United States News:
Open Summer Seminars
The Open Summer Seminars are always full of excitement and intensive
training and this year was no different. The various subjects covered
in the Open seminars were quite detailed. As many of you have learned
during the World Tour in the past couple years, Chief Master Lee and
Dojoonim’s instruction cuts to the heart of the matter, helping
everyone see how to find precision in one’s application. Chief
Master Lee covered in detail some of the subjects in his new book
“Hwa Rang Do® - Defend, Takedown, Submit” and how
things evolve from Stage I to Stage III, finishing with full control
on the ground. Session topics covered were: Containing an Opponent:
Catching and Trapping, Sparring Tactics and Techniques, Joint Manipulation,
Dan Gum (Knife), One-Knee Position, Grappling Combinations, Jang Bong
(Long Staff) and Ki Gong and Meditation Principles for general health.
Everyone received a wealth of technical material to work on and practice
for real application. Joint manipulation especially requires a detailed
understanding of proper angles, positioning, and movement to be effective,
and the drills and techniques that were covered greatly added to the
skill level of those who participated.
The Nae Gong (Internal Power) aspects also continued to evolve through
more meditation concepts, positions, and breathing exercises with
Dojoonim. These focus and awareness techniques when practiced are
sure to help the practitioner increase in power and execution. Everyone
was surprised to experience first hand the increase of their Ki energy
during the session. With continued practice back home, they are sure
to receive the benefits of greater health and awareness.
All in all, the open seminars this year were filled with a TON of
material and great camaraderie. We all have a lot to take home with
us to practice in order to really be able to apply things on the mat.
Keep training hard as you will be sure to learn more next year!
Congratulations to everyone who participated. You are all on your
way to becoming a Hwarang, so continue your training! For everyone
who did not make it to the summer seminars don’t miss the World
Tour when it stops near you. We hope to see you all again next year.
Interschool Championships 2006
Wow, another awesome year for a solid competition out in LA! It is
always nice to get the HRD & TSD family together to push each
other to our limits in the ring, and this year was definitely no exception.
In fact, it seems that every year keeps all of us evolving in our
skills and understanding of our Way. While there are always some new
faces, as well as many old ones, the higher levels that we are training
at clearly shows when things are put on the floor.
This year was filled with not only awesome divisions and quality
competition, but also a demonstration of ALL that HRD & TSD has
to offer. The reason for this was there were tournament divisions
for every aspect of our combat skills – open hand forms and
sparring, weapon forms and Kumdo sparring, as well as grappling takedowns
and submissions combined. There were so many things to compete in,
the tournament ended up running late into the evening (and long ways
into the banquet time). The matches were all tight with wonderful
performances of forms, and the sparring was fierce. The grappling
divisions were full of tough competitors and even the juniors got
into the mix with some very technical grappling work. The Kumdo matches
finished off the day, which really put a noteworthy mark on this year’s
competition, and the feeling of going into battle could not have been
more real.
The Team Sparring also was great to see as the 4 teams went toe-to-toe
with exciting matches between the different levels. The Midwest Team
beat Arizona, then the Headquarter team from Downey, yet lost in the
final match-up to the defending champions of the West Coast Headquarter
Team by a total of 6 points. The ladies (Alyssa, Jessica, and Renee)
from the Midwest Team showed great warrior spirit as they went against
men in all their 3 matches from the opposing sides. Way to go ladies!
And, we can’t wait to see you go at it again next year!
We also wanted to recognize some competitors that competed in every
possible division for their rank – open hand forms, weapon forms,
kick/punch/throw sparring, gotoogi (submission grappling), and kumdo
(weapon fighting), exemplifying the true diversity and comprehensiveness
of our Art. The sportsmanship and camaraderie between the members
of all the different schools that participated further showed the
deep familial bonds that Hwa Rang Do has created. Overall, simply
a tremendous day!
… And yes those Kumdo competitors and Master Lee, who were
late to the banquet, did get a little dinner before the award presentation.
:)
Black Sash Conferences 2006
The last part of the special summer events in LA is the annual Black
Sash Conference. Every year black sashes, instructors, and masters
gather to further their knowledge of Hwa Rang Do’s vast curriculum.
