HWA RANG DO® - TAE SOO DO®

News Page - April 2009

United States: California Chief Master Taejoon Lee Tests for his Final Exam The Hwa Rang Do 8th Dan Nicholas Day Test for 2nd Dan Hwa Rang Do Black Sash West Coast Musa Challenge 2009 Conquering the Mountain: Annual TGT Snowboarding Trip Midwest Dane County Explorers Led by A Hwarang Win Wisconsin Competition Self-Defense Seminar for Osseo School District, Minnesota

United States News: West Coast: Chief Master Taejoon Lee Tests for his Final Exam The Hwa Rang Do 8th Dan Hwa Rang Do's Chief Master Taejoon Lee To Be Awarded Extremely Rare 8th Dan Grandmaster Title. On May 23rd, 2009 Chief Master Taejoon Lee will be promoted to 8th Dan Hwa Rang Do® Black Sash and become Grandmaster Taejoon Lee. This will be a historic day for many reasons.... On April 18th, 2009, Chief Master Lee successfully tested for his 8th Dan promotion in front of his father and founder of Hwa Rang Do, Supreme Grandmaster Dr. Joo Bang Lee during a private examination at the World Hwa Rang Do Headquarters in Tustin, CA. Supreme Grandmaster Lee will formally award the 8th Dan Grandmaster title to his eldest son and heir to the Hwa Rang Do® legacy, on May 23rd, 2009. This is the last promotion Chief Master Lee will be formally testing for. For details about his 8th Dan ceremony, and to join his students in celebrating his life's work and passion, please visit: http://www.hwarangdo.net/8thdan Very few people in the world can fathom the dedication, skill, knowledge and time it requires to achieve an 8th Dan title in Hwa Rang Do. Hwa Rang Do is the only martial art which has curriculum all the way through 7th Dan, encompasses over 4,000+ techniques and requires a rigorous test for promotion in each degree, through 8th Dan. Only 3 other people in the world hold an equal or higher rank in Hwa Rang Do. Chief Master Taejoon Lee has proven himself to be one of the world’s finest martial artists, in a style that spans an unusually broad skill-set of striking, joint locking, throwing, grappling, submissions and training in 108 different weapons. His speed, precision, power, and encyclopedic knowledge of body mechanics converge into a beautiful yet lethal blur of movement, which can only be appreciated by seeing him in action. Not surprisingly, his talents have been recognized by industry press, which has featured him in more than two dozen articles here and abroad, including two covers of Black Belt magazine (World’s Leading Martial Arts Journal). He has trained many members of the Elite U.S. Military & Law Enforcement, and has performed celebrated demonstrations in the United States, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Aside from physical ability, over the 30 years of teaching Hwa Rang Do, Chief Master Lee has selflessly given his life to his students, with the goal of self-betterment. Personal development and spiritual growth is a central focus of training in Hwa Rang Do and his mentorship has been directly responsible for the extraordinary success of many of his students, which include leaders in corporate America, entrepreneurs, actors, singers, medical and legal professionals, to touch on a few. With the current commercial focus on violence in the martial arts industry, the unusual focus on personal development and developing important life skills stands out as a powerful testament to the mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as the physical, benefits of martial arts training. For more information about Chief Master Taejoon Lee, details about his 8th Dan ceremony, and to join his students in celebrating his life's work and passion, please visit: http://www.hwarangdo.net/8thdan and his personal blog www.taejoonlee.com Top of Page Nicholas Day Test for 2nd Dan Hwa Rang Do Black Sash Jokyo Nicholas Day who started training at the young age of 9yrs old under the strict tutelage of Chief Master Taejoon Lee will be testing for his 2nd Dan along side Chief Master Lee’s 8th Dan examination. Ins. Day has grown into one of the best Hwa Rang Do instructors in the world, being the Head Instructor of the Hwa Rang Do at the West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy. He has won the West Coast Musa Challenge two years in a row as the Gotoogi Champion of the Year. Ins. Day has overcome many challenges set forth by his teacher/mentor to become one of the finest martial artist in the world as well as being a true gentleman. We look forward to his continued growth in Hwa Rang Do. Top of Page West Coast Musa Challenge 2009 Each year the students at the West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy gather for the annual