Wow, another awesome year for a solid competition out in LA!  It is always nice to get the HRD & TSD family together to push each other to our limits in the ring, and this year was definitely no exception.  In fact, it seems that every year keeps all of us evolving in our skills and understanding of our Way.  While there are always some new faces, as well as many old ones, the higher levels that we are training at clearly shows when things are put on the floor.

This year was filled with not only awesome divisions and quality competition, but also a demonstration of ALL that HRD & TSD has to offer.  The reason for this was there were tournament divisions for every aspect of our combat skills – open hand forms and sparring, weapon forms and Kumdo sparring, as well as grappling takedowns and submissions combined.  There were so many things to compete in, the tournament ended up running late into the evening (and long ways into the banquet time).  The matches were all tight with wonderful performances of forms, and the sparring was fierce.  The grappling divisions were full of tough competitors and even the juniors got into the mix with some very technical grappling work.   The Kumdo matches finished off the day, which really put a noteworthy mark on this year’s competition, and the feeling of going into battle could not have been more real.

The Team Sparring also was great to see as the 4 teams went toe-to-toe with exciting matches between the different levels.  The Midwest Team beat Arizona, then the Headquarter team from Downey, yet lost in the final match-up to the defending champions of the West Coast Headquarter Team by a total of 6 points.  The ladies (Alyssa, Jessica, and Renee) from the Midwest Team showed great warrior spirit as they went against men in all their 3 matches from the opposing sides.  Way to go ladies! And, we can’t wait to see you go at it again next year!

We also wanted to recognize some competitors that competed in every possible division for their rank – open hand forms, weapon forms, kick/punch/throw sparring, gotoogi (submission grappling), and kumdo (weapon fighting), exemplifying the true diversity and comprehensiveness of our Art.  The sportsmanship and camaraderie between the members of all the different schools that participated further showed the deep familial bonds that Hwa Rang Do has created.  Overall, simply a tremendous day!