Also the refinement of the fundamentals is necessary in order to gain
deeper understanding and gain true mastery. The conferences encompass
both of these aspects in a way that all participants not only improve
their personal skills, but also their articulation of the techniques
to their students.
Definitely, the highlight of the Conference this year was the Mugi
Daeryun training at the beach and the Begi-sul (cutting techniques).
Many of us from the Midwest have never seen the Pacific Coast before
and it is always a pleasure to visit the beaches of California. Often
our plans to train at the beach are spoiled by either a crunch for
time and/or the difficulty of finding a suitable beach which is somewhat
isolated. This year we lucked out. We came upon a beach where the
lifeguards were sword friendly and the beach was somewhat isolated
with friendly folks. We finally understood the purpose of starting
our Mugu Daeryun with Kumdo principles. Chief Master Taejoon Lee showed
us some basic movements with the Jang Bong and the Ssang Jukdo and
told us go have fun. To our surprise, we had no problems in transitioning
to the other various weapon fighting. It was a blast!! And, we have
decided to make this an annual event.
As some dojang members around the world have noticed, additional
classes to supplement the core curriculum material are providing greater
opportunity for the students and instructors alike to explore the
skills needed to become a complete martial artist. This year’s
conference continued the focus of past years of developing a dynamic
understanding of the various applications learned through the curriculum
and help provide a means for the general population of students to
effectively progress through all Hwa Rang Do skills. Those of you
who are on the cutting edge, the Warrior’s Path program is going
to enhance your results of your martial art journey from the beginning
at a TSD white belt status all the way through HRD dan ranking. Of
course you will have to put in sincere training time, but you will
now be able to go through a progression that will help you prepare
and then fully understand all the aspects of HRD on an advanced level.
West Coast News:
West Coast HRD Celebrates it's 12-year anniversary
Each year, we celebrate the anniversary of our school along with
Chief Master Taejoon Lee’s birthday. This year was no exception.
The students, family, and friends all look forward to the demonstrations,
what has become a Westside tradition. All our students from the youngest
(3 years old) to the oldest (64 years young), from beginners to advanced
all perform, demonstrating their skills to the friends and family
of our academy. Every year, the students get better, faster, and stronger.
If you want to see Hwa Rang Do and Tae Soo Do in action, come see
us in June – Anniversary Party and in December – Annual
Christmas Party.
We would like to thank everyone for making this celebration a great
success and for those of you who participated in Chief Master Taejoon
Lee’s gift, thank you once again!
West Coast News:
New Hwa Rang Do Club to Start at University of CA Davis!
Our champion is going away to college. Matthew Kim who has doubled
passed twice in the Hwa Rang Do promotional exams (almost impossible
to accomplish) and is currently our undefeated grappler as well as
taking first in open hand forms, weapon forms, sparring, and gotoogi
(grappling) at our recent World Interschool Championships, is moving
to University of California at Davis. He will surely be missed by
all, but he says he will be returning often to continue his training.
He has already started the process of opening a Hwa Rang Do club
at UC Davis. We wish Mr. Kim the best in his academic pursuits and
we look forward to seeing his Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do students in action
real soon.
Midwest News:
Congratulations to the New TSD Black Belts!
Congratulations to Tae Soo Do’s newest black belts. Dustin Handrich,
Cassie Benedict, and Anna Armstrong completed the fourth segment of
their Tae Soo Do black belt test on Saturday, June 17th at the west-side
Madison dojang.
The three University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire students were
joined in the excitement by family, friends, and fellow students who
came out to watch their thoughtfully crafted demonstration. The students
put their years of hard-work and training into practice as they performed
techniques displaying kicks, punches, board and brick breaking, self-defense,
and weaponry. Among the weapons used were the sword, fan, jang bong
(long staff), and spear. The highlight of the women’s self-defense
techniques utilized the strap on a common purse, being used in the
spirit of a true warrior making use of her surroundings. The demonstration
was fun, creative, and full of both skill and energy.
Following the demonstration, Master Kijek awarded the students with
their new rank of Tae Soo Do black belt. More importantly, along with
this they achieved the rank of Hwa Rang Do yellow sash. This marks
the beginning of their journey as Hwa Rang Do students symbolizing
an even deeper level of commitment to their martial arts training.
Midwest News:
Family Day!
