In This Issue:

☯ Welcome to 2010! 2

☯ An Interview with Sah Bu Nim Tapio 3

☯ Dieting, Hapkido and You 3

☯ My 3 Sublime Moments in 2009 4

☯ Do You Want To Fight? 4

☯ Adults Grading Congratulations 5

☯ Kids Grading Congratulations 6

☯ Complete Self Defense Hutch 7

☯ One More Forward Roll, Please? 7

☯ New IHA/AHG Members 8

☯ You Can Make 2010 3 Times Better 8

☯ Bayside Grading 8

☯ The Misconceptions of Hapkido 9

☯ And The Winner Is... 9

☯ AHG Sydney Spirit Award Winners! 10

☯ My Hapkido Journey 10

☯ Hurstville—Rebranded, Refreshed... 11

☯ On Its Own 11

☯ Upcoming Events 12

☯ 5 x The Masters, 5 x The Fun 12

☯ AHG Turns 17 12

Each year I write a letter to CSD about the plans for the year and I wanted to share some of them with you as I feel they are appropriate to the IHA/AHG as well.

As usual we start each year with an annual motto or saying that is meant to reflect our plans and/or vision for the year.

So this will be the year known as Two Thousand & Ten out of Ten!

Before I get onto the plans for 2010, I wanted to briefly touch upon some of the milestones from 2009:

☯ The USA and having Dojunim Ji teach; ☯ The return of Hell Camp (most successful ever!);

☯ The BBC series “Art of” (probably our best);

☯ The first AHG Sydney Christmas Party (with over 200 attending it was a huge success);

☯ The launch of the AHG Sydney Spirit Awards; ☯ The release of our new “How To” DVD Series; and ☯ My recognition as a Grandmaster by Dojunim Ji.

In 2010 we are continuing the awesome events with:

☯ The BBC Series “How To”. A great tool for breaking down many aspects of Hapkido and understanding them in far more depth than class allows us to teach.

☯ Our first “Weekend of Masters” to be held in March where we will be hosting a number of different Martial Arts Masters for an excellent weekend of training.

☯ The visit of Dojunim Ji to Australia. This will be his 4th visit for us and possibly his last as he has started to wind down his international travelling. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend some quality mat time with our Art’s founder! Plans should see DJN Ji visiting with us during September.

Last year a new initiative was launched and that was the formation or the unification of the 3 Sydney Dojangs to form AHG Sydney. This combined Dojang drive was created to bring our 3 Dojangs closer together. This is one program that we will be continuing and building throughout 2010.

On the International Scene, we will continue to work with our International branches to make sure that their standard continues to grow, with 2 visits planned overseas this year in April and August. There will also be more information released about our plans for the 4th International Training Seminar (ITS) in 2011, here in Sydney.

On a personal note I will be on the mats with a focus to improve our quality and this year we will be introducing the new “Sun Bae” program aimed at getting our senior coloured belts ready for Black Belt, and the Black Belts ready for Sahbunim and Master levels!

2010 should see our Black Belt family grow with plans for a Black Belt test in October (dependant on sufficient candidates).

All the great new ideas and plans we have for 2010 will be listed on the Hapkido Forum and also in our Event Calendar to help you plan your attendance to our great events this year!

“09 was Sublime” and I feel it definitely lived up to that, of course we need to continue to set the bar high and this year we are aiming at that- 10 out of 10!

- Grandmaster Geoff

out of 10! 20

10

How long ago did you start training and how did you get into Hapkido?

My first contact with martial arts was with boxing when I was 13. Then in 1993 I was dragged to a Hapkido beginners course by a friend. My friend stuck around for exactly that very first class but I am still on that road.

Have you done any other martial arts and if so, what rank (if any) do you hold?

I have tried out and trained in many self defence and martial arts styles. Besides Hapkido my other major martial art is Defendo in which I am at the highest level (S.T.A.R). I occasionally still train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in which I hold a Blue Belt. How did you first get involved with Grandmaster Geoff?

