Sterling Wallace Sunshine Coast Hapkido Club. May 2010

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1 May 2010 What s Inside: - Hapkido and the Badge page 4 - Fighting Without Fighting page 7 - Kids and Nutrition page 9 - WHA Brazil pages 10 & 11 -WHA Summer Camp Details Inside Teach it to Others I believe that part of the process of learning martial arts is learning how to teach it to others. Nothing solidifies ones understanding of a technique more then having to break it down, piece by piece and explain it clearly and simply to someone. I ve always loved helping teach in whatever way I can in the Do Jang and when the opportunity for me to take the Assistant instructors course at the 2010 winter camp came up I jumped at the opportunity. Before I even got to the camp the course was already exceeding my expectations. Sometime before I left I received some pre-requisite reading from Mr. James. The Ten Class Management Skills was the title of the document sent and it really laid out the basics of how to successfully teach a class. It was very well written and easy to understand. It explained the basics from how to set a proper mood in the class to setting goals to giving realistic praise and positive correction. After reading through the whole document it really wet my appetite for the actual course in Denver. Once at the course we covered many different topics and ideas as well as practicing practical application of the teaching skills we learned and also a written exam as well. It really brought to light, for me, weaknesses in myself that I need to overcome. Something as simple as hearing, As teachers, it is our goal to make our student better than we are. It s a simple obvious concept, but one my ego and I needed to hear. After hearing that, I now go about helping someone with a technique completely different. It also really brought out the importance of knowing about all aspects of Hapkido, not just the techniques but proper terminology, history and etiquette because it is all part of Hapkido. Overall it was a brilliant experience for me and I give many thanks to the effort, time and hard work put into the course. Sterling Wallace Sunshine Coast Hapkido Club

2 May 2010 Need more Hapkido training? Visit our web site ww.worldhapikdo.com and check out our Online Courses! Our online training program was established in 2000 due to an overabundance of requests from people who had the desire to study but could not, because they were unable to locate a training center in their area. Offering a multitude of courses as well as certification programs that uphold the high quality standards of the World Hapkido Association, our online courses provide the opportunity for anyone to study Hapkido anywhere in the world. We Want to Hear from YOU! The WHA Newsletter is for the members by the members. If you have something to say we want to hear it: events, seminars, testing, promotions, opinions, questions, experiences, photos etc, on and off the mat. Want to have your school profiled in an upcoming issue of the WHA Newsletter? Send us a bio on the school, instructor(s) and a photo and we will include it. Submissions are due the 25th of the month. AVAILABLE on DVD Ultimate Hapkido with Master Tae Jung only $ $5.95 s/h Courses I & II & III Complete Staff Training Featuring Master Jason Jung $ s/h Order yours today! Join the WHA forum today. Log onto. It s easy and it s free. Hear what members have to say. Ask questions, state opinions or tell of experiences! WHA Now on Facebook Join us at:

3 May 2010 When one door closes * We all have heard this expression: when one door closes another one opens. It is simply saying that each time we feel we have reached a moment or circumstance where what we thought was good or promising, we then find out may not be worth the time or is not delivering the positive effects we had hoped for, another opportunity will arise more to our liking and more suitable for our needs. Though at the time while the first door is closing, it is often difficult to see the possibilities of another door opening to shed light on the situation. But those additional doors are always there, even when things are going good. We must not allow ourselves to get so fixed on one thing that we lose sight of all that is around us. Hapkido gives us the same scenarios. We move in one direction and then we find that it is not the best place to be, so we look or feel to make a change of direction, we find the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance does not mean we look for the easy way out but rather we find what works best for the situation and those involved, including ourselves. Opportunity is always available to use on the mat and off the mat. Find your way to opportunity. -Michael Aloia Asahi Dojo, PA *originally appeared in Aikido Now

