist meditation practices are less abstract than their similar counterparts that evolved in India (the Hindu and Buddhist systems) and traveled to China as the teachings of Monks. One of the central focuses of Taoist meditation relates to the circulation of internal energy (called deh-chee). It can be used to promote a healthy lifestyle and extend life expectancy by improving spiritual relationships with the world. Practical aspects of Taoist meditation may relate to interests and activities such as self-knowledge, concentration, and spiritual healing. This concept is vital to the mental and spiritual development of true warriors.

According to the high monks of Shaolin and masters of meditation there are two elements making up meditation: the “jing,” which means calmness and stillness, and the “ding,” which stands for concentration and focus. Calmness is directed towards cutting off external factors of disturbance and enabling you to direct your attention toward your inner self.

By focusing on the breathing and allowing your mind to concentrate, you should achieve a state called “one-pointed awareness.” This state allows you to achieve a deep concentration, allowing you to get a better understanding of any elements that you are focusing on. There should be none, or very limited, distractions during this heightened awareness state. This technique may be used efficiently to find solutions to problems presented by the outside world. It also prepares you to deal with these difficulties.

The first steps of practicing Taoist meditation as a martial artist are often difficult as your mind is not willing to cooperate in the process. It is tough to tap into the high potential of the subconscious mind. Out thoughts tend to fly away, increasing confusion when we need clarity the most, bringing mental chaos when order is desired. There are six ways that enable you to recover your inner concentration and increase your ability to focus your mind.

1. Focus on the flow of energy throughout your body. Do this by paying special attention to your breathing, to the air going in and out of your lungs.
2. Take this a step further and focus on the contractions of your abdominal area as you breath in and out.
3. Imagine a candle, with your eyes shut. Shift your focus on the center of the flame, but don’t loose sight of the edges. At this stage, it is vital to eliminate or ignore all outside interferences.
4. Practice mantra, the ‘sacred syllables,’ which lead to a harmony of the mind and relaxation of the body. The three most effective syllables are ‘om’, which brings equilibrium to your body, ‘ah’, which balances your vital energy, and ‘hum’, which brings the spirit to a heightened state of awareness and focus. Chanting of the syllables should be done in a deep, low-pitched tone and with a long exhale of the air.
5. Allow your breathing to create a rhythmic “drumbeat” which will increase your energy and help you ignore outside interferences.

 

1. Focus on a symbol that is very important to you. This can be a loved one, a deity or a place or notion. When you feel relaxed and focused, switch back to the meditation.

About the author: Richard Hackworth is a multi-arts grand master , author of more than forty books and host of “The Richard Hackworth Show” at www.actionradio.net .Get $300 worth of free bonuses when you subscribe to his e-newsletter at http://www.richardhackworth.com .

Bridging Cultural Gaps with Martial Arts Training

Bridging Cultural Gaps with Richard and Mi Yi Hackworth

Understanding Korean thinking: The first step to bridging cultural gaps.

“What do Koreans think?” This question has intrigued Western practitioners of Korean martial arts since their first contact with the Korean culture after World War II. For Westerners living in Korea or training in Korean martial arts under the tutelage of Korean born instructors who are concerned with Korean-Western problems, it is important to understand the cultural influences that affect the Korean mind set. The thoughts, philosophies and personal value systems that Koreans function from. This understanding is necessary if one is to develop rapport, have meaningful communication, exchange ideas and enhance the student-instructor relationship to improve the learning process.

“What do Koreans think?” Koreans and Asians in general have had a distorted reputation for being inscrutable and impossible for the Westerner to understand. This is because as a culture Westerners have received most of their “education” about Asian culture, philosophy and ideas from martial arts movies. Movies that were made for entertainment, not education or to create insight. How can we truly learn about Korean thinking without a background in Asian philosophy, history, religions, sociology and anthropology? So that is where we will begin with this series of articles.

Undoubtedly, Koreans are very human in the same raw humanities and feelings that we all share. Westerners have had to learn to sublimate or cover up these feelings in order to be accepted in their own culture. Koreans cover up differently than Westerners. Korean people show their human nature without the modifications of centuries of Greco-Roman, Judeo-Christian, Anglo-Saxon heritage. Their modifications may be built on Shamanistic base, or are Buddhist, Confucian, because these are the century old concepts that influence the Korean culture.

Korean are surprisingly like Westerners in many ways. If you visit patient to patient in a hospital in Seoul, Korea and then visit patient to patient with people in a hospital in Orlando, Florida and notice the way they react is identical. How they react to pain, suffering, disappointment and dying. The deepest fears, hopes, motivations, loves, jealousies, insecurities, inferiority complexes and frustrations common to most people are easily recognized in Koreans. So the first key to bridging the cultural gaps between Koreans and Westerners is to begin with this realizations. People are people and we all have feelings and ideas.

Having lived in Korea for more than a decade and being both Korean and American, we have experienced all of the conflicts and misunderstanding that could come between two cultures during our twenty plus years of marriage. We hope that the resolutions that have helped us bridge these cultural gaps between the two of us can be helpful to everyone else who is crossing those cultures and influences in their daily lives through Korean martial arts training. Next time we will discuss the Korean language, learning the Korean language and how what we say is not always what the other person hears.

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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 .

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

Haemukwan Hapkido’s Purpose

The purpose of the Korea Hapkido Federation HaeMuKwan is to create a positive contribution to society by instilling positive characteristics in each and every student that participates in our program. These characteristics create a better person as well as a more productive member of society.

