United
States News:
New Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do Club at San Diego State University:
Casey Abing, a Tae Soo Do Black Belt / Hwa Rang Do Blue Sash from
the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do club
who graduated with a degree in Physics will be starting a HRD/TSD
Club at San Diego State University (SDSU). He is pursuing a Master’s
Degree in Physics from SDSU and what better way to maintain and spread
the Hwarang Spirit than to teach a club.
After
receiving his Tae Soo Do black belt, he became an assistant instructor
for one year and furthered his training under Master David Kijek (Madison),
Instructor Bret Spoehr (Eau Claire), Instructor Rueben Van Hemert
(Eau Claire), and Instructor Joe Coughlin (River Falls). He also plans
to pursue his education in Hwa Rang Do by making it up to train with
Chief Master Lee every other Saturday. He currently trains five days
a week whenever he can take a break from his homework and studying.
He hopes to someday test for his black sash and teach the concepts
and ideals of Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do wherever he decides to settle
down.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact him e-mail:
cabing@yahoo.com or (715) 415-4591
Best of luck to you in your new club and way to go!
Longview Seminar:
Chief Master Taejoon Lee visited Longview, Washington for a two day
seminar on September 16 and 17. Over 25 students from the Hwa Rang
Do Longview School, Portland Club, and Evergreen Club, as well as
members of the Long Distance Program, attended and learned from Chief
Master Lee as he covered such material as self defense, kicking defense
and throwing, ki power and meditation, gotoogi basics and combinations,
and sword drawing and cutting.
The students and instructors were delighted to have Master Lee present
for this special event, and for many of the attendees this was their
first opportunity to meet Master Lee in person. Master Lee led the
seminars with expert teaching style and wowed all present with his
precision in both executing the techniques and explaining them. Between
it all, Master Lee told stories of his life experiences in Hwa Rang
Do and interjected a healthy dosage of humor into the sessions.
Attendees left the seminar inspired by what they had
seen and learned, and the seminar has left the Northwest on fire,
ready to train harder to meet the standards put forth by Master Lee's
vision of Hwa Rang Do. We all want to extend a heartfelt thank you
to Master Lee for his time and effort spent to bring Hwa Rang Do to
the Northwest and to inspire us all to achieve the highest possible
success in our lives and in our training.
Hwarang Forever,
Dan Steeby
Jo Kyo Northwest
Minneapolis Schedule Changes
The Hwa Rang Do Minneapolis Academy has upgraded its schedule to
the Warrior's Path system providing a more effective way for its students
to learn all the various aspects that are found in Hwa Rang Do. Labor
Day started the transition, and students are now moving through this
new progression along our martial art journey. We hope everyone can
keep up with all the training that is available -
www.hwarangdomn.com
Hwa Rang Do Shines at National Night
Out - Madison, WI
It was a hot summer night in Wisconsin, complete with mosquitoes
swarming and a humidity level that thickened the air into some unrecognizable,
heavy colloid. As I approached the grassy hill overlooking the 23rd
Annual National Night Out, I immediately sighted the group I was looking
for. Hwa Rang Do students were warming up and preparing themselves
for class in the company of a National Guard Blackhawk Helicopter.
With calm smiles and looks of concentration, the group seemed natural
in their position next to that helicopter. Camaraderie was evident
amongst the many warm greetings and bows as each new student arrived.
When the National Guard took off right as class was to begin, the
gusts of wind and whirring of the helicopter blades acted as a prelude
to the finest martial art in the world.
National Night out was introduced in 1984 by the National Association
of Town Watch to heighten awareness and strengthen participation in
crime and violence prevention. This year the event took place on August
1st at Sunset Ridge Elementary in Middleton and was overseen by the
Dane County Sheriff’s Department, including Hwa Rang Do’s
own Kyo Sa Nim (Deputy) Coy Bethel. Along with Hwa Rang Do’s
outdoor classes, other participants included: the Tactical Response
Team, Crime Scene Unit, Mobile Command Center, Boat Patrol, Motorcycle
Patrol, K9 Unit, Dive Team, the Middleton Fire Department, and numerous
other groups invested in crime prevention.
Students who attended this event ranked from Tae Soo Do orange belts
all the way up to the Hwa Rang Do black sashes. Once students found
their place in line and bows were called off, Hwa Rang Do’s
class stood out on the hillside. The sounds of Korean counting and
warrior yells echoed out across the crowd. As spectators stopped to
watch, the energy and enthusiasm of our students grew. The humidity,
sporadic downpour, and even the lightening off in the distance could
not slow this class. Excited children approached with their parents
and asked to do some kicking and punching of their own. As Jo Kyo
Nim Garofalo guided them in their understanding of some basic movement
and philosophy, their interest heightened.