4 May 2010 Hapkido and the Badge: Combat Breathing The human body is made up of about 650 different muscles. Body mass for the average male consists of approximately 42% muscle and the number for women is 32%. These muscles are broken down in to three categories. Skeletal muscles which are the muscles that we have to work out to maintain strong bodies so that we can continue our martial arts training or defend ourselves on the streets in combat. Smooth muscles are basically like bed sheets in the fact that they lay around between other muscles and tendons and contract on their own for purposes such as; when food needs to be pushed from the stomach to intestines or when food needs to be shoved from the mouth to the stomach etc. Last but by no means least are the cardiac muscles. These are muscles that are like the smooth muscles in the fact we don t have to think about them working for the most part. We don t have to decide for them to work like we do the skeletal muscles. With the skeletal muscles we have to actually think I am going to get up and go get another drink before the legs will engage and lift us from a chair. The cardiac muscles however, are comprised of individual cells that are each connected in an electrical fashion so that they can work without you having to ever give them any thought, for the most part. These muscles are the ones that keep the heart beating and blood pumping, the lungs breathing in and out and much more. So what do I mean when I say that we never have to think about them, for the most part? What I mean here is that on a normal day we don t have to walk around saying pump blood in pump blood out or breathe air in breathe air out. So when do we have to think about these muscles? We have to think about them when entering into combat, be it sparring in the Dojang or actual save your life combat on the streets. Every fighting art has its own word for this, examples would be; Korean martial artist would call this Dan-Jun, hard style Japanese martial artist would call it Nogare or Ibuki but for now we will call it Combat Breathing. For the most part breathing is controlled by the Vagus nerve. The word vagus is roughly translated as the Wanderer in Latin and that is exactly what this nerve does. It leaves the back of the skull and wanders throughout the body controlling various things such as blood pressure, rate of breathing, larynx function, stomach function, audible/visual break down of information from outside stimuli to the brain and much more. Therefore, the cardiac muscles should be thought of as an autonomic nervous system because they do not require any thought process to work as long as they or the vagus nerve doesn t come under attack by stress such as that received during combat. Once combat or the threat there of has started to

5 May 2010 stimulate our senses it is very likely that our pulse rate will race out of control, our blood pressure will climb and our breathing will become shallow and rapid. When this happens THEN we must think about controlling these muscles and the nerves that control them. If we don t we will start to act in an out of control manner causing us to careless and to get hurt or worse. You will not be able to break down data received by the ears and eyes and all will become distorted and confusing allowing tunnel vision to set in. Tunnel vision is the bodies response to the more than 1,400 different chemicals it produces when in the fight or flight mode. It attempts slow things and to pin point information by pulling it all into a small vision pattern much like looking through a tube or tunnel. This is very dangerous for us because will miss much needed information during an altercation. For those of us in martial arts we already have a heads up on this and how to control it through proper breathing. Now, I fully understand that when we were younger and the old masters would spend time meditating and breathing we thought it to be foolishness and we wanted to jump in to technique. Its okay, we all did it. However, we know now it is important and we need to learn how to properly do it. When the body is at rest and the heart beats naturally and breathing is at ease there isn t much need to think about these muscles or they way they are working. However, we must take time to practice our breathing for when we need it. While we must practice combat breathing in order to be able to do it properly on demand, we must also understand that to do breathing exercises at this point in time may very well cause us to lower out blood pressure too much too fast causing dizziness and you may even pass out. In order to conduct combat breathing properly and to control our vagus nerve system we can follow the example below: Breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds and then hold for 6 seconds. As you are taking in oxygen don t think about filling the lungs. I want you to think about filling the stomach full of air. At the end of this deep air intake you will need to hold it deep and very tight for six seconds. Once a full 6 seconds has passed then release the air in a 4 second burst clearing all the air from your body. This should cause the vagus system to vagul out dropping your blood pressure closer to normal levels, slowing your heart rate and causing the visual/audible systems to get back on line with the brain taking away tunnel vision and allowing you to fully be able to defend yourself with a clear mind. 4 in 6 hold 4 out repeat as needed This is an example only that I got from Troy Fullbright who is a good friend of

6 May 2010 mine a Taekwondo practitioner and is an awesome gun handler. Others ways to perform this are: >4 in 2 hold 4 out >4/4/4 Etc, Etc: YOU, and only YOU, have to find what works for YOU and the only way to do that is through SAFE practice. As I stated there are many ways to SAFELY practice for this but the following is recommended in many Korean style Dojangs across the world: >Inhale for five seconds, exhale for five seconds. >Inhale for five seconds, hold for five seconds, exhale for five seconds. Once you can complete the first 2 examples without feeling dizzy then move on with the next three making sure you have mastered each before moving on to the next. > Inhale for five seconds, hold for five seconds, exhale for five and hold for five seconds. >Inhale for five seconds, hold for ten seconds, exhale for five seconds, and hold for five seconds. >Inhale for ten seconds, hold for fifteen seconds, exhale for ten seconds etc. Breathing and keeping your mind clear during combat is of the utmost importance. Only a clear mind that is under control and focused can see the next move before it even happens. Regardless if you are sparring, on the street and under attack as a civilian or a police officer entering into combat you can follow this simple rule of thumb, when in doubt, breath in through the nose, hold, hold, hold, blow out through the mouth..repeat as needed. Kelvin Hall