The Korea Hapkido Federation HaeMuKwan strives to utilize only the most effective instructional methods. We strive to teach the most effective yet practical self-defense techniques while maintaining our devotion to developing the character of each student.

Hapkido Grand Master Richard Hackworth on the set of "The Warrior's Quest" Movie

If each Haemukwan Hapkido student becomes a better person and maintains a positive mental attitude along with the willingness to put forth their best effort in everything he or she attempts in life, we can freely say that we have accomplished our goal.

We invite you to enjoy the many benefits of Hapkido by joining an officially licensed Korea Hapkido Federation HaeMuKwan school near you. We are proud to recommend the fine instructors listed in our directory of Korea Hapkido Federation HaeMuKwan affiliated schools.

Sponsored by www.haemukwan.com

Why choose Haemukwan Hapkido for health, safety, and fitness?

Hapkido is not only a great self defense martial arts system but an excellent form of fitness as well.

No person who is professionally involved in any aspect of maintaining health and physical fitness can doubt the genuine need for a realistic program for physical fitness.

Based on disturbing statistics of general poor health gathered by various state and national health agencies, it now seems the opinion of physicians, physical education instructors and other authorities that some sensible program for physical fitness must be initiated on a national scale. The Federal Government, well aware of the problem, has taken certain preliminary steps in this direction. However, it is the contention of the author that there is a serious error in the concept of the physical fitness program as it is currently being outlined and that unless this error is rectified the program cannot possibly succeed in its national intent. This is where Hapkido schools can help.

Richard Hackworth performs a powerful Hapkido high side kick

The basic mistake which has been made is to promote the idea of physical fitness in such a way that it has become associated in the minds of most people with vigorous activities, the emphasis being on the usual wearisome calisthenics, body building through jumping and running, the use of weights, hikes, sports. Because physical fitness is now associated with these types of activities, the majority of our population has physically and psychologically excluded itself from the entire idea!

The truth of the matter is that only a relatively small segment of the population will exercise with calisthenics for more than a short period of time (especially without constant supervision), because this type of exercising is tiring and simply not enjoyable. An infinitesimal number of people will consider conditioning themselves with the use of weights or through regular training or hiking. The people who play tennis, swim, bowl, play basketball, baseball, football, etc., have been doing these things in the past, enjoy them and will in all probability continue to do them without having to be encouraged. But only relatively few people indulge regularly even in these sports. Furthermore, it should be noted that we cannot properly consider weekly or Bi-weekly participation in bowling, tennis, golf, etc. to be a method of truly remaining fit. The truth of this statement will be evident as we proceed.

For a national physical fitness program to be of real value, it must be sufficiently comprehensive to include all segments of the population regardless of age, background or vocation, and must help to condition all systems of the body, i.e. not only the muscular and the circulatory, but the respiratory, nervous, endocrine and other aspects of the body. In addition, such a program must be enjoyable and stimulating so that one wants to exercise if for no other reason than that he or she feels a sense of well-being after exercising, not exhausted or strained as is so often the case with calisthenics or sports.

The system which meets all of the above requirements is the age-old physical movements and exercises comprising the system of HaeMuKwan Hapkido. Korea’s ancient form of physical training that includes energizing Ki-Kong breathing, relaxed stretching and dynamic tension muscle toning. The various routines of HaeMuKwan Hapkido exercises which are offered can easily be modified and extended to apply to every segment of the population from small children to the senior citizen. I invite you to give HaeMuKwan Hapkido a fair trail with a FREE Trial Lesson available at any HaeMuKwan Hapkido school. I can tell you from person experience you will begin to feel more energy, have better flexibility and an increase in overall health. It is our HaeMuKwan Hapkido schools guarantee!

Sincerely,

Richard Hackworth

Sponsored by www.haemukwan.com

Benefits of Haemukwan Hapkido

For Students: When you study HaeMuKwan Hapkido you will live a long healthy life. You will have life long physical fitness. You will have confidence from learning scientifically based self defense techniques. You will receive in depth studies of healing skills and advanced martial arts philosophy.

For Instructors: When you teach HaeMuKwan Hapkido you will have direct affiliation with the world headquarters in Korea. You will receive ongoing support, affordable international certification, FREE marketing program. You will also receive accelerated advanced training programs with professional quality educational resource materials.

Discovering HaeMuKwan…
The Korean Martial Art Of Self-Development

When morning covers the Korean sky, crowds gather in parks, university gardens and nearby temples: executives with briefcases, laborers in cotton, people young and old performing flowing exercises. Movements are silently synchronized, postures exotically simple, faces sublimely focused.

Richard Hackworth performs Hapkido two man throw

They are practicing Ki-Kong breathing, the 3000 year old discipline brought over by Buddhist monks visiting from China. Embracing philosophy, psychology, meditation, physical exercise and martial arts, the discipline can prevent everything from high blood pressure to tuberculosis and diabetes. Ki-Kong breathing is the first level of physical development training in the HaeMuKwan Hapkido system.

Those who used to roll their eyes at such HaeMuKwan Hapkido concepts as “Um and Yang” and allowing your energy, or Ki to flow unchecked are now looking beyond such abstract definitions into the heart and soul of this ancient concept. Bottom line, HaeMuKwan Hapkido could be very effective in reducing stress, improving balance, and providing a good workout as well.

While proper breathing and stretching are an important part of the HaeMuKwan Hapkido system it is just the beginning. HaeMuKwan Hapkido also employs the world’s most scientifically advanced self-defense training based on centuries old principles of non-resistance and circular force. When done correctly, HaeMuKwan Hapkido training makes you feel settled, relaxed and rejuvenated all over.

Sponsored by www.haemukwan.com