By the end of class, bodies were dripping with a mixture of sweat
and rain, but students stood tall with pride. This night was a reminder
of what Hwa Rang Do is all about. It is being out there in the community
leading the way for others. It is enduring through the elements and
coming out on the other side, stronger than when you started. Spreading
the way of Hwa Rang Do is a remedy for weakness. Spectators and other
participators from National Night Out caught a glimpse of what we
are about. As they talk to family and friends or even come back to
the dojang to see more, awareness will grow and our art will become
even stronger. And as I helped carry the last of the duffel bags back
to the car; I realized that I wore a satisfied grin. Today we did
something to make the world a better place. Hwarang!
August 5th & 6th 2006
Hwa Rang Do Phoenix Academy held its annual Kids class over night
training & sleep over. This special event is held every year at
the end of summer vacation for all the young TSD students to have
a chance to have good training and a great end of summer sleep over
at the Academy.
This special event begins on Friday night with all the kids having
a pizza party,watching a martial arts movie and ending with a big
pillow-fight then lights out. Part of the kids training involves HRD
history, as well as there home academy history.
This year we had a added special event the next day on Saturday one
of the local TSD parents Dr. James Warlick who lives close to the
academy had invited all the TSD kids class over to his home for a
big swim party & cook out. It was a blast!
September 29th 2006
The Hwa Rang Do Phoenix Academy held its by monthly (Buddy Night)
event for the kid’s class. This event was a great success, there
were over 30 kids attending. The rules are simple, in order to be
involved in the buddy night and have the pizza party. The student
must bring at least one buddy. At this event Master Elliott and his
best instructors teach basic self-defense skills as well as a (stranger-danger)
lesson with a short talk by one of the TSD Black-Belts who is a former
police officer. This event really helps the academy growth. It is
a great way to show the public how we operate and what we offer to
the public.
Arizona News:
Hwa Rang Do Phoenix Academy 25th (Silver) Anniversary Party
Please join us in celebrating Master Tim Elliott’s 25 years
of teaching the martial and healing art of Hwa Rang Do in Arizona.
In honor of this achievement, there will be a formal dinner banquette
held at the Glendale Civic Center on March 31, 2007. Special guest
appearance will be Dr. Joo Bang Lee, founder of Hwa Rang Do, and his
family and fellow Hwa Rang Do Masters and Instructors from around
the country. Please contact the Phoenix Academy to get more information.
You can purchase a dinner ticket from the Phoenix Academy. It costs
$50 for adult and $25 for children under 13 years old. You will receive
a 10% discount from the regular dinner ticket price if you purchase
before October 31, 2006. All family members and friends are welcome
to join this very special occasion.
Thank you!
From: Master Elliott’s family and Phoenix Academy instructors
and students.
For more information EMAIL or
call (602)-692-0057 the Phoenix Academy
Download
the Dinner Ticket by clicking here.
International
News
5 days long Sulsa Training in Italy
The Italian Branch of the World Hwa Rang Do® Association planned
and managed a 5 days long mountain training only for Hwa Rang Do®
students (at least Tae Soo Do® black belts) starting from the
August 23 to August 27.
Marco Mattiucci, Giulia Felicetti, Maura Floris, Francesco Biancuzzi,
Mauro Capocci, Luca Gelati, Giuseppe Catania, Maria Luisa Medelin
and Diego Guardione spent these days on the mountains of the central
part of Italy (level 1800 meters and more). It was cold, mostly during
the nights. They could eat and drink twice a day and they had more
or less nothing to eat. The training (full contact, military combat,
knife combat, Hwa Rang Do locks, climbing, running, camouflage, meditation,
etc) was 24h per day long with some hours for the sleeping. It was
a very hard training for body, mind and spirit.
The last two days other guys from the Sulsa team joined the main team
to help them and practice.
Some comments from the participants:
HRD KSN Marco Mattiucci
“Cleaning your body without food and water you can clean your
spirit and really see your life!”
HRD JKN Giulia Felicetti
“It was an amazing experience! Train and train altogether all
day long for more than four days in the forest! I really needed such
an experience, in order to concentrate all my energies in training:
it was not easy to stay far from Alice, but this was important, too!
Moreover, I really enjoyed the touch with nature: we saw wonderful
sunrises and astonishing sunsets; sleeping tired under a roof of stars
gave me so much energy! I'm really looking forward to the next experience!
Hwarang Forever!”
HRD JKN Maura Floris
“It was the first time since we started practicing, that we
had the possibility to spend such a long time training in the forest,
and it has been such an experience! I would have never thought I could
survive 5 days of almost no eating, with few water and continuous
training, but, even with some difficulties, I did, and I can say afterwards
that this experience has made something like a reset in my head, a
total cleaning. I feel now a new strength inside. I can now understand
how Do Joo Nim has become what He is. Training in the mountains all
days is quite a lot different from training in a gym! Hwarang Forever!”
