Sunday, 27 September 2015
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Hankuk Kumsul - Kumdo
Kumdo Brisbane, the home of Hankuk Kumsul, The Way of the Korean Sword
Deadly Precision
Kumdo or 'way of the sword', is a Korean style of
Swordsmanship. The techniques and movements of Kumdo are beautiful and dynamic,
with a balance, speed, power and accuracy and oneness with Body, Mind and
Spirit.
 |
| Master Millwood 3 cuts before it fell |
Swordsmen use a wooden sword called a mokgeom (or mokdo) to
execute the attacks and counter attacks contained in the techniques. Techniques are both solo and partnered. No armour is worn and the participants stop
just short of striking each other. In
addition to formal techniques, numerous drills, both solo and partnered, and
with armour are practiced.
Advanced
practitioners eventually may use a live blade sword, called a daedo, for
practice of cutting.
Kumdo is also a part of our Hapkido program for senior Dans.
What You Will Learn in Kumdo
·
Basics - The practice of basic techniques is the
foundation of Kumdo which all other practices are built upon. It marks the
beginning of the harmonization of mind, body, spirit and sword.
·
Technique – Technique is a core element of
Martial Arts training, teaching the student many of the necessary skills needed
when fighting (sparring). Through a series of moves, the student develops
discipline, concentration, endurance and power, all without physical contact or
risk of getting hurt. These skills are essential to everyday life, and to
practicing Martial Arts.
·
Cutting - The theory and practice of the sword
are harmonized in cutting. Speed, accuracy, power, footwork and concentration
of intent. Cutting is the Art of Swordsmanship in practice.
·
Sparring - Sparring is the application of all
sword practice, against an opponent. All elements of Kumdo are essential for
effective sparring. Speed, reaction time, accuracy, judgment, mental and
physical control. The student must apply all their knowledge and skill to
overcome an opponent.
·
Kumdo teaches more than just how to use a sword.
The discipline, mental and physical training and friendship provide the grounds
for a life long practice. It is the vital mental training and conditioning that
separates the true practitioner from the individual who has only mastered the
physical techniques of Kumdo.
 |
| Master Millwood's Daedo |
Saturday, 15 August 2015
Anger Management
Anger Management and Psychological Self-Defence
It is not at all uncommon to see this phrase; it is a
combination of two words which carries a lot of meaning. Among us all, anger is
well known, it’s familiar. We might well assume that for others anger is
something that needs to be managed because for some other people dealing with
or not dealing with their anger has led to problems in their life.
Certainly when anger has become a problem-though ideally
before so- it is sensible to take action in managing it. When anger gets out of
control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems in different areas of
our life.
The point is that when we see the term ‘anger management’ we
usually interpret it as something like “someone has a problem with their anger
and they need to manage it”. Perhaps an even more common meaning we take from
these two words is that anger itself is a problem which needs to be managed,
and at that, managed into near extinction.
There probably is an underlying assumption in these points
of view - that we are just better off without anger-it’s bad, unlike let’s say,
the feeling of contentment-that feeling can’t ever be seen as a problem which
needs to be managed - right? Well maybe, though maybe not. Maybe anger is not all
bad, maybe when we see ‘anger management’ we could think of it in terms of
harnessing our anger – managing a valuable resource!
When Anger is a
Problem
When is anger a problem? The most common and probably widely
accepted answer to this question is that anger is a problem when it becomes
destructive, when it negatively impacts on our quality of life and when it
begins to damage our relationships with those involved in our life.
Few people would dispute this. Of course in the above
sentences the word it could be replaced by the word I –it might not read as
grammatically correct but the point is that a whole new meaning emerges from a
whole new point of view.
Anger is simply a feeling and therefore neither good nor
bad; it is how we behave or what we do with the anger that defines anger as a
problem.
Or does it? Change our perspective again this time from the
inside-out point of view, from the perspective of someone who experiences the
anger feeling intensely, frequently and repeatedly and now anger itself can be
described as a problem. This need not be limited to anger in the social or
interpersonal domain. There are other areas of our lives where anger had the
potential to present us with problems.
Think of the sports-person or anyone trying to master skill
or discipline. Sometimes our performance is hindered by being angry BUT ONLY if
that feeling is too little or too much. While it is fair to say that a strong
lack of interest is going to impede our performance it is equally true to say
that “the harder you try, the better you’ll do” just isn’t right.
To sum up it’s fair to say that anger is commonly
experienced but is also private and therefore different for each person. Yes,
too much anger is a problem, what we do when we experience anger can be a
problem and anger itself can be a problem. And anger has the potential to be a
problem when it’s not even there!
When Anger is not a
Problem
So the idea that no anger means no problem, is not really
true, but what does this mean? Below is a chart displaying the approximate
relationship between performance-let’s say ‘successful completion of tasks’,
and emotional arousal which can also be described as anger depending on the
situation.