In 2000 we founded the Finnish Hapkido Federation and this year we have our ten year anniversary. At the time we were looking for an experienced collaboration partner with a strong vision in the field of Hapkido and a practical syllabus. And so in 2001, we invited Grandmaster Booth to Finland to teach us. What has been the highlight for you throughout all your years of training?

The highlight for me has been the founding of HMAC (Helsinki Martial Art Centre). It’s my dream come true. Now I can teach and train Hapkido as a profession. Can it get any better? :) Another very memorable moment for me was when I passed the test for 4th Degree.

What do you like the most about Hapkido?

Most I like the diversity of Hapkido and the fact that I can realise my own style and the way of doing things.

What is your favourite Hapkido technique?

There are many but at the moment I am very fond of finger locks. I like teaching them too since they are very practical and effective regardless of one’s size and age.

As one of the 4th Degrees in the organisation, what do you consider to be the secret of sticking with Hapkido?

Train hard with the right attitude. Set yourself goals with realistic timeframes as for instance a new Kup you want to achieve.

Remember to enjoy your achievements and don’t be too critical about yourself. Maintaining a routine is very important for your development. Breaks that are too long make it difficult to jump back on the train. Thus try and establish for yourself a schedule so you are able to train on a weekly basis. Be open and get acquainted with your fellow Hapkido students. Without good relationships long lasting training is hard. I advise students to pick up other forms of physical activities like jogging, swimming and so forth because if you

are in good shape Hapkido is even more fun.

Enjoy yourself and smile when training, it gives you power for your every day life too.

Remember, one day you will need to defend yourself - never give up! Don’t quit training!

So if you're concerned about your weight or just interested in the whole idea; I encourage you to do your research and learn. It's quite interesting.

To end with a word of warning; Start reading the labels of items you buy. The amount of rubbish that gets thrown into food is amazing. 'Low fat' is often stuffed with carbs, or salt, and vice versa.

And to those who know me and are sniggering; Yes, I do fail to follow my own advice. 'Tis good to be human.

- Jeremy B

The word 'diet' gets bandied around a lot. Some people cringe, others roll their eyes, some come down with a case of the shakes and start wringing their hands in fear and shame.

Sound familiar? Well, don't get too upset about it. There's a veritable dearth of information and it's easy to get confused about what the term 'diet' actually means. The truth of the matter is this: If you approach a 'diet' as a temporary measure, you will fail. Your eating habits need to be part of your lifestyle, not seen as a 'quick fix' to all your problems. Pass the fries, will you? Thanks.

Anyway, I just wanted to remind everyone that what you eat is indeed

very important. There's a very simple formula which 'experts' would have you believe is this highly technical, unattainable mystery that can only be solved by three easy payments of $29.95.

Calories In > Calories Out = Weight Gain

Calories Out > Calories in = Weight loss

That's it. No magic. No smoke and mirrors. That's all it ever was. Fat, carbohydrates and proteins make up the bulk of this. It gets more indepth (different types of fats/carbs/proteins/vitamins etc), but it can be kept relatively simple.

recently undergone a minor surgical operation still gives his time to show his Hapkido, including his breathing technique.

“Why pride and joy?” you ask. Imagine that our small Aussie group was probably the last international group to train with GM Kim. Hapkido lost another GM one month after we bowed into his Dojang to train.

The second aspect is closer to home, with the increasing energy going into the Sydney Dojangs working closer together. This is also big to me because of the reminder that Hapkido not only connects us internationally but also presents opportunities closer to home as well. Imagine 3 times your Hapkido fun; 3 times more training; and 3 times the students and heat on the mats: - all of this at least triples your Hapkido fun! (maybe like ‘Huey, Duey and Louie’… well you get my drift :))

And finally, the third aspect which sticks out to me is recognising that 2009 was just so much fun. And with that realisation I recommend all Hakidoists get involved and share in the activities to make your (and AHG’s) year as big as it can be.

Picture three more things you can do from 2009 to make your Hapkido ‘fun gauge’ sky rocket way past the 09 and into the 10’s for this 2000 year.