Musa Challenge matches, to determine whom among them will receive the coveted Gotoogi Champion’s uniform and win the sword. This year, it was held on Sunday, April 26 and it was the biggest yet! Over the last several years, Grandmaster Taejoon Lee has expanded the competition to include Gumtoogi (Hwa Rang Do Sword Fighting Method), always challenging his students to be better to do more. This year, Kuksanim unveiled two historic advancements! First, he introduced the patent pending “hache hogu” (leg armor) that he has been developing for the last fifteen years. The addition of the leg pads adds more complex and multidimensional strikes, and forces practicioners to be even more precise in both their attacks and defenses. It is revolutionary to the art of Kumdo, adding spinning strikes, which contain elevated risk and reward, making this much more dynamic and fun to practice as well as to watch. In addition, Bongtoogi (Hwa Rang Do Stick fighting Method) was added as a third competition to the day. The introduction of staff fighting into Hwarangdo is simply the extension of what Hwa Rang Do is, multifaceted. This was a historical event in the martial arts world as it was the first time that such application of weapon fighting was introduced to the general public. Both men and women stepped up to the Warrior’s Challenge, and performed magnificently (although we all know that we need more practice to acquire mastery of all these new techniques). In next year’s competition we will also be adding twin weapons fighting, introducing ssang-gum (twin sword) and ssang-bong (twin sticks). This is going to be a truly exciting and innovative addition to the Hwa Rang Do weapon-fighting (Mugi-daeryun) arsenal. Bongtoogi Gumtoogi The overall Gotoogi champions from the day were: Jonah Tacarro (Overall Junior Grandchampion), Alex Creek (Light Weight Junior Division), Larry Pershing (HRD Teens), Nikki Makar (Overall Female Grandchampion) and Kyosa Nick Day (Overall Male Grandchampion). The Gumtoogi & Bongtoogi Grandchampion was Sabum Scott MacKnight. Congratulations to all of the participants and champions! See you next year at the Musa Challenge 2010 and our 50th Anniversary Championships. Overall Results of the Musa Challenge 2009   Bong Too Gi Gum Too Gi       1st Chung Choi Nick Day     2nd Joseph O'Day Laurent Gache     3rd Patrick Loo Nick Pheffer     Grandchamp Scott MacKnight Scott MacKnight                 GTG: Jr Beg Light GTG: Jr Beg Heavy GTG: Adult Beg Female   1st Phoenix Sainz Juan Rogriguez Michelle Medina   2nd Mason Sainz Jonathan Jikal Janet Peruzzi   3rd William Jikal Wendi Brock                 GTG: Teen INT/ADV GTG: Jr INT/ADV Heavy GTG: Jr INT/ADV Middle GTG: Jr INT/ADV Light 1st Luca Gache Jonah Tecarro Nicole Perez-Bertolotto Alex Creek 2nd Nick Pheffer Catalina Rojter Marco Lopez Jared Rosales 3rd Jacob Brand Christopher Becerra Martin Harley Aisha Bortolotti Grandchamp   Jonah Tecarro                 GTG: Adult Beg Male GTG: Adult INT/ADV Female GTG: Adult INT/ADV Light GTG: Adult INT/ADV Heavy 1st Christopher Jackson Andrea Perez-Bertolotto Chung Choi Fernando Ceballos 2nd Kivi Sotamaa Chy-Anh Tran Peter Leichner Raymond Fong 3rd Luis Mendoza Jennifer Nelson Joseph O'Day Antonio Goodwin Grandchamp   Nikki Makar   Instr. Nick Day                       Top of Page Conquering the Mountain Annual TGT Snowboarding Trip Each year, the Teuk Gong Team (special forces, assistant instructors) of the West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy take their training off the mats and onto the snow. Braving sunshine and snowball fights, we follow Susuk Kwanjangnim into battle against the elements, against our insecurities, and against fears. This year’s trip saw novices climb over 11,000 feet up the mountain to the peak, fly at speeds of 45-50 miles per hour, and achieve the peace of mind that comes from giving all you have to the challenge, and emerging victorious in self and confident in brotherhood. As Master Lee has said, “Snowboarding can be a spiritual experience, if you do it the Hwarang Way!” And, it surely lived up to its promise… Here are a few lessons learned: Focus on the Ride by Reynaldo Macias Snowboarding is hard. Life is hard, too. But the first teaches us how to experience the second, if we listen to the whisper of the board as it glides across the new fallen powder. For two days, I fell down Mammoth Mountain. Many of us took hard falls, bruising shoulders, backs, hips and butts. We worked muscles we didn’t know existed and still don’t know the names of. But we persevered the difficulties. We relished the challenges brought by standing 11,053 feet in