As you read and enjoy the posts on this site, please consider "sharing" them! The "likes" help generate additional readership but "sharing" will help even more! Thank you for your assistance! If you have questions, please feel free to contact me!
Are you tired of being where you are? Has it started to hurt? You know, in all those parts of your life that you thought would be better by now or in those places where you thought you’d already earned your place. Here’s a secret…nothing is ever finished. People don’t usually consider that the jobs […]
Do you know the differences? Which are you? The following definitions were taken from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Yes, I know that these will be picky but that is part of what our language allows and promotes. I’ve been know to repeat the phrase “say what you mean, mean what you say” and preface some of […]
While working with Supreme Grand Master Choi, Joon Pyo (Songmookwan 10th Dan), I have had the opportunity to hear a few of the stories about our lineage’s history. The reverence that people had for Supreme Grand Master Ro, Byung Jick (Songmookwan founder) can be seen throughout the stories. They regularly comment on his integrity and […]
I’ve been a LONG time fan of the show NCIS. I’ve appreciated Mark Harmon’s work ever since seeing him in “The Presidio” along with Sean Connery. One standard of NCIS, though, is that Gibbs’ rules are awesome. The show has done a good job of handing out these rules over the whole series. Many are […]
In class, do you put a lot of energy into what you do? Do you follow the lesson plan as assigned? So you follow the commands given? Now, all of this work done by a serious student will help lead to developing discipline. The student should begin to understand that discipline within etiquette, techniques, patterns […]
I recently had the fortune to test for and be promoted to 4th Dan (Sadan) in Haidong Gumdo, a Korean sword martial art. It was a tough road. As I am the senior student of all Haidong Gumdo in Minnesota, training has been difficult as frustrating. When you get to train with your teacher (as […]
Last week was one full of training and testing. We had the semi-annual visit from the World Haidong Gumdo Federation’s Head Master, Kwanjangnim Jeong-Woo Kim, who continues to help us grow and develop in sword skills and life success. It was a challenging week. We worked really hard and gained more knowledge in our curriculum. […]
Back on November 7th & 8th, our regional group of USA Haidong Gumdo masters brought our schools together for the first time….kinda. Many of us in the group have spent the past few years training with USA Senior Chief Master Marshall Parnell. His leadership and teaching has helped us develop greatly and create an outstanding […]
This video is from the 2015 Battle On The Mountain hosted by North American Karate and Fitness (Pennsylvania), which is lead by Tang Soo Do Grand Master/Haidong Gumdo Chief Master Peter Oien. It features the World Haidong Gumdo Federation Director of Education/USA Haidong Gumdo Association president, Kwanjangnim Jeong Woo Kim (on the left), and USA […]
I hope that you enjoyed What is Success, part 1 and part 2 and part 3. This week examines the last two portions of the chart, which can be reviewed in part 1. These side panels of the chart refer to qualities (the mortar) rather than characteristics (the building blocks). These qualities, when recognized and […]
I hope that you enjoyed What is Success, part 1 and part 2. This week examines the next two levels of the chart, which can be reviewed in part 1. Quite often the phrase “Being comfortable in my own skin” is used when people actually recognize who they are…for themselves. Poise is where this fits. […]
I hope that you enjoyed What is Success, part 1. This week examines the next two levels of the chart, which can be reviewed in part 1. This level starts to make the process more specific and has applications in many more areas. The martial arts will always promote the self-control of a student, the […]
The following set of posts are based upon the chart below. I hope that you find some benefit from them. Part One starts here. While this is from John Wooden, who I know about because my high school alma mater here in Minnesota has a coach with one of best careers in the nation, it […]
I don’t remember where I heard this, whether it was a really cool philosophical martial arts book or a television show but it something that keeps coming back to me. All too often people pause, hesitate, flinch and think…even tell others…that they didn’t choose what happened to them. In some cases, like the starter I […]
Do you practice the most important part of your martial art(s) daily? Do you know what that part is? Over my 35 years of martial arts training, I’ve had several teachers from several martial arts tell me that the physical techniques are only 10% of the art. So what is in the other 90%? We […]
Recently, I have had several discussions with students from a range of ages. The topics were varied across the Song Moo Kwan Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo curricula. One striking recognition was just how much the younger ones rely on their natural athleticism and strength. Yes, I already “knew” that but it was even more pronounced […]
You Thought You Were on Vacation? (written 9/10/2015) Yesterday were the first Haidong Gumdo and Taekwondo classes since August 5th at the Brooklyn Center dojang. Odyssey Academy was installing a new gym floor, and us martial artists were given a vacation. A break was nice. August was a bit busy, and having no obligations on […]
The Founder of our system was laid to rest today. I hope to help carry his legacy forward.
Byung Jick Ro,(1919-2015) Taekwondo Legendary Supreme Grandmaster passed away on Thursday 9/10/2015. He was the founder of Song Moo Kwan and a past president of the Korea Taekwondo Association. His efforts have greatly affected what Taekwondo is today. He will be greatly missed.
When students perform their techniques, whether in drills or patterns, it is very easy to tell if they are actually trying or merely dancing around. This is one of the tricky parts within training…or any education. I had a student tell me that the way to fix that is to make them work harder. How […]
Understanding that not every person or body is the same and helping to work through that. The love and passion you and your students have. The geekiness we can all be. You allow your students to be their own person.