7 May 2010 The Art of Fighting Without Fighting In Bruce Lee s most famous movie Enter the Dragon he stands on a ship confronted by a bigger bully. The bully challenges Lee to a fight. Lee says, Sure, but not here. The bully asks where the contest shall take place and Lee points to a small island a short ways from the ship. When the bully asks how they will get to the island, Lee points to a life boat being slowly pulled along by the ship. The bully agrees and climbs on to the life boat, at which time Lee unhooks the tow line from above and watches the bully simply drift off to sea while waiving good bye to him! While this is a funny cinematic interpretation for the lesson of Fighting without fighting, it does make the viewer wonder what is the best way to diffuse a potential physical confrontation without actually having to fight; and, in the end, even getting the last laugh. First, if confronted by a physically aggressive person, you must attempt to immediately establish maximum distance between you and the potential threat. Yes, running away is a great option but you may be in a situation where this is just not practical or even possible. However, even simply being out of arms reach from an assailant can give you the extra time to react that you need. It may even prevent the other person from simply striking at you on impulse. Obviously, it s going to be much easier for someone to hit you on impulse if they can reach you. The next thing you should do as you are obtaining the distance and space we just talked about, is create a protective physical barrier between you and the threat. The most immediate option would be to put your hands between you and the assailant in a non threatening manner. Generally, your hands would remain open (not balled into a fist) and your palms would face the other individual. This will give you a great line of defense to cover your head with in case they lunge at you. Any other physical barrier you can put between you and the assailant is now an added bonus, such as a car door, shopping buggy, etc. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are confined in a small space and cannot manage to gain distance as instructed in step one, still MOVE ON TO NUMBER 2 PUT YOUR HANDS UP! The third thing you need to do to possibly diffuse the situation is use appropriate language. There is no magic formula here. You have to go with the flow of what you think the situation calls for. However, here are some ideas. Mild: Why are you acting this way? Calm down, can t we talk this out? (Remember, he who asks the questions, controls the conversation)

8 May 2010 Passive Aggressive: Hey, look, my husband is a highway patrolman and he and his partner are meeting me here any minute. In fact I was suppose to call him five minutes ago. Aggressive: Back off and leave me alone Etc Whatever, you say, however, should be brief and to the point. Remember, never start arguing with a knuckle head, they will just bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience! Plus it s hard to stay clear headed and have maximum awareness when you are bickering back and forth. Finally, get away at the first opportunity. If at any moment you realize you have created a chance to get in your car and lock the doors do it! Drive away if possible! If you have an opportunity to go inside a public place do it! Also, never hesitate to call the police if you think the situation warrants the call. You may end up saving your life and someone else s. Oh, and as for getting the last laugh? If you make it back home safely and in one piece, then you got the last laugh Mission Accomplished! Master Monty Hendrix WHA NC Rep. KIDS NEED NUTRITION It s cold outside! The older I get the less and less I like this cold weather lol. I hope it goes away for good. One of the blessings of the kids being out of school is the extra time they get with their siblings and families; however one of the downsides could possibly be their nutrition habits. Did you know 91% of kids and teens between 6 years and 18 years eat too much harmful fat and sugar that directly affects problems with their physical health? Did you know 51% of all children eat less than 1 serving of fruits and vegetables per day? Guess what, the recommended daily serving is 5! Lastly did you know that because of these things some kids are now experiencing one of 17 different chronic childhood diseases and 40% of kids between 5-8 now show signs of heart disease!!!! Wow! Scary stuff isn t it? Our kids who are the future leaders and decision makers of our country are in serious trouble. I d known from seeing first hand through instructing kids at my martial arts studio, being a former landlord, and watching kids come through our daycares at the YMCA that they seemed a little bit heftier and I hear from our cooks and parents how hard it is to get kids to eat healthy. But I did not know it was this bad. Continued on page 10