the air with only yourself and a piece of plastic to get down. Even the language that we use, i.e. are you goofy or regular, is a life lesson. For those who don’t board, goofy and regular has to do with your dominant foot, and which way your bindings are placed as you head down the mountain. And even though your feet and ankles are locked in, seemingly trapped and bound, you are always in control of where you are going, and how you are getting there. Snowboarding is about self-control, about achieving and maintaining balance (both within yourself and with outside elements), about setting goals and working to achieve them. It is, in short, about life. My goal this weekend was to snowboard. To point my board down the mountain, and come as close to flying as is humanly possible. And I started out Saturday morning doing just that. Sure, I fell ten seconds into my first run, and again twenty-five seconds after that, and again a minute later. But falling down is the price I pay for losing balance, losing control, or not being focused on achieving my goal. For the entire first day, any time I’d finish, my way of stopping was falling forward or falling backward. I tried to high-five someone after my first complete run, and ended up high-fiving the snow! But I had a good run, so I shook it off. Halfway down the next run, I caught the back edge of my board, and slammed into the ground with my buttocks, knocking the wind out of myself. I winced, popped back up, and tread a little more cautiously. No high-fives at the end, just some minor over-correcting which left me on my fresh butt-bruise again. When I got to the top of the lift, I slid off and tipped over. This, in front of Chief Master Lee and all of the other students who were with us. I began focusing on my falls, and how to avoid them. At the top of that run, I let everyone else go down ahead of me, telling myself I didn’t want to get in their way. What I didn’t express was that I didn’t want to fall down in front of them two or three or five more times, either going down the mountain or at the bottom of the trail. The day progressed, and Susuk Kwanjangnim took us higher and higher up the mountain. At 2pm, on my first day of snowboarding in more than a year, after having spent the morning acquiring bruises the way a chronic gambler acquires debts and introducing what seemed like every piece of my body to every piece of the mountain, I found myself squeezed into a gondola hanging hundreds of feet above skiers going down vertical cliffs as we climbed to 11,000 feet. What am I doing here? I mean really? All I’ve done all day is fall down. This isn’t fun. This is hard. Yes, I was whining. I suppose I felt okay about it because I was doing it in my head, not sharing or burdening anyone else with my doubts and insecurities. But my stomach was churning, and I was just plain scared. I thought I was just going to fall all the way down the mountain . . . literally. Standing at the top with the nineteen other people, I noticed the “experts only” sign. Thanks. Chief Master Lee told us not to think about it too much, or we’d freak ourselves out. Then he kiapped and jumped off the mountain. We followed him. I decided I was going to take the cornice on my butt anyway, so I started scooting down. Ten seconds into the scoot, I heard someone shout my name and “LOOK OUT!” just before a snowboarder plowed into me from behind, accelerating me down the mountain. We slid-tumbled about a hundred feet, fresh snow churning into a whirlwind as we pummeled through three-foot drifts, blinding us both to what lay ahead. As he peeled off and tumbled another hundred and fifty feet, I slid slowly to a halt on the steep drifts, still sitting halfway up the steepest descent on the mountain. Watching someone else fall down the mountain ticked me off, though. I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to worry about falling anymore. Everyone falls. “I’m going to ride down this mountain.” I stood up, and started slowly moving back and forth, left to right, two to three feet at a time. I got about twenty-five feet before I fell. I pushed myself back up into a crouch, and shifted my weight slightly to my right, then my left again. I got fifty feet this time. It took me about four minutes to cover that four hundred feet, but I rode down forty-percent of it. I was snowboarding. Most of the group had pushed on by the time I got down the cornice. They were flying. As I chased them, I kept catching edges and falling. So I slowed down. My arms were reaching exhaustion from constantly catching myself, and from lifting myself off the ground. I began focusing on the