The November 20th and 21st , 2004 Jokyo Marco Mattiucci (Chief Instructor in Italy) and Giuseppe Catania (TSD Black Belt), with the authorization of the WHRDA, traveled to Madrid, Spain for a unique seminar.   The seminar was hosted by Dan Freeborn, a Tae Soo Do ® Long Distance Program Student who was a Taekwondo Black Belt most of his life.   Mr. Freeborn has been a martial sport instructor for many years and is currently planning to convert his club as the first Tae Soo Do ® / Hwa Rang Do ® course in Spain.

They trained all day and night outside of the seminar in order to take advantage of their limited time together.   Ins. Mattuicci reports that Mr. Freeborn is an excellent martial artist, highly motivated, and dedicated to our art.   In the same days Jokyo Mattiucci humbly presented techniques in self-defense, grappling, knife defense, and baton fighting to a group of highly enthusiastic people which included: Mr. Freeborn's   TKD students, two Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents, a local policeman, and other martial artists.

During the dinner, Mr. Freeborn's students expressed to Jokyo Mattiucci that it is very difficult to find such motivated martial art instructors nowadays. One of the student's said, " ...we can sense your enthusiasm, both from you and Giuseppe.   It's kind of like fire; it's unbelievable!"   Jokyo Mattiucci's answer was, "Hwa Rang Do ® is fire, so believe in it - we're only a mirror in which you can see a small reflection of a far greater, brilliant light."   The two DEA agents were very happy to know that Jokyo Mattiucci wa s a Police Officer and asked him a lot of questions. Marco showed a lot of knife techniques to them and they were very much excited to learn offensive cutting strategies and techniques as well as the defence.   They told Marco that is very unusual to see such offensive techniques in normal martial arts classes.

Italian web page: http://www.hwarangdo.it/Train20041120.htm