Rory Miller wrote the following as the lead-in to the Monkey Dance. “What you lookin’ at?” barks a young man. He’s about your size, about your age. You don’t think you were looking at anything in particular. You also know the smart thing to do is to give a little apology and go back to […]

I had a student ask if he could learn the next section of a pattern that he had for his next test. I asked him if his other four patterns were test ready. He replied that they were, so I told him to use them as a warm-up before going further on the current pattern. […]

I am willing to say that there is just as much knowledge to be found under kicking techniques as there is for striking techniques and for all of the dozen other aspects within martial arts training. A student can spend decades studying just one portion. Those who choose to compete (in any version available) probably […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]