9 May 2010 KIDS NEED NUTRITION Continued from page 8 Now that I ve got your attention (and mine) here is a quick run-down on nutrition for parents and kids (thanks to United Professionals & Black Belt Schools International): Kids and parents should avoid Saturated and Trans fats. Saturated fats are usually found in dairy and animal products. These are fats that become solid at room temperature. According to statistics 91% of all kids eat too much saturated fat. Trans Fats are man-made fats. They are usually found in fast food, cookies, and cakes; and helps to preserve food (have you ever looked at the expiration date on chips or a Little Debbie snack lol). Trans fats luckily are under lots of scrutiny now and product makers are trying to do away with them and the public is becoming more conscious of them. Sweets are a Treat: Yes, only a treat, and I m talking to adults here too. In fact, I think it s more challenging sometimes as an adult to stay nutritious. After all we re busy and coffee, cheeseburgers, ice cream, lattes, chips, brownies, and more are very easy for us to pick up on the way or before a big appointment. Kids have become accustomed to eating whatever they want; whenever they want. I know first-hand because my son, just like his dad, has a massive sweet tooth. But he s now learning to eat all of his dinner first and then we talk about dessert. Here are some ideas: at breakfast have a serving of fruit juice, for mid morning snack maybe grapes, raisins. Then for lunch how about a banana or carrots, you could even have an apple with some peanut butter on it. Then for dinner kids be sure to eat any vegetable mom prepares. Then you can beg and plead for dessert. Lol. I hope this helps. Parents if you re having problems with kids gobbling up the junk food you can do what my mom always did; just don t buy it and ONLY stock your house with healthy food; believe me the kids will gobble it up too. Master Will Schneider

10 May 2010 After completion of the 1 st Hapkido International Seminar performed by GM Hwang In- Shik, in September 2007, the State of Sao Paulo had the great pleasure of having GM Tae Jung - President of the WHA, to achieve the 2 nd Hapkido International Seminar, conducted by the Associação Nacional de Hapkido Tradicional ANHT, official representative of the World Hapkido Association in Brazil. Together with Master Dan Piller, WHA General Secretary, the event was held on April 10 th and 11 th 2010, two days of activities in which the participants had the opportunity to see and learn how the basic principles of Hapkido have to be used in all techniques applications. In addition, GM Tae Jung, sought to emphasize that the techniques of strokes should not be trained in a fixed manner, since they must be carried out in a way closer to reality. In the third section of the Seminar, the black belt participants were separated from other students, to train weapons techniques, with emphasis on the movements performed with Jang Bong. The major emphasis of this training was for the use of reverse movements. During the event, GM Tae Jung gave to Master Carlos Feliciano a flag symbolizing the regional representation of the WHA in Sao Paulo, in addition to his appointment as Regional Director of the WHA in Brazil. After the seminar, we look forward to hear what were the participants opinions, which unanimously said that they were very impressed with the technical capacity of GM Tae Jung, mainly for his great facility to make that the basic principles be definitely perceived demonstrating with that the great efficiency of Hapkido. Brazil hopes to repeat this meeting soon!

11 May 2010 Last April 8 th, Grand Master Jung and Master Piller came to Rio de Janeiro and offered a magnificent WHA introduction class to our friends at HapKi-Rio studio. GM Jung emphasized the importance of Hapkido s 3 basic principles circle (won), flow (yu) and harmony (wha) and made us work very hard on circle step drills made after the 4 basic Hapkido techniques KalNohKi, SonMok KokKi, KamAh KokKi and TorAh KokKi. Reinforcing these 4 techniques as Hapkido s prime basic blocks, GM Jung also presented us their reversal counterparts and explained how to combine them all to build virtually infinite possibilities. He explained that the key is to feel the opponent s energy and let the next technique present itself. He told us to never try to create a predefined sequence because opponents behavior is unpredictable. His message was to let the movements flow and harmonize with opponent s energy. After his class, GM Jung announced Mr. Evandro Silva as the Rio de Janeiro State WHA Representative and presented us with the new WHA Region Representation flag. On the next day, Mr. Marcio Losada was tested for 1 st Dan Hapkido Black Belt. In the evening, GM Jung, Master Piller and Mr. Luiz Guedes took a plane to São Paulo where the 2 nd ANHT International Hapkido Seminar took place on April 10 th and 11 th.

12 May 2010