Here is where the most important part of anger management
might be (depending on your goals of course).The concept of flow in sports or
in any task is becoming well known and when known highly sought after. It can
be described as a state of mind in which there is a perfect or near perfect
match between the perceived demands of an activity and the abilities of the
performer.
Flow, also described as ‘being in the zone” is accompanied
by feelings of being energized yet calm and focused, a sense of timeless-ness
and effortless-ness. What is important to note is that to get there, some
degree of emotional arousal is required. And different activities might require
different levels of arousal. So a total lack of anger can be linked to a poor
performance whenever it is that anger is needed-not too surprising to state
that now. But how often is it that a person can reasonably claim that they need
to be angry? That might depend on the type of life we live and the environment
we generally occupy.
Is this linked to
Self-Defence?
Maybe in some way it can be linked to physical and
psychological self-defence. According to the American Psychological Association
“Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires…feelings and
behaviours, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are
attacked”. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival
when that survival is threatened.
The flip side is that we may be our own threat by our misuse
of our anger. There is a large amount of information and evidence linking anger
(and its biological components e.g. cortisol) to a range of physical and mental
health problems. One of my favourite pieces of information in this regard is of
the study which found that those who had less control over their anger tended
to heal more slowly from wounds!
Fascinating to know perhaps that this is old news to some of
the more established eastern philosophies and ‘ways’ - as Buddha himself
(supposedly) stated…”Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the
intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned”
____Buddha (about 2500 yrs ago)
Health and Fitness Benefits of Hapkido
Fitness,
weight loss and improvements in health are all natural outcomes from Hapkido
training.
- Develop strength of character.
- Reduce the effects of stress.
- Gain self-defence skills
- improve overall fitness
- health
- flexibility
- confidence
People of
any age, size and gender can learn and perform effective Hapkido techniques.
There are
over 600 muscles in your body and you will use every one of them in an average
Hapkido class.
An adult
student can burn over 4100 kilojoules in an average Hapkido class which may
result in significant weight loss
Increased
flexibility from Hapkido training can improve posture.
Children
training in Hapkido develop greater self-confidence and respect for others,
making them less likely to be bullied.
There are
many more flow on affects from training in Hapkido. Book your free trial lesson now.
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Bowing and Saluting in Hapkido
Our showing of respect at Hapkido in the way of
saluting and bowing forms a large part of what and how we learn.
It would not be possible to commence training if
this was an issue.
Whilst we bow to one another before, during and
after training, and salute the flags at the beginning and end of class, we do
not worship one particular person or figure in a spiritual way.
In every dojang there are at least two, sometimes
three flags on display. Arranged left to right, they are the home country flag,
the flag of the style of martial art and the flag of the country where Hapkido
originated. It is customary for students to face and salute the flags when
entering or leaving the dojang as a sign of respect for what the flags represent.
Respect in Martial Arts
The systems of unarmed combat that people study
throughout the world were not designed to be conducted like an aerobics
class, where you say hi to Sally, Joe and Mark before stepping on the
bike. Martial Arts are generally speaking military in their
origins. The formalities, and by this I mean all the bowing, showing
respect to higher ranking students and instructors and anything else a lay
person might view as not furthering the study of unarmed combat, are in place
for a reason.
Martial Arts are generally speaking not
religious. Bowing in Asia is like shaking hands in the West, there is
nothing religious about bowing. It is simply a sign of respect.
Bowing before entering the door to train is to show respect for the training
hall. It also shows respect for all those coming before you. It is
also training in checking your ego at the door. Understanding that you do
not already know all there is to know is very important in martial arts.
If you feel that you know all there is to know, it would be impossible to learn
anything new. Or as the old adage goes, a cup that is already full can
hold no more.
There is a general level of respect that should be
transmitted between those that we train with. We have to trust each
other; this is absolutely vital. I can’t say this strongly enough, it is
VITAL that we TRUST. We are striking, kicking, throwing, and doing other
techniques that could easily become harmful to each other. We have to
trust that our partners will use control and precision in their
techniques. If they don’t we could be seriously injured. If we do
not have the proper respect for each other we might not take our endeavour with
the seriousness required. Mutual respect is so important in martial arts
and it cannot be understated. You can’t play with serious injury in a
haphazard method. Formalities are used to foster this mutual respect.
What about rank? As one moves through the
belt system of a given martial arts expectations on that student increases.
The more advanced the student the more they are looked at to be not just
examples of excellent form and technique but also to be models of humility and
respect within the Dojang. A black belt or high ranking colour belt is an
example to the lower students. The high ranking students set the tone for
the lower students. This is in terms of how people are addressed and how
formalities are conducted in the class.
In short, formality is about respect. The
building of respect is necessary in military organizations and it should be no
surprise that it exists in martial arts. Respect for the training and
each other is necessary due to the serious material that is covered in
traditional martial arts. A lot of what happens inside the
training hall may look strange to the lay person but there is a reason and it
has nothing to do with people trying to feel self-important or superior to
others.
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