falls again, forgetting my success at the top of the mountain, nitpicking my failures and detailing why I fell that time, what I did wrong this time, and wondering aloud how long it would be until I fell again. I was focused on what I couldn’t do. I wasn’t focused on the ride. When I got to the next lift, everyone was waiting impatiently. We had ten minutes to get across the mountain to catch the last lift of the day. If we didn’t, we’d have to hike across with our snowboards. The adrenaline rush spiked as CML took off, and one of the other students took a tumble. We all took off, and then I fell. Again. But I didn’t have time to worry about it . . . we had a lift to catch. I jumped up, and took off. Focused more on my goal of getting to the lift on time, I didn’t mentally meander so much about my falls. I still ended up sitting in the snow hugging the padded pole that supports the lifts, but . . . I made it with a few minutes to spare. Waiting at the top of that lift for everyone to come up, I thought about my goal for the trip - to snowboard. I wanted to point my board down the mountain and go. So this time, when we took off, I didn’t wait for everyone to go first. I took off with the first group. I took a deep breath, and focused on my balance. When I fell, I took quick inventory, and focused on riding down the mountain. I didn’t worry about being goofy or regular, I focused on balancing what I wanted to do with what I needed to accomplish. Falling down became less important than getting up to ride again, to see how far I could ride, how long I could maintain my balance. I knew that I would get to the bottom of the mountain - gravity would take care of that. But I came to the mountain to ride, not to fall. I came to the mountain to challenge myself, and to be pushed to my limits, beyond my limits. Like life, the mountain offered up an obstacle, many obstacles, which forced me to take stock of myself. I could have focused on the falls. The bruises, the aches, the pains, the snow and ice in my nose and mouth, the difficulties all made themselves felt, voting for me to focus on the falls. But we don’t succeed in life by focusing on the obstacles. We don’t succeed by allowing ourselves to be defeated by the things that are hard, that are confusing, whether or not we are goofy or regular. We succeed by setting a goal and then working toward it, regardless of the difficulty. We succeed by acknowledging the setbacks, and then figuring out how to overcome them. My last run of the trip wasn’t flawless. I admit that I fell a couple of times. But it was a fantastic run. I pointed my board down the mountain, and I took off. My bindings were regular, and I was riding goofy. It didn’t matter. I had figured out how to balance, how to go fast, how to go slow . . . I had even figured out how to stop. It was pretty simple, really. I did what we all need to do to succeed. I talked about my success in conquering the mountain, conquering myself really, with Chief Master Lee in the car on the way back home. As he spoke about another TGT member, about not wanting them to leave the mountain in defeat, I found myself understanding what I had done differently, how I had succeeded eventually after I began in failure. I focused on the ride. Hwarang Forever! Reynaldo Macias Falling Down By Fernando Ceballos I sit at my home office chair with an extremely sore body and a bruised tailbone (I hope that’s all it is…), having just returned from our annual West Coast Hwa Rang Do® Academy TGT Snowboarding trip to Mammoth mountain. (BTW, I also learned that Mammoth is an active volcano as well as a hot ski resort.) We left Thursday evening to Mammoth Mountain and hit the slopes early Friday morning, under the leadership of Chief Master Taejoon Lee. Along with being one of the most incredible and talented martial artists in the world, he’s also a master snowboarder and loves shredding down double black diamonds with a warrior’s grin on his face. Anyone who goes snowboarding with Master Lee has one objective and one objective only – to conquer the mountain – no exceptions! This was my 2nd time snowboarding and I’ve boarded enough to know that I am NOT a natural snowboarder. I have also boarded enough to know that, like many things worth doing, I don’t enjoy snowboarding… at all. In fact, at times after taking some mean spills and tumbling down some of the tougher slopes in Mammoth, I was hating it. Three days of boarding (falling on my ass) and trying to keep up with Master Lee and 20+ of his best students will quickly tear away at your body. Most people would unstrap their board, turn in their gear, go back to the cabin, soak in the hot tub and give in to the mountain. But there’s a stubbornness in me, which for some reason never allows me to give in to the pain I’m in – physical, mental or emotional. With my knees, elbows, chest, back, butt and even my face bruised from the beating the mountain gave me… I couldn’t give up… On the 2nd day of boarding after lunch, Master Lee told everyone in the group, “Ok. We all move as a group together. Wherever I go, we ALL go!”