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
Out with the old, in with the new
July, 2013 Last weekend I was presented with my 5th degree black belt. Many of my students have asked how it feels – I’m not sure I totally know yet, but here are some initial thoughts… As with every new
The Cockerel Fight
Happy New Year! I thought I’d start the year off with an old story I’ve heard Grandmaster Chang tell many times. I look forward to hearing your thoughts… The Cockerel Fight One day, a noble man brought one of his
Asking deep questions.
I was recalling a conversation I had with Master Chang a good twenty years ago. I was interviewing him for a martial arts magazine and asked him whether he encourages his Hapkido students to question? He responded, “I assume that
Training beyond black belt (part two)
[part 1] Before Christmas I surveyed some of Chang’s Hapkido Academy (CHA) black belts to discover what keeps them coming back after achieving their black belt. I’ve received over a dozen responses now from black belts across four of our
Training beyond black belt (part one)
To achieve a black belt in Hapkido requires many years of practice. Practicing anything long term requires energy, passion and commitment. But like anything else, our ability to perform a technique effectively will eventually decay – that’s why continued practice,
Hapkido training as we age.
How old do you feel? I often find that the way people answer this question has a direct correlation to how active they are. The greater the activity level, the greater the difference between reality and fact. If we look
Helping lower belts.
I remember about a year ago a blue belt student being very annoyed about having to work with a young yellow belt girl. I told him that I understood how he felt, “Yes, I know… Sometimes the black belts also
Boredom vs. concentration in sparring.
Recently, a lower belt student told me that when he spars with more junior belts he is often afraid of hitting them. He also disclosed that he gets bored sparring with the junior or less ‘able’ students. My response to