- Sir Adrian

Three big Hapkido aspects stick out for me from 2009. Of course, CSD’s 2010 welcome letter outlines some of the Hapkido high points like the ITS in USA, Hell Camp, BBC seminars, Do Ju Nim Ji and Master Geoff’s promotion to Grand Master. These are big events in 2009 and I (and you, I suspect) enjoyed them immensely.

My thanks to GMG (and others involved) for making this happen.

Imagine how much planning went into making these wonderful events happen. Think about the planning required to fly 30+ students overseas, accommodation, training with Hapkido Masters and Do Ju Nim, and to see Mickey Mouse (Ok, not much planning required there :)). [The ITS was easily 2 years in the making (after Finland 2007)].

And finding a location then running the Hell Camp as a weekend of joyful torture with students pushing their bodies to greater limits. [At least Six years had passed since the last Hell Camp, perhaps because there’s a waiting period between ‘Hell on Earth’ :)]

So I move onto my first big Hapkido moment for 2009, starting with an overseas focus which is training with Grand Masters! Imagine meeting one GM for each of the Sydney Dojangs (with one more available just in case).

We got Do Ju Nim (DJN) or GM Ji Han Jae in the USA. And he was assisted by a Master and joined by a Grand

Master, Grandmaster McKenzie. DJN on the mats is a sight to enjoy (I’ve done ‘99, ‘03 and ‘09 now), laughing, playing and demonstrating his Hapkido, revelling like a happy kid with the Australian travellers.

Of course there was that unforgettable moment of promotion when DJN says … ‘from now on you call him Grand Master’, referring to Master Geoff. I’ll bet there’s not one student who was present that will ever forget that ‘gem’ moment.

I’ve seen many promotions in my time, so imagine your Instructor getting recognised and promoted in such a way; it was like a reverse mirror on the usual promotion situations, with the Australian students being able to recognise their instructor on this big occasion. A gold coloured ‘gem’ indeed!

There was also GM Kim from another Hapkido school near Los Angeles. A small band of AHG students enjoyed a seminar with GM Kim, his son (a Master at 6th degree in their style) and several of his Black Belts. Their style is like ours… Hapkido :)

We had Hapkido ‘good fortune’ in this opportunity; being picked up for a 1 hour drive to train (public transport would’ve been 2 ½ hours easy), enjoying the seminar and sharing a meal with our newly formed friends, then travelling home again.

Think about the pride and joy that must exist when a GM who had

After the great success of the BBC “Art of Fighting” seminar Grandmaster Geoff decided to broaden our learning by adding a Sparring Class.

Not only is this a great challenge but it is a good opportunity to smack each other in the head.

Sparring class on fortnightly!

Next class Friday 6 February at 8:30pm.

Congratulations to the following Adult students who recently graded!

David Q

Chang L

Alex O

Daniel S

Jimmy H

Evan H

Bridget H

Nam N

John H

Joshua K

Channing P

Bianca H

Peter K

Brijesh J

Karam K

Wei H

Muralidhar N

Jelena T

Tim D

Charles C

Hans S

Shaddie H

Dylan V

Tony G

Darren W

Vladimir V

Nathan N

Thomas L

Antony L

Mark M

Grahame H

Emmanouil H

Peter K

Congratulations to the following Kids who recently graded!

Faigy W (Hawk)

Darren F (Hawk)

Alankar G (Hawk)

Eklavya M (Hawk)

Flora L (Hawk)

Nikolas Z (Hawk)

Artemis P (Hawk)

George P (Hawk)

Thomas C (Hawk)

Zushe W (Falcon)

Paras J (Falcon)

Jeevi M (Falcon)

Shavan P (Falcon)

Abyan K (Falcon)

Dante L (Falcon)

Rochel W (Hawk)

Shneur W (Hawk)

Evren T (Hawk)

Shira W (Falcon)

Kassandra D (Falcon)

Joshua L (Falcon)

Peter M-Y (Hawk)

Tara D (Hawk)

Marcus D (Hawk)

Joseph M-Y (Hawk)

Alisar K (Hawk)

Jacob A (Hawk)

Tyler R (Hawk)

Yianni M (Hawk)

Konstantino M (Hawk)

Kathleen M (Hawk)