. Everyone in unison responds, “Yes, sir!” I responded, “Yes, sir!” as well, although the prospect of following Master Lee to some of the more challenging parts of the mountain didn’t quite excite me, in the same way it excited some of the more experience boarders in the group. That afternoon of boarding turned out being 4 straight hours of following Master Lee up the mountain, boarding down some steep and tough slopes, catching another lift, which went higher than the ones we took before… inching closer and closer to the top… my body becoming more bruised and beat up in the process. At this point, I’m in survival mode. Saying very little, not complaining, just focusing on the challenge in front of me. When reaching the top of one of the higher lifts, Master Lee points up and says, “Look! That’s the top of the mountain. It’s not much higher. We can go there and take that slope down. It’s not much harder than what we’ve already done. What do you say?” Everyone in unison responds, “Let’s do it!” So we ride towards the gondola, which takes us to the top of the mountain. I think at this point, I kinda zoned out and was in denial about what was happening. Considering my skill level, I couldn’t see myself actually going to the top of the mountain and boarding down. I didn’t believe that I could do it, therefore I couldn’t even imagine myself at the top. It’s an issue many of as deal with in the process of building a business or participating in any purposeful venture. Without the proper leadership and having someone lead the way, it’s likely that many of the things we’ve accomplished in this life wouldn’t have happened. Such was the case on Saturday afternoon, as I followed Master Lee and the group onto the gondola ride to the top. When I got to the top, I turned to Master Lee and asked him, “Is this really the top of the mountain?” He looked at me and smiled, “That’s right.” We took a group picture at the top of the mountain, enjoyed the view and then proceeded to our final battle with the mountain – Cornice Bowl, a very steep black diamond run. I was numb, in acceptance of my fate and ready to take on the challenge. As I walked near the edge to strap up and get ready… 2 powerful images were engrained into my mind… The first was watching Master Lee jump of the edge on his board and let out a powerful and blood curling battle cry as he rode down. And then I turned to a sign to the left that said, “Experts Only” with a picture of a black diamond – “Oh, crap!” One by one, the others in the group went off the edge. I strapped in, sat at the edge and pushed myself off… (not giving myself enough time to think about it). I wouldn’t describe going down Cornice as “riding down”, as much as it was tumbling down. Notable moments on the way down Cornice was running into 2 people, one of them Reynaldo Macias, (also his 2nd time boarding), and a girl who’s shoulder I bumped as I slid down. As I bumped her, I yelled “I’m sorry” with an echo effect (like in the cartoons), which must have been pretty comical since I slid by her so fast. I regained some control and slid down on my butt as I watched a skier going down the same run I tumbled down, with his girlfriend riding piggyback on him, while he tore into the side of the mountain so effortlessly – I was in awe. I got to the bottom of the Cornice, relieved and excited. It took me well over 30 minutes to get down the rest of the mountain, trying to keep up with the group, taking many more spills along the way with legs burning from me digging into the mountain with my board on the way down. At one point I went down the wrong slope and I had to cross through a few trees to get back on the correct path. This delayed me quite a bit and I almost didn’t make it to the lift in time, which would take us back to the side of the mountain where our cabin was. At the bottom, it was Master Lee waiting for me at the lift, trying to convince the lift operator to keep the lift going for a few more minutes. I made it just in time and rode the lift back with him — my body in pain, legs and back exhausted. On the way up, I thanked Master Lee for waiting for me and taking me on the adventure of a lifetime, one