Archive for February, 2009

Free Monthly Self-Defense Classes in West LA

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Free Monthly Hwa Rang Do® Self-Defense Classes Now Available to the Public!

Recently, we’ve received many inquiries from the public regarding Hwa Rang Do’s self-defense techniques, classes and their availability.

Up until now, the instruction on Hwa Rang Do’s self-defense techniques have been taught within the context of a more comprehensive curriculum, instructional DVDs via Fighting Styles, annual world-wide seminars and private training with the US Military.

There are many other benefits one gains by practicing Hwa Rang Do, including physical fitness, agility, flexibility, personal growth, martial arts competition, weapon fighting and even spiritual growth, in addition to being a very effective system for self-defense and combatives.

Hwa Rang Do and the US Special Forces

Hwa Rang Do has had a long and distinguished history with the United States Armed Forces and foreign militaries. In the 70’s, decorated veteran and US Special Forces instructor Michael Echanis (3rd Degree HRD Black Sash), whom was personally trained by Hwa Rang Do founder Dr. Joo Bang Lee, was responsible for the training of Navy Seals, Green Berets and other Special Ops service men.

Echanis also oversaw the development and training of the entire Nicaraguan armed forces in the mid to late 70’s.

More recently, Chief Master Taejoon Lee instructed at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), which is where American, Central American and South American armed forces and law enforcement agencies send their elite soldiers and agents to be trained. Master Lee also has the distinct honor of being awarded one of the highest honors given to a civilian, an Ambassador of Goodwill to the WHISC, which was awarded to him by Colonel Richard D. Downie, PhD.

And of course, many of our members and instructors have served honorably in the armed forces and many law enforcements agencies, making excellent use of their Hwa Rang Do knowledge.

Community Service – Free Self Defense Classes Available to the Public

So as word continues to spread about the history and application of Hwa Rang Do for the purposes of combat and self-defense, we are interested in meeting the needs of the public.

At the same time, we are NOT interested in going into the “self-defense business”. We are in the business of empowering people through consistent training and dedication.

But we also understand that in the current economic climate there are many who want or need to have basic understanding of self-defense skills, but may not be able to afford it.

So as a community service, the West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy in West Los Angeles, will be holding monthly self-defense classes, available to the public free of charge. These classes are available to everyone regardless of financial situation, age, gender or martial art skill level.

Classes begin this month, Saturday February 28, 2009 and will be held monthly per these dates and times:

2/28/09Â Â 2:00 – 3:00 pm Saturday
3/21/09Â Â 2:30 – 3:30 pm Saturday
4/11/09Â Â 2:30 – 3:30 pm Saturday
5/23/09Â Â 2:30 – 3:30 pm Saturday
6/13/09Â Â 2:30 – 3:30 pm Saturday
7/11/09Â Â 2:30 – 3:30 pm Saturday
8/29/09Â Â 2:00 – 3:00 pm Saturday
9/19/09Â Â 2:30 – 3:30 pm Saturday
10/17/09 2:30 – 3:30pm Saturday
11/14/09 2:30 – 3:30pm Saturday
12/05/09 2:30 – 3:30pm Saturday

The classes will be held at
West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy
11304 1/2 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA. 90064

As far as attire, a plain t-shirt and sweat pants (or workout pants) are fine (no shorts). Try not to wear shorts if you can help it.

Class space is limited, so please call today at 310-473-6233 to RSVP and confirm your attendance to lock in your spot.

To learn more about Hwa Rang Do, you may visit our website at http://www.hwarangdo.net

You may also visit us on YouTube at http://youtube.com/WCHwaRangDo to watch over 40 video demonstrations of Hwa Rang Do techniques.

We look forward to seeing you in class!

Hwarang,
The HwaRangDo.NET Team

P.S. The purpose of these classes is for the greater benefit of our communities and those in attendance. We reserve the right to refuse entrance and instruction to anyone, if we feel that their presence compromises our ability to deliver on this commitment.

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What is a Martial Art?

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Surprisingly, there is no single definition of this term; different martial artists are unlikely to agree on the purpose or even the main elements that comprise a martial art. Is it to learn to fight? Competition? Self-defense? Personal improvement? Some may have such a narrow view but to me it’s all this and more.

Today’s martial arts are based upon fighting skills that date back thousands of years, which we re originally created for battle – empty hand techniques, archery, swords, etc. But as warring tribes grew into more peaceful kingdoms/countries and as warfare grew to include bombs and artillery, these battlefield skills diminished in importance. Many of these practitioners recognized the value of this training however, and so to honor this tradition they continued teaching their set of techniques – some merely being passed from father to son.

Over time, the focus changed from developing better warrior/soldiers to instead developing better human beings. These martial artists realized that those who follow the warrior’s path benefit in many ways; physically, mentally and emotionally. In order to provide the same benefit to the general public the leaders of many traditional schools of techniques founded a modern martial art by organizing their set of combat skills into an official curriculum; thus creating the “Do” for their style of techniques – the “way” to follow that will guide you on the path. This included a methodology and philosophy intent on achieving a specific goal. Not all had the goal to maintain the warrior tradition, however. Some preferred to focus on a subset of techniques with a more specific goal: sport/competition (Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Kendo), practical self-defense (Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga), philosophical (Aikido), health/meditative (Tai Chi), etc.

Within the last several decades, many students have broken off to start their own schools and organizations, in many cases losing the methods and philosophies that founded their martial art. Very recently, the advent of so called Mixed Martial Arts has created additional fractionalization as many martial arts schools try to incorporate additional material to their curriculum. This presents many problems. Even if the instructors are highly trained in the new material, and even if it is complementary to the original style, this still results in diminishing the original martial art by reducing its importance and straying from its philosophies and goals. This is much like the combination of two cultures; the watered- down result is a loss to both original cultures. If the above criteria are not met however, then resulting clash of philosophies and styles of movement can be catastrophic.