On Saturday July 22nd the Madison West Hwa Rang Do Academy celebrated
our strong family spirit with fun games, prizes, and a special guest
speaker. It was the West Academy’s first Annual Family Day.
Lunch was catered in by Jo Kyo Nim Dean’s parents, thank you.
We got everyone hungry with an exhilarating training session and self
defense lesson before hand!! About thirty students and guests attended
the session and everyone left with a full belly, a tired body, and
a big smile on their face. We played a martial memory game for prizes
and everyone did way better than expected. We have some naturals floating
around here in Madison. The guest speaker covered personal safety
topics as well as giving some first aid instruction. An amazing success
we hope everyone is looking forward to our next event as much as Ins.
Dean and Ins. Garofalo are!!!
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
Italy News:
Hwa Rang Do European Championships and Summer Seminars 2006!
Summary
Friday June 30, 2006 – Special seminars and black sash tests
Saturday July 1, 2006 – Open seminars (Gotoogi, Kyuktoogu, Dankum,
Ki Gong)
Sunday July 2, 2006 - European Championships and Official Banquet
Monday July 3 to 7, 2006 – Italian tour (Rome, Florence, Pisa
and Genoa)
The Event
I remember the past December in Los Angeles when Dojoonim told me
“I will be in Italy next year!”
I couldn’t believe that: It was such an honor. It was great
to know that I was entrusted with such a great responsibility. I arranged
a lot of martial art events in the past, but Dojoonim is a legend
and the pressure was on. Being Dojoonim’s first visit and holding
the first EU Interschool Championships, there were many obstacles,
but with the help of the loyal Italian students, we managed and overcame.
Day by day we waited with great anticipation. Finally, the day arrived.
On June 29th, more than 20 people were at the Rome international airport
to wait for Dojoonim, Kwanjangnim, and Samonim. They all arrived safely
to a very warm reception, greeted by students, children, and parents.
They were escorted to the hotel in style with a Mercedes. One by one
the rest of the instructors and students from Germany, Holland, and
Denmark arrived, who were all greeted with the same hospitality. As
Dojoonim and his wife retired for the evening from their long flight,
Chief Master Taejoon Lee attended a wonderful seafood dinner accompanied
by over 40 students. It was an awesome feeling, to have our first
European family reunion. To see all of them in one place was a dream
come true for me. We tried to retire early in anticipation of the
next full day of events and my second dan test, but all the excitement
kept me up all night.
The next day came as quickly as I have shut my eyes. The day started
with some intensive training: Chief Master Lee was teaching the color
Hwarangdo sashes the detailed intricacies of the HRD techniques and
forms, while Dojoonim taught the Begi-sul (sword cutting techniques)
to the Black Sashes. Later in the afternoon, Giulia, Maura, Francesco,
Mauro and I started to prepare for our black sash test. We went over
our techniques for hours as I was filled with anxiety, yet I could
not help but to feel moments of elation and pride as I look over to
see four of my students who are going to be tested for the coveted
Black Sash, in front of Dojoonim, here in Italy, my home. It was very
hot and humid, making it very uncomfortable for training. However,
nothing could dampen our spirits. We all tested with one other student
from Denmark. The Black Sash test is never easy and everyone did their
best. I was happy to have completed the test with my injured knee.
There were a few moments where I thought I might not be able to finish,
but my Hwarang spirit kept me focused.
The second day, Saturday July 1st, was the open seminars. I couldn’t
believe the number of people who showed up. The 200 square meter mat
was packed with people, over a hundred participants, and both Dojoonim
and Kwanjangnim taught brilliantly. The Ki healing seminar from Dojoonim
was attended by the most and was very much enjoyed by all. Students
and Masters from several other martial arts were very attentive, careful
not to miss anything. It was great see that we caught their interest!
We spent the Saturday night in preparing the Black Sashes and the
TSD Black Belts on the finer points of judging, scoring, and refereeing.
Unfortunately, this was the first time in hosting a tournament for
the European black sashes and needless to say they were not prepared.
Fortunately for us, Chief Master Lee performed a miracle. Dojoonim
told me to follow and study Chief Master Taejoon Lee during the tournament
to learn how to manage and organize such an event. After seeing him
in action, I was struck by awe as I witnessed his unbelievable capability
to manage extreme situations.