Jesse R (Hawk)

Mahesh P (Falcon)

Julian G (Falcon)

Leonard M (Falcon)

Zac T (Falcon)

Jason R (Falcon)

Jared F (Falcon)

Emily F (Falcon)

Jake R (Falcon)

Martin H (Falcon)

Eric C (Falcon)

Christine O (Falcon)

Edward O (Falcon)

Nathaniel O (Youth)

Elise P (Youth)

Kimberley G (Hawk)

Nikolas C (Hawk)

Savva A (Hawk)

Eleanor D (Falcon)

Masen E M (Falcon)

Anmoldeep S (Falcon)

Cody M (Falcon)

Jayden M (Falcon)

Leon V (Falcon)

Dominic S (Falcon)

Daniel K (Falcon)

Jessica P (Falcon)

Dylan H (Hawk)

Luke D (Falcon)

Paul D (Falcon)

Tyler P (Falcon)

Michael L (Falcon)

Mother Nature gave us a rather large amount of snow for the Holiday Season. The knee-deep snow however was not enough to keep the students from attending the 2nd Annual "Parent Night".

We had an exceptional turnout with the new Cubs program participating this year as well as the Adult class getting involved.

We also had a special visitor this year that must have got lost in the snow storm and ended up in Minnesota instead of the North Pole. The good thing was that the Elf had a bag full of goodies that she handed out to all the good boys and girls on her list.

For some reason though my name was on the bad boys list. Which resulted in me getting a small bag of coal from the Elf. The youth found that to be extremely funny. Hmmm I'm still not quite sure what put me on that list, but something to work on for next year.

The New Year is off to a great start so far. The “How To” DVDs are in and over the next month we will be focusing on incorporating the updates from each belt level. This is a great fit for the Dojang’s New Year Resolution, which is increased Quality and Focus.

We as a Dojang are looking forward to Grandmaster Geoff’s visit to see our new Dojang. We are excited to get on the mats with him to show how we have developed from last year as well as the opportunity to train and learn from a Grandmaster.

- Sir Corey

I would like to share my vast Hapkido experience with everyone, all 12 weeks of it.

I had done 4 years Karate albeit 20 years and 20 kilos ago, so I would like to think I had a bit of an idea what was in store for me as I bowed into the Dojang at Parramatta and I eyed Ma’am Tina for the first time. I wondered what would this 5 foot 5 2nd Degree Black Belt with the flared Dobok pants have in store for me at my first class. Thankfully she took it easy on me (or was that pity?) and I didn’t have to do all the fitness work or bust a gut on the stuff I could do. As long as I was doing something and I gave it my best effort Ma’am was

happy with that, so for the first few weeks I had it a bit easier than my training partners, but after that it was all bets are off and I had to pick the pace up.

Slowly my fitness is improving as I start to lose that excess 20 kilos and believe me we have some nights at Parramatta where I think I lose that 20 kilos in sweat.

But with every class I do I’m slowly getting the hang of it except for the forward rolls, there’s a bit of an issue

there. Ma’am has her work cut out for her there gee, I hope she likes the challenge. I have asked everyone at Parramatta for their advice and most of the people at Moorebank so watch out Hurstville, the big man is coming for a visit.

But as the White Belt signatures start to accumulate I can see my next challenge clearer and clearer which is of course Orange Belt, but first I just have to master these forward rolls, so Ma’am, can you show me just one more time please?

- Craig L

“But with every class I do I’m slowly getting the

hang of it.”

On Wednesday 9th December, Bayside Hapkido QLD held its first ever Kids Grading. There were 2 Falcons and 6 Hawks grading.

The evening started with a briefing of what is required and then kicked off with lining up. Unfortunately the kids managed to get their first warning for not calling out “YES SIR” loud enough. From there the whole atmosphere changed. All the Hawks and Falcons were focused and knew they had a job to do.

With the adults helping hold hand targets, the strikes and blocks were done with ease, knowing all the kids had practiced that week. Once the strikes and blocks were done, it was straight into the kicks. These where done in class lines and then also individually, demonstrating the best kick possible. There were some really impressive efforts here.