HRD JKN Francesco Biancuzzi
“I was waiting for long time the possibility to spend 5 days
in the forest, which every time shows her danger with unexpected mist,
hail big like a walnut and pelting rain. At the same time we did hwa
rang do, full and close combat techniques. Few food and few water...the
hunger was faiding away, and sometimes it was an unwanted interruption,
since the food was not so good. A good challenge that teaches us how
much we can adapt ourselves to the fight and to the survival. Hwarang
Forever!”
HRD JKN Mauro Capocci
“The days we spent in the forest, so long and intense, are over
and now they seem to have been only a moment. I like Sulsa Training,
I could feel the wind, rain, heat, cold and fog around us. The weather
changed within few minutes. We spent five days in the forest and practiced
24h a day. We practiced tree climbing, knife techniques, sword cutting
techniques; we did a lot of other beautiful things. The sensation
of having always so much to see in spite of how strong training can
be is the best reason of keep on being stupefied and learning always
more. Thank you to my Instructor for this all. Hwarang Forever!”
TSD JKN Luca Gelati
“I think that spending 5 days in the forest for martial training
is not usual for martial art instructors and students, probably a
lot of them think about this as a creasy thing. On the contrary a
HRD/TSD instructor has to do this kind of experience because it’s
a way to test themselves and to gain the strength to become the right
leader for the followers. Living next to the limits means to understand
ourselves and our weaknesses. It’s a way to quickly improve
our power and to make our body, mind and spirit better. I enjoyed
this training but I had a lot of problems, I had fears, I was selfish.
Anyway with the help of the other guys and mostly with the driving
force of my Instructor I did it and I feel to have begun something
new and stronger in myself now. Hwarang Forever!”
TSD JKN Giuseppe Catania
“To train 5 days on the mountains has been a great experience!
I feel good and strong now. I understand which kind of gift my Instructor
gave me let me participate in this mountain training. I started the
training trying to fight the hungriness, the cold, the sleep, etc
but after some days you’re able to accept them and everything
becomes training. This because the mountain area is dangerous and
you know you cannot stop yourself when you walk or practice. We were
there, all together and we were proud to do what we were doing. Thanks
to my Instructor, thanks to Hwa Rang Do because they changed my life.
Hwarang Forever!”
TSD JKN Maria Luisa Medelin
“These days of mountain training have been an unforgettable
experience. I was very worried about various difficulties to face
as hunger, thirst, cold and fatigue for the continuous and never-ending
training have been paid back with the beauty of those places, with
the close contact with nature, with the full immersion, without thoughts
and time, all together united in one aim, Hwa Rang Do®!
Very beautiful, so much that I discovered myself moved when I had
to leave those places to come back home. Thanks to all who shared
with me these five days and above all to my Instructor who’s
always our leading light. Hwarang Forever!”
TSD JKN Diego Guardione
“This training has been great! I was initially afraid of the
situation because I didn’t know my reactions to the wilderness
for such a long period. Anyway this fear disappeared step by step
under the pressure of the continuous training of the martial techniques.
I felt to be in a bubble where the all modern conveniences were useless.
It’s unbelievable but at the end of the five days of training,
when I was going back home I missed the place and situation. I never
forget this period and I look forward to repeating it as soon as possible
(even with harder situations to face…). Hwarang Forever!”
Marco Mattiucci
Head of the Italian Branch
of the World HRD® Association
Sulsa training in the sea – 3rd September
2006
Part of the Italian Sulsa Team got a free diving certification the
past year (2005) from the “Immersione Uomini Gamma” specialised
Club that helps us in our under water sulsa training (the President
of the “Immersione Uomini Gamma” is the father of one
the best TSD student in Genoa).
The same part of the Sulsa Team this year experimented a one day long
training in the sea. The area of the training was a wonderful reservoir
next to Genoa where you can see protected types of floras and faunas.
There’s also is an artistic aspect: you can find a statue of
Jesus Christ under water (about 15 metres). The challenge was to reach
the statue in apnea, without additional tools: a very difficult target
but almost all of us touched the fingers and the face of the statue.
A great feeling!!!
Hwarang forever,
Marco Mattiucci
Chief of the Italian Branch of the WHRDA
The Sulsa team experience with the
“Team Builder” company – 2nd September 2006
With the authorization of the Chief Master Taejoon Lee the Italian
Sulsa Team contacted the “Team Builder” company from Milan
and arranged an experience for the specialists of that company. “Team
builder” is specialised in motivation, self empowerment, team
integration, etc. They arrange special one or two days long training
sessions for normal companies interested in having very good team
and motivated people.
The Italian Sulsa Team is a good example of motivation and integration
properly because of the hard and strange training it performs. Because
of this “Team builder” was interested in evaluate our
training from a professional point of view.