I’m not sure I would have done on my own. He said, “I’m proud of you Ferny. You should be proud of yourself, too.” I replied, “I am, sir” At the top of the lift, the rest of the group was waiting and we took an “easy” run back down to where our cabin was… We enjoyed the rest of the evening at the cabin, had a nice dinner, played games and I still had enough in me to mix cocktails for the adults. It was a night of celebration. Sunday I took it very easy, as my body just about had it. I took a couple of leisure runs and spent the rest of the day helping teach some of the children who came with us how to snowboard – oh, the irony :-) Later that night, after arriving back in LA, I overheard Master Lee talking to one of the 1st time snowboarders of the group. He said, “Remember the lesson here… The goal is not to get to the bottom of the mountain. That is not the right thinking. It’s like life. Stop worrying about the bad things – the falling or getting hurt. Focus on the enjoying yourself while riding and look forward to the good things. The goal should be to have fun, pushing yourself to make the most out of what the ride offers and to get better. Boarding is not about getting down the mountain. Living is not waiting to die.” I’ve realized that he battle was not with the mountain after all… it was with myself. Hwarang Forever! Fernando Ceballlos The Awesome Power of Association by Raymond Fong There really isn’t much you can do while you are suspended over 60 feet up in the air, with your snowboard dangling on one foot, traversing the side of a snow-covered mountain. On the Lift Going Up Up Up! You admire the majestic mountain in all its glory; you notice the skiers and snowboarders looking like bugs from your perspective move beneath you; you hold your body tighter to preserve warmth as the occasional wind-chill tries to break though; and you make small talk with others on the same lift as you. Most of the small talk is just that… to break the silence and to make trivial comments on how nice of a day it is, what a great run that was, how much we hate moguls, etc. But one particular conversation stuck with me. Whom Can/Do You Trust? It happened on the third and last day of our annual Hwa Rang Do snowboarding trip, where Master Lee takes some of his students and hits the Mammoth snowy slopes. I was on a three-man lift with Master Lee and Joseph O’Day. Mr. O'Day Showing How It's Done Joe, after two full days of snowboarding for the first time, which of course involved a LOT of falling, and two late nights in a row of partying with the rest of us and not getting much sleep, was definitely feeling a bit under the weather as we hit the slopes on that third day. While we were on the lift, I asked him if he was okay to make the 5-hour drive home later that day. Then I asked him if his passengers could help him drive in case he needed to nap. He said, “Of course.” Then I half-jokingly asked if there were anybody he’d “trust” to drive his car, knowing that he just bought a brand new Audi A4 that he’s very careful about. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, “More so than anybody else?” His point being, the group of Hwa Rang Do students that Master Lee has gathered for this annual snowboarding trip is among the most disciplined, accountable, and trusty group he’s ever had the pleasure of associating and interacting with… (So of course he’d trust any of them to drive his car.) I thought for a moment and yes, I absolutely concur. Then he proceeded to comment on how it’s almost annoying now to hang out with others who are far less accountable and dependable than this group. I can totally relate to that as well. Elevate Yourself Back at the cabin, this conversation kept playing in my head over and over again. As we gathered at the cabin we were staying at, all 27 of us, for the last time before we made the trek home, I looked around at those surrounding me. You cannot ask for a better group of people to spend 3 days with, and to share the joys of snowboarding along with the pain of falling on your ass… over and over again. You will not find a group who moves in unison and operates like family – in a truly selfless manner. And in the presence of such a powerful group, you can’t help yourself but elevate your own being and become a stronger and better person. This is how you know you’ve found the “right” group of folks to associate with. This is how you know you are being positively influenced by the “Power of Association”. And in case you aren’t sure what power of association is, it is simply the concept that you are the average of those whom you spend the most time with – the average of the good, the bad, and the ugly. You are What You Ea… Whom You Hang Out With If you spend your time being surrounded by folks of mediocrity, then that’s all you’ll be, mediocre. If you are surrounded by those who are “lesser” than you, with no ambition to move forward, you’ll find yourself comfortable where you are and lacking the desire to advance in life. Master Lee Helping Me Elevate My Game... My "Being" However, if you surround yourself by folks who challenge you and are constantly looking to become better versions of themselves, you can’t help but elevate your game and become the better version of yourself. You are whom you choose to surround yourself with. At the end of the day, you only have so much quality time to spend with folks, I choose to spend it with those who can make me a better person. I hope you do too. I found those folks in this special group of warriors that I had the pleasure, honor, and privilege to spend 3 days snowboarding and bonding with. This is TGT (Teuk Gong Team – Special Forces). This is Hwa Rang Do. This is family. Proud to be Hwarang, Raymond Fong TGT BE AWARE! COMING SOON: National TGT Snowboarding Trip   Top of Page Midwest: Madison, WI: Dane County Explorers Led by A Hwarang Win Wisconsin Competition On Saturday, April 25, 2009, the Dane County Deputy Sheriff’s Association Explorer Post competed in a Law Enforcement Explorer Competition in Muskego, Wisconsin. The Competition featured over one hundred Explorers from sixteen Posts throughout Wisconsin. There were five team competitions including Crime Scene Investigation, Tactical Response, Vehicle Contacts, Conflict Resolution and Physical Agility. The individual competition included a Mock Trial. The Dane County Explorer Post took first place overall in the competition. They also took first place in Vehicle Contacts and Tactical Response, and third place in Physical Agility. The Explorers from Sun Prairie that attended the competition were Lucas Geiger, Zachary Henderson, Michael Wagner, Travis Brimmer, Tiffany Dunn, Joseph Miggins, Austin Lloyd, Ercan Dzelil, and Garit Tenpas. Michael Zimmermann and Alexander Kamps of Deforest, Chelsey Straubhaar of Marshall, Nicholas Vorpahl of Oregon, Amanda Reithmeyer of Madison, Ammar Mujanni of Middleton, and Hailey Whitewater of Lodi also attended the competition. The Explorers are lead by Detective Coy Bethel who is a 2nd Dan Hwa Rang Do Black Sash with a title of Kyosa Nim. Deputy Heidi Gardner and Advisor Michael Lenzendorf were also present. Top of Page Self-Defense Seminar for Osseo School District, Minnesota Today, April 15th, I went with Susok Sabumnim Dylan Sirny, Chief Instructor at the Hwa Rang Do Minneapolis Academy, to a self-defense seminar for the Osseo School District in Osseo, MN. The seminar was part of an annual health fair in which the Minneapolis Academy had participated the last three years. In all, we had about 25 attendees and covered awareness, escapes, striking, the cover position, and joint locks. Instructor Sirny began with some general information about awareness. Awareness is the most important aspect of self-defense. As the vast majority of defense situations can be avoided. Since the goal in self-defense is to escape, avoiding the conflict all together is even better. He provided a useful checklist to all the attendees with some great tips and spoke about the importance of being mindful of one’s environment and the situations you may find yourself in. We then demonstrated some basic escapes from a wrist grab and bear hug as well as how to effectively get space from an attacker with a push. After the escapes we moved on to striking, starting by showing them the cover position and letting them work with the blockers to practice absorbing the strikes. From there we covered the hammer fist and proper strike placement. Then it was time for the “fun stuff”. Instructor Sirny moved on to demonstrating joint locks. Most attackers in a self-defense situation are weak emotionally and mentally, but will be physically stronger than their target. Due to this, joint locks are a very effective means of self-defense as they do not require strength to execute and will work on any opponent. All in all it was a great session. The attendees were enthusiastic, had a lot of fun, and learned some good lessons and techniques to keep them safe. For me it was educational to see Instructor Sirny teaching in a different setting, and to work with complete beginners and feel some proper strikes and joint locks. Hwarang Forever! Elias Dawson - Tae Soo Do Red Belt Top of Page

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