From here the rolls begun and to make things that bit more testing, the kids had to demonstrate a roll then a strike, or a roll then a kick. Well here is where the 2nd warning kicked in as some of the hawks started to snoop around the grading instructor notes. This even made them step up even more and the remaining self defence went off brilliantly.

Well done to the new Hawk and Falcon Orange Belts. Looking forward to the next grading around March/April next year.

- Sir Nathan

As I mentioned in my article on Page 4, here’s your chance to get involved with three (3) times the Hapkido action than you did last year.

Think about three more times (3+) or aim for the stars, three times more (3x)! Imagine your ‘fun gauge’ rocketing high and increasing your action from 2009.

Here are some ideas to make it happen, built from a theme I’ve heard from several GM’s – ‘the way to get to Black Belt is to come to the next class (or event)’:

☯ Attend 3 more classes a month; ☯ Practice 3 more techniques

(kicks/ strikes/ self defence) after class;

☯ Attend the 3 Sydney Dojangs for a

class or seminar event; ☯ Learn “How To” in 3 (or more)

BBC seminars during the year; ☯ Implement 3 more Dojang rules; ☯ Meet 3 new Hapkido family

members; ☯ Train with 3 different students,

on your belt, another belt, and maybe even a Black Belt (oh my, this one’s a scary idea);

☯ Focus on the 3 most important

aspects to help you progress (ask

Evan K – Hurstville

Elizabeth K – Hurstville

Justin Z – Hurstville

Kevin A – Hurstville

Jamilee B – Parramatta

Joseph K – Parramatta

Peeters J – Amsterdam

Thomas R – Amsterdam

Carol V – Amsterdam

Reyuders J – Amsterdam

Nicholas T – Parramatta

Christopher T – Parramatta

Christopher E – Parramatta

Nicholas K – Hurstville

Rick N – Hurstville

Garry A – Hurstville

Liam R – Hurstville

Verbeek Y – Amsterdam

Geert vK – Amsterdam

Davy V – Amsterdam

Timothy I – Minnesota

Jessica B – Minnesota

Kinnon H – Minnesota

Shannon S – Minnesota

Paul N – Minnesota

Craig L – Parramatta

Buddy N – Parramatta

Reece F – Hurstville

Eric P – Moorebank

Les R – Moorebank

Jordan R – Moorebank

Grace T – Moorebank

Shannon B – Moorebank

Cassandra B – Moorebank

Kevin A – Hurstville

Theodora K – Hurstville

Dion C – Moorebank

Theo R – Moorebank

Rajeev V – Moorebank

Phoebe V – Moorebank

Michael S – Hurstville

Ethan A – Hurstville

Sarah F – Parramatta

Claire K – Moorebank

Vas K – Moorebank

your Instructor for suggestions);

And the big one - train with 3 Grand Masters during 2010 (see the 2010 Event Calendar for details).

The list could be endless and is limited only by your imagination… and your action!

So take the challenge to get into action now and imagine how this will help you to obtain that Hapkido ‘fun - shot’ (“No man, I’m on the Hapkido high”).

Keep your Hapkido enthusiasm boiling by planning ahead (“Yep, I’m going to that event next month because it’ll be fun”). Then springboard yourself onto the next event! (“Man, that was great… when’s the next one?”)

So get involved and start planning, doing, reviewing. Take it from me that this regular action keeps the fun gauge high - check the calendar now for events you’ll attend and make 2010 even bigger for you, and Hapkido.

- Sir Adrian

“The way to get to Black Belt is to come to the next class

(or event)”

“Imagine your ‘fun gauge’ rocketing high…”

So you study Hapkido, isn’t that like Taekwondo with some locks?

That of course is possibly the most common misconception about Hapkido. Of course it is not the only one. So what exactly is Hapkido and why is it so unknown or in fact misunderstood by most?

Hapkido is like Taekwondo in that the name is a recently new one coming from the 1950’s. It is also alike in that it owes its lineage to different arts that have had a much longer heritage. Beyond those similarities the comparison ends. Hapkido is a small art in the scheme of the Martial Arts; this lies mainly due to 2 factors; the first reason being the lack of promotion through any form of competition or tournament scene, and the second due to the complexity of the art and the limitation of instructors because of this.