The third day, Sunday July 2nd, there were so many competitors: men,
women, and children. It was a very hectic day for me, but a very gratifying
experience. We stopped at 8.00 pm after 11 or 12 hours of competitions:
all done!!! I couldn’t believe it! Everyone had a great time;
there were no real incidents; the competition was fierce and we won
the team competition beating out the Holland Team. What more could
I ask for. It was awesome!!
The black sash ceremony in the evening was incredible. I was so happy
to see Dojoonim, Kwanjangnim, and all the European Instructors there
to celebrate for the new Italian black sashes. During the ceremony
I could see in my mind all the struggles and tribulations we went
through to make this event possible and I was so proud of my students.
The banquet was the moment for the awards. There were so many to thank
and recognize for their selfless contribution to Hwa Rang Do and its
leaders, I hope we did not miss anyone. It was an emotional night,
which was capped off by Chief Master Taejoon Lee’s moving speech
where he briefly touched upon his humble beginnings in Germany, the
many disappointments, the heartaches of leadership, and finally the
revival in Italy. As he shed the tears that he was trying so hard
to hold back, the rest of us could not help but to feel for his bitter-sweet
relationship with Europe. We hope to never disappoint him like that.
On Monday, we had a tour of Rome with Dojoonim, Kwanjangnim, and
Samonim, accompanied by many Italian students. Early Tuesday morning,
Chief Master Lee had to return to the States, but Dojoonim and Samonim
remained for the rest of the Italy Tour. We would have loved to have
had Master Lee join us on the tour, but he had to get back to take
care of Association matters. I must thank Chief Master Taejoon Lee
for his tireless efforts to preserve Hwa Rang Do for the next generation.
With Dojoonim and Samonim, we started toward Florence, Pisa and Genoa.
Dojoonim and I climbed the leaning tower of Pisa. It was quite a memorable
experience as Dojoonim surprised all of us by being first to the top.
He always walked so fast. One TSD student from Genoa asked how he
could be so fast because he was never able to reach Him. The next
day we left to Genoa. After a full day of sight seeing, visiting the
aquarium, and a boat tour of Genoa harbor, we had a wonderful dinner
with more than 50 participants. Knowing that it is truly a special
honor to have the Founder amidst their presence, all of them had questions
for Dojoonim and we spoke until late into the night.
The day after, Friday July 7th, we took Dojoonim and Samonim to the
Milan international airport and we said our goodbyes. It was a very
sad moment for all of us as my students have witnessed the love and
the warmth of the First Family of Hwa Rang Do.
Even though, this was the most difficult, challenging, and tiring
tack I have ever embarked on, I must say that it was the most rewarding.
I have already met with my senior students and we are planning for
next year. SEE YOU ALL THEN!
To our beautiful Hwarangdo/Taesoodo family;
Hwarang Forever!!!
Marco Mattiucci
Holland News:
A Memorable First Time!
The training season in the Dojang stops when the school summer vacation
starts. This year it was a little different. We had on the 28th of
our last Dojang training and the 29th we where travelling to Rome
for the WHRDA Seminars and tournament. Some of us had 2 days of seminars
others had only one, but we all participated in the tournament. It
was a little strange at the beginning of our journey. We never travelled
in a group of almost twenty and never that far. We didn’t know
what to expect in Rome; where are we going to stay, how are the seminars,
what will the tournament be like, etc. Some of us never even flew
on a plane before, so this was a very interesting experience to say
the least. Isn’t it great to have your first experiences with
Hwa Rang Do? It definitely creates lasting memories and stronger bonds.
We all loved the seminars, tournament and we all learned something
from just the littlest things to more grand impressions. It was a
great experience!
Maybe the Netherlands is the next country to organize an event like
this. Italy and Instructor Mattiucci, thank you for all your efforts
in organizing this event and thanks to all the Italian families for
your hospitality and generosity.
After we came back from Rome, our annual beach training began. 6
to 7 weeks, 2 times a week training on the beach, which has also become
a great form of advertising as it attracts a lot of onlookers. Beach
training is very different than in the Dojang; Nak Bops are different
spin kicks are harder to do etc. For the last seven weeks, we were
training in the open air and now we are going back to a more structured
training in the Dojang. This winter, we will have 11 Tae Soo Do Black
Belts testing and we are also planning a small prelim tournament.
We will be ready for next year!