About 14 people of the Italian Sulsa team, leaded by KSN Marco Mattiucci,
the 2nd September 2006 started to train and “integrate”
more than 15 specialised trainers of the “Team Builder”
company. The training in the forest, next to a river, was at an intermediate
level because of the physical problems of some participants. They
climbed strange trees, crossed the river, performed survival exercises
and worked together to overcome a lot of problems.
At the end of the activity they were very enthusiast!
I could see a lot of them shouting after the event when they were
not able to speak loud before…
Some days after the event, as a consequence of the positive feedback,
the President of the company offered us to open an “Extreme
Hwa Rang Do® Packet” for companies as an experimental new
type of “martial team integration product”. We accepted
to propose to the market this product and we look forward to seeing
the results!!!
Hwa Rang Do® everywhere!!!
Hwarang forever,
Marco Mattiucci
Chief of the Italian Branch of the WHRDA
“LumbeLumbe” non profit
Association for Angola – 26th September 2006
The “LumbeLumbe” association for the children in Angola
held a conference in Rome the last 26th of September 2006. The Italian
Branch of the World Hwa Rang Do® Association helps and supports
that Association with publicity in the web site www.hwarangdo.it and
practical activities. In the same way “LumbeLumbe” helps
us supporting our demos and making publicity on their web sites (www.lumbelumbe.org)
and magazines.
“LumbeLumbe” sent a group of three boys and two girls
to Angola the August 2006 for 20 days. They experimented the dangerous
way to live of the people there. The extreme situation where surviving
was a very good result of the single day. They had a small amount
of food and water and learnt how to live without all they considered
“important” in their normal life. Definitely, I think
a very MARTIAL experience.
The conference of the 26th September 2006 was about this experience.
The five guys spoke about their feelings there. They told us that
their point of view about living is completely changed.
Father Marcelo Ciavatti, Missionary and President of the Catholic
School in the nasty suburbs of Luanda, (the place where the guys stayed
for 20 days) presented the results of his activities: 30000 students
in 5 years some of which are going to the university now. All of those
students are very poor and young people sometimes without the possibility
to eat every day.
Father Marcelo Ciavatti told me about the need for martial arts in
Africa as a way to make people self-controlled and to create good
leadership. He spoke about Capoeira that is spreading everywhere because
of the cultural link with Africa but also karate and judo are making
steps towards Angola. The missionary knew about Hwa Rang Do® because
of LumbeLumbe publicity and he invited me and a small group of Italian
instructor to come there and held Tae Soo Do® experimental classes.
It’s not easy for the Italian Branch but we will plan something
fro the next two or three years. When Father Marcelo Ciavatti told
me: “…we could start with a small group of about 60 children
for your TSD classes: what do you think about?” I was very surprised,
I’m used to classes of less than 20 children, on the other hand
he’s used to thousands of students…
You can see a group picture in the conference including some Italian
TSD students, Colonel Italo Governatori (President of the LumbeLumbe
Association) and Father Marcelo Ciavatti.
Hwa Rang Do® everywhere!
Hwarang forever,
Marco Mattiucci
Chief of the Italian Branch of the WHRDA
The HRD training of the new Italian
Black Sashes – September 2006
After the last black sash test in Rome (July 2006) we have five Italian
Hwa Rang Do® black sashes now. All of them teach in a personal
Tae Soo Do® Course twice a week and study Hwa Rang Do® with
KSN Marco Mattiucci at least three times a week. They have a very
busy schedule now. They practice every day and have to work or study
in the university so they have more or less no spare time!.
We restarted the Hwa Rang Do® course the first day of September.
KSN Marco Mattiucci remembered them that being a Hwa Rang Do®
black sash is a huge responsibility: “…probably you think
to be on the top of a mountain but you’re wrong! You’re
only in a place where you can see much more than before, that’s
all. A black belt that doesn’t practice every day to continuously
improve and check his capabilities is nothing but smoke. I absolutely
don’t want to be only smoke! And you? What do you want to be???...”.
Because of the need to improve the HRD techniques the new black sashes
and KSN are working together to review everything from the white to
the half black sash: “…we will work together to review
all the techniques you think to already know! I want more power, more
speed, more control!!! This at least for another year…”
We are also studying the breaking techniques, the sword cutting techniques
and the combined and free self defense. We made some videos about
our training (September 2006) that you can find here:
http://www.hwarangdo.it/breakingtechniques.html
http://www.hwarangdo.it/swordtraining.html
http://www.hwarangdo.it/ki-power.html
http://www.hwarangdo.it/freeselfdefense.html
Hwarang forever,
Marco Mattiucci
Chief of the Italian Branch of the WHRDA
New Website for Mexico
There is now a new website for Hwa Rang Do in Mexico. Isntructor
Garcia has put everything together so go take a look - http://www.hwarangdo.com.mx/