As far as its relation to the techniques of Taekwondo is concerned both are Korean and the similarities basically end there, the confusion stems from the Taekwondo type kicking which many Hapkidoists have added to their skills. Traditionally Hapkido kicking was very circular and was always aimed at destroying a joint or similar.

Hapkido is also commonly confused with the Japanese Aikido. Partially this is due to the name which reads the same way in Japanese Kanji and secondly to the techniques that are shared from a common ancestor. However, the main differences are the large variety of strikes and kicks in Hapkido as well as its more combat like philosophy. Pre war Aikido was indeed more like Hapkido, however Ueshiba’s change in direction for Aikido after the war ensured that the two arts shared even less in common with its large shift in philosophy.

Hapkido loosely breaks down to mean the “Art of Coordinated Power”. This of course doesn’t describe in any context what the art contains, unlike say Taekwondo (Art of Hand and Foot) or Karate Do (Art of the Empty Hand). Hapkido is a complete art in that it has aspects that cover

all the martial ranges. Influences from the Japanese Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu brought the grappling, throwing and re-direction techniques, Tae Gyeon where the traditional kicking and striking elements were added. From that base the art has been affected by its exposure to other arts and through its formative years in Korea it developed into possibly the first of what we now term the mixed or eclectic martial arts of today.

In Korea Hapkido was always the art that was used for the practical hands-on types, for example: the Korean Special Forces, Korean Presidential Bodyguards and the Police. The use of Hapkido by these groups also affected the development of Hapkido as its focus became more finely- tuned as a combat art specifically designed for Self Defence. This was one of the processes that made the art more adaptive and in time resulted in the large variations found in different styles of Hapkido seen today.

Beyond the purely physical techniques Hapkido also has a large focus on developing energy or Ki which is done through breathing exercises and meditation. This shows how the art stayed as a true martial art even though the physical techniques were honed towards being more efficient. It is quite normal for a Hapkido class to begin with Ki breathing exercises and finish with meditation. The philosophy of Hapkido also shows both its heritage and focus with there being 3 principles that the art is based on. The three principles are Circular Motion, Water Theory and Non-Resistance to force.

Hapkido is also heavily affected by different instructor’s specialities. There are forms of Hapkido which are more striking focussed, like Taekwondo, and there are other forms of Hapkido that are more circular movement based, like Aikido. With many different Hapkido Masters focussing and changing the way they express the art comes more and more versions. This in turn adds to the misconception it is simply another art with parts added.

The fact that the art can emulate and in many ways looks like other arts is the principle reason for the misconceptions. With influences from Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu came the similarities to the Judo, Aikido and Jujutsu, from Tae Gyeon and through modern kicking came the similarities to Taekwondo. However, the continued focus on both the Metal/Philosophical levels as well as the physical levels has guaranteed Hapkido its own position amongst the combat arts we can choose to study today.

- Grandmaster Geoff

“Hapkido loosely breaks down to mean the “Art of Coordinated

Power”.

“[Hapkido is]...possibly the first of what we now term the mixed or eclectic martial arts of today”.

Congratulations to Manuel K for his award winning design of the 2009 AHG Sydney Christmas Card!

As winner of the ‘Design the 2009 AHG Sydney Christmas Card Competition’, Manuel received a month of training FREE!

Thank you to all those students who contributed designs, and well done Manuel.

CMA

Best Technique: Henry Y (Adults) Jessica P (Falcons) Joshua K (Hawks) Best Attitude: Daniel S (Adults) Zeinab E-C (Falcons) Flora L (Hawks) Best Effort: Grahame H (Adults) Alex I (Falcons) Savva A (Hawks) Best & Fairest: Jacob B (Adults)

With over 200 people in attendance, the 2009 AHG Sydney Christmas Party was a huge success!

There were prizes and competitions, speeches, a weapons auction, not to mention great company and great food.

