By the time you’ve reached black belt in Hapkido, you’ve accumulated hundreds of Hapkido techniques: from the basic punch to the more complex self-defence skills and the multitude of variations. In this three part article I’d like to talk about
Training beyond black belt (part two)
[part 1] Before Christmas I surveyed some of Chang’s Hapkido Academy (CHA) black belts to discover what keeps them coming back after achieving their black belt. I’ve received over a dozen responses now from black belts across four of our
Training beyond black belt (part one)
To achieve a black belt in Hapkido requires many years of practice. Practicing anything long term requires energy, passion and commitment. But like anything else, our ability to perform a technique effectively will eventually decay – that’s why continued practice,
Mentally tough Hapkido.
There are three factors that will influence our sporting ability: our fitness, technical skills and mental skills. Many people spend loads of time on the first two, but neglect number three. In sport however, an athlete’s mental toughness is a
Believing it to be so.
The Guardian newspaper recently reported on a study done by Charles Lee at the University of Virginia. He took 41 undergraduates who had previous golf experience and enthusiasm for the sport, and randomly split them into two groups. The first
Experiencing Hapkido.
I like the occasional cappuccino; I frequent a few cafes, but there is definitely one that I prefer. If you asked me why this cappuccino in particular, I’m not sure that I could answer you. Strong, but not too strong,
From stress to personality trait.
I read somewhere that 70% of people who show up at hospital have a stress related disorder. That’s huge – our stress level is something we should take notice of! One could say that stress is our reaction to the
Changing ourselves first.
Students often tell me that as they progress in Hapkido other parts of their lives also seems to move forward, to improve… like somehow things are linked… The following is an epitaph from an anonymous Anglican bishop who was buried
Philosophical definitions.
This month I thought I’d try and define a couple of philosophical concepts we often discuss within our Hapkido and Ki training. I would love to hear your own thoughts/definitions. Karma Karma comes from a concept of Indian philosophy meaning
What happens on the mat…
What is the single biggest factor that will affect your Hapkido? Your mind. If you are upset, carried away, scattered, preoccupied…your Hapkido will be poor. If you are relaxed, focused, attentive, calm…your Hapkido will be good and your ki will