The proponents of this movement claim to be improving upon these martial systems by trying to “modernize” them – highly unlikely, unless the goal is strictly that of self-defense. These people are myopic in their perspective, thinking that martial arts are nothing more than a series of techniques used for self defense. The reality is that a true martial art is many things – techniques, movement, philosophy, moral principles, strategies, etiquette, etc – which together form a framework that results in more than the sum of its parts. Much like archery can be used as to teach Zen; the archery is but a means to an end, not an end in itself. Similarly, martial art studies provide the framework to continually seek truth, enlightenment and a path to the art of living – the warrior’s path.

So, what is the purpose of a martial art? While it can’t be adequately summarized in one sentence; the best I can offer is: “to provide the means for individuals to develop as human beings, and by extension, to improve the human race as a whole.” And what could be more important than that?

By Sabumnim Scott MacKnight

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Making Life Happen

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

The farther I have traveled on the Way, the more I have realized that I am in charge of my own future. I mean to say that, once upon a time, I couldn’t dream of doing a dive roll over five people, or flipping over and landing on my side (without breaking something!), or earning a black belt in a martial art. Over the past three years, though, I have learned that I can make life happen, or I can let it happen to me. Simply put, I create my own destiny.

It is more than coming to class each week clocking time on the mat. When I hit green belt, I came to every class just as I did in my beginner belts. However, I lost focus. Everything, including a spinning heel hook, was just too hard. I built obstacles where there none. After three months, I began to shift with impatience. Why was I not learning? Why was I not improving? Why was I not advancing? The hard truth was that I was letting other things dictate my training. I was in class, but thinking about the rough day I’d had at work, or the disagreement I’d had with someone, or the frustration I felt about my slowed progress. All of these cluttered my mind. I allowed them to crowd out my focus.

Instead of creating my destiny, I was succumbing to my life. When I finally got frustrated, though, that began to change. I began coming to class with a purpose – “I will improve on my heel hook today”; or, “I will effectively apply my Ho Shin Sul”. With each class, then, I had an attainable goal to mark whether I was training well. The results were almost instant. I tipped in my fourth month, and tested for purple belt in my fifth. The lesson I learned on the mats also carried over into my life.

Unhappy with my job, I focused on actively improving or changing my situation. At work, I aggressively pursued attainable goals to create and foster a more collegial atmosphere in my department and on campus. At the same time, I also pursued interviews with other schools. Rather than allowing the negative aspects of my workplace to determine my outlook, I determined my outlook and worked to create a new reality in my workplace. The dividends were amazing. At work, the situation improved nominally. The interviews at other places, however, proved to be life-changing. I scheduled an interview with a school that I had only peripheral knowledge of. However, their pursuit of me was aggressive, and they created an opportunity for me to come to campus to visit before I had heard back from some others.

Reynaldo Macías

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Self-Reliance: A Discussion

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

The goal of training in Hwa Rang Do is to conquer oneself. It is our creed and the rigors of studying Hwa Rang Do require it. It is the pursuit of this mastery that draws us to this art, for when it is obtained, we are able to secure the freedom and happiness that is our birthright. This is a lofty, noble goal.

A goal so lofty deserves some thought. For most of us, it is unclear when and how self-mastery, or self-reliance, is obtained. It might be felt, or its absence might become painfully clear that day when we lose control of ourselves and succumb in shame or defeat. Before this happens, what is self-reliance and what identifies the individual who possesses this quality?

Trust in yourself. Leadership is not a virtue society supports. Rather society is in the business of encouraging conformity to customs and traditions. Leaders are the ones least interested in conforming, and will break rules if the merits of the situation deem it appropriate. Think about the story of the emperor and his new clothes. It took a child to state plainly that the emperor was naked, and it is that precocious ability to plainly see the world for what it is that is a pillar of self-reliance.

Consistency is not a virtue if that consistency is foolish. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated it best when he said that, “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Why do we stick rigidly to our white lies and cling to our bad decisions? Why is it impossible to admit our mistakes plainly without a torrent of explanations, counterpoints, or obfuscations? For instance, we continue to invest money into a failing business, nations continue to fight wars that cannot be won, or perhaps we stay in relationships that make us unhappy. Why? It is because we are unwilling to take the inevitable heat from our peers for our poor decisions and it is this fear that makes us try to dig ourselves out of holes we have already dug. But try as we might, digging from inside a hole will only make the hole deeper. Self-reliance, however, means that one does not encumber oneself with the cares of our peers. Decisions should be made, or changed, based on their merits.

Diligence, however, is vital. To be self-reliant, one has to build a self that is strong enough to be reliable. Charles Munger, the vice-president of the investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, states it best. What we need for success is assiduity. We need to sit on our asses and do it. But diligence comes at a price; temptation must be avoided. There are literally thousands of ways a man can be distracted and deluded, and most of us are all too willing to go along.

Master Lee often uses this example: drug dealers without an advertising budget or an education never have an issue selling drugs. Vice sells itself. Vice, however, will not make us happy. Again, to quote Emerson, “nothing can bring you happiness but yourself. Nothing can bring you happiness but an adherence to principles.”

Finally, we must study. It was Munger again who said, “the man who lives in ignorance of the past goes through life like a child.” We must learn from the past and learn from those we admire. Could we do without it? Sure. But as practitioners of Hwa Rang Do and seekers of freedom, acquiring wisdom is our moral imperative.

William Wright

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