The promo of the new “How To” Hapkido DVDs had everyone cheering wildly for an encore screening on the big screens. And a special surprise was that the DVDs were handed out of a Christmas Stocking by Grandmaster Geoff to all those students who had pre-ordered them.

Of course the Christmas Party could not be complete without the presentation of the AHG Sydney Spirit Awards to the winners. Congratulations to the following winners on an outstanding achievement:

My Hapkido journey began in early February 2009, undoubtedly making it one of the memorable years of my life.

It was my mother’s suggestion that got me hooked into martial arts, for I was unfit and lazy. Sports and I never really got along well. The longest I had lasted in any was a week, maybe two. I could not seem to find that spark of excitement in any sport or training.

Interestingly, the plan to join Hapkido did not really create any doubts of quitting within me, whilst others sports always had. To my surprise, this time it was definitely not the same. The day I entered the Dojang, I knew there was something about that place that captivated me. Ever since then, every time I enter the Dojang I feel my best, regardless of the long, tiring and troubling day. The fact that training helps block the negative thoughts makes it even more special.

Being away from the mats due to an injury has made me realise that training in Hapkido is not only a part of my routine, but has become a major part of me, of who I am. I have become so dedicated to it that there has not been a day that passes by where I do not wish that I am able to put my uniform on and step on the mats.

I think it is important to be mentally hooked into something to be able to go further, because we not only need physical fuel, but also need mental fuel to stay devoted and on the “warrior path”.

- Neelab O

CSD

Best Technique: Nick P (Adults) Jacob D (Falcons) Joshua P (Hawks) Best Attitude: Mira K (Adults) Luke D (Falcons) Jesse R (Hawks) Best Effort: Ros B (Adults) Daniel K (Falcons) Cory S (Hawks) Best & Fairest: Dylan V (Adults)

DSD

Best Technique: Callum J (Adults) Anmol S (Falcons) Caitlin H (Hawks) Best Attitude: Laura J (Adults) Tayla W (Falcons) Alankar G (Hawks) Best Effort: Adam M (Adults) Hannah R (Falcons) Rochel W (Hawks) Best & Fairest: Neelab O (Adults)

Did You Know? That as an Orange Belt or above you are eligible to join Black Belt Club (BBC)? Being a member of BBC means lifetime access to BBC seminars for free, discounts on merchandise and no grading fees (CSD only). And best of all BBC membership can be paid by instalments. Don’t delay, join today!

“Hapkido... has become a major part of me, of who I am”.

Hit or Myth: Hapkido is like Aikido but with strikes.

Welcome to 2010 fellow Hapkidoists! A new decade and what better way to work off the unwanted Christmas podge than to sweat it out by pushing yourselves to your limits.

This year for me will see me reach Blue Belt (work permitting). It will also be about managing my work/life priorities. I rate Hapkido in a category of its own… Why? Here are a couple of reasons;

1. Before training – I get a bit excited about what is going to be covered in class. There is always something different to do… even when you attend 3 days a week. I get to meet with the people I train with and I can see that most, if not all of them, feel the same as I do. 2. During class – My mind is totally and completely on training and not focusing on anything else. Hapkido has the ability to isolate work and social adversity, roll it into a bundle and e ject i t somewhere into the ether. 3. After class – I feel as though my body i s thoroughly exhausted and my mind has been refreshed. My thoughts are now clear and I’m able to go to bed at night and get to sleep instantly (a rare occurrence for me).

I wish everyone the best for 2010, and hope all your Hapkido goals for this year are met.

- Adam M

Last 2009 was a significant year for the students of St George Hapkido Academy. Sir Hassan had made the hard decision to step down as their Chief Instructor and go back to being a full-time student.

Sir Hassan, had spent three years helping grow the Hurstville Dojang to what it is today. He relocated the Dojang from its old location to Barratt St and with the help from a few senior students, he created a new home for the Hurstville students.

After three years of juggling with a day care centre, his wife and two c h i l d re n h e found that he no longer had any time to train in the Art he loved s o m u c h . Coupled with his desire to earn his 4th Degree, he made the humble decision to step down as an Instructor and go back to student.

