At a grading a couple of weeks ago, three students tested for their black belts – two for their 1st degree and the third for her 2nd degree. At CHA black belt testing is a fairly lengthy process. All three
Giving time to listening
During skills practice, traditional martial arts etiquette dictates that a junior belt not correct a more senior belt. Is this because they know more? Sometimes they do … actually, a lot of the time their additional years of practice will
Perseverance, self-efficacy and Hapkido training
Everyone experiences obstacles and adversity throughout their lifetime. Over the years, I’ve noticed that as a student progresses up the belts, their ‘Hapkido confidence’ develops, as well an ability to persevere through difficulties and withstand negative circumstances. In many sports, the winner
Improving accuracy
Sometimes during target practice a student will repeatedly miss the striking pad. It can be incredibly frustrating when a beautifully executed kick becomes useless through a lack of accuracy. But how does someone improve their accuracy? When a skill is
Making progress
Sometimes there are sessions when nothing seems to be working right. Kicks feel heavy. Throws don’t work. Patterns are corrected, and then corrected again. The novice expects to feel a certain amount of incompetence, but for the senior belt this
Nurturing possibilities
Developments in neuroscience have shown us that connections within our brain are continually forming and reforming. What that would suggest is that we are in a “constant state of becoming” throughout our lifespan. How we develop is linked to how
Can how you define success stop you from feeling successful?
What we consider an achievement and how we define success affects us at every level. It affects confidence, self-esteem and psychological well-being. It affects motivation and how satisfied we feel with life. It influences the choices we make and the
The story of Kyong Ho
I started Hapkido in January 1984 when I was 13. From about the age of 15, every time Grandmaster Chang would lecture to the class I would write it down. I have no idea what makes a teenager do that,
The fear of making mistakes inhibits our potential
Sometimes a student has difficulty executing a skill they’ve been performing well for months. How come? Surely that’s a problem? There could be many reasons a technique stops working: lack of practice or bad posture, poor alignment or loss of
Does being in ‘mushin’ conflict with productive thinking?
Being ‘in the zone’ or experiencing ‘flow’ are terms now used commonly in sport. They both refer to a mental state of being totally immersed, energised and focused in an activity. In Hapkido we refer to this state as ‘mushin’