So the question left to answer was "Who will be the next Instructor?” At that same time, Sir Jimmy was in the planning stages of opening up a new Dojang under the AHG. Knowing this, Grandmaster Geoff had offered the position to Sir Jimmy. It was a perfect match; Sir Hassan needed a new Instructor and Sir Jimmy needed a new Dojang. Sir Jimmy’s commitment to his new position lead him to moving part-time

at his current job to ensure Hurstville becomes his top priority.

As the changeover was imminent, Sir Jimmy had decided to rebrand the Dojang as ‘Concept Martial Arts’ and give

it a much-needed facelift. Brett Watt (a Green-belt from Moorebank) had kindly volunteered his services to assist with the cosmetic changes. Within three days, the floorboards were laid, the change-rooms had a drastic restructure, an addition of a new bag and knife rack, a feature wall for the front counter was painted and a fresh coat of paint was

placed on the walls. Brett Watt certainly d i d n o t disappoint.

With the Dojang rejuvenated and rebranded, the official reopening was celebrated on the 29th of November with a n a m a z i n g seminar held by G r a n d m a s t e r Geoff and over 5 0 s t u d e n t s attending.

So what does the future look like

for Concept Martial Arts? Well with a strong heritage of over 10 years, the guide and support from the other Dojangs, and a new captain at the helm, the Hurstville crew will brave new waters and venture into new land. So watch this space for some amazing stories.

- Sir Jimmy

Out now on DVD, the new IHA Hapkido “How To” DVDs. Covering the IHA Syllabus from White Belt through to Black Belt, the new DVD series is now bigger and better than ever and a must for any student serious about their training. Yours to own for only $215. Buy your copy today!

“Do, or do not, there is no try”. - Yoda

☯ 13 February 2010 - AHG Sydney Adults Grading @ Parramatta

☯ 27 February 2010 - AHG Sydney Pre-Test

☯ 6 & 7 March 2010 - The Weekend of Masters

☯ 27 March 2010 - BBC Seminar “How To Strike!”

☯ 11 April 2010 - AHG Sydney Adults Grading @ Hurstville

☯ 22 May 2010 - AHG Sydney Pre-Test

For more information on upcoming Hapkido Events go to

hapkido.com.au/forum and click on Event Calendar

Parramatta dynamicselfdefence.com.au

Hurstville

conceptmartialarts.com.au

Croydon powerhapkido.com.au

Wagga Wagga

Bayside

Dojang: 4/1 Field Close

Moorebank, NSW

Australia

hapkido.com.au

Finland Netherlands

America

Thank you to everyone who contributed to Issue 5 of The Hapkido Scrolls. Contributors: Grandmaster Geoff Ma’am Tina, AHG Parramatta Sir Corey, IHA Hutchinson USA Sir Adrian, AHG Moorebank Craig L, AHG Parramatta Jeremy B, AHG Parramatta Sir Jimmy, AHG Hurstville Neelab O, AHG Parramatta Sir Tapio, IHA Helsinki Finland Adam M, AHG Parramatta Sir Nathan, AHG Brisbane

Don’t miss the Weekend of Masters on 6 & 7 March 2010.

Your chance to train with 5 Masters with a combined total of over 200 years of Martial Arts experience.

With Masters in Aikido, BJJ, Hapkido, Kungfu and Kickboxing, this weekend will be a great opportunity to learn from some of the best practitioners in their dedicated arts.

5 times the Masters, 5 times the fun, and 5 times the learning.

Weekend seminar costs $60 per day or $105 for both days!

Or pay by 15 February 2010 to get the Early Bird Special Price of $95 for the entire weekend!

Contributions for The Hapkido Scrolls are always welcome!

If you would like to write an article or if you have something you would like to share with fellow students eg: a martial arts related cartoon or joke, please send to hapkido@dojang.com.au

Happy Birthday to the AHG which turned 17 on 19 J a n u a r y 2 0 1 0 a n d c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o Grandmaster Geoff who had the vision 17 years ago to create the highest quality Hapkido organisation in Australia. To celebrate, a special seminar style class was held at Moorebank on 18 January 2010.