interested in taking hapkido

[wazzabi]

i live in toronto, and i've been interested in hapkido for some time now. i found eagle hapkido through websurfing. before going in to check the school out, i just want a little info on what hapkido is all about. i've heard that it's a combination of many locks and throws as well as a lot of kicks and some hand strikes. one question i have is whether a student needs to reach a certain rank to be able to learn those crazy acrobatic flying kicks that hapkido has. :Angel:

[wild_pitch]

we are located in toronto as well.

http://www.eastwesthapkido.com

go by both clubs and decide what you like better. here is a link to our site that has a good amount of info on hapkido some videos and some other uselful stuff.

good luck.

[eagleeyes]

They have closed the last thread that started with Joseph5, so i decided to post my last on this one.

I began my first post with a reply to a gentleman (Joseph5), who was inquiring about a school on the Danforth called Eagle Hapkido. The reason I posted was because, first of all, I attended there for some time and felt I could answer Joe's question accurately. And secondly, I have met in the past year a couple of former students I knew at Eagle who had some similar, and often the exact same, experiences there and thought I would share what was not told to me.

With such candid posts as mine, I expected that there would be some kind of lashing out. But what interested me the most is the angry tone with which they were all written. I can't help but wonder why such anger? Why are you so angry who train there? Maybe it's something from your teacher and role model that has rubbed off on you, I don't know, but it is very interesting.
MJR felt I could have "couched" my feelings a bit better. It is as if he is asking me to not be specific and honest as to what I, and others, have witnessed. I should conceal the truth so they will feel a bit better about themeselves, well I'm sorry I can't do that. It wouldn't be honest to Joseph5 (and others like Wazzabi). Apparently, MJR has a problem with Shadow Warrior as well. I have read a lot of the posts by Shadow Warrior and NOWHERE once did I find him saying anything bad at all about M. Hwang. In fact, only praise of his knowledge of Hapkido. So who exactly is the problem with?

I find it interesting that my main points I raised were not addressed. Like the one about the extra $100 dollar fee that was sprung on me unexpectedly. I am still waiting for someone to tell me why I was not told of this from day one. And I can't help but wonder if I was not told about this, what else was I not told about? Also, to answer Paul, NO not every student was required to pay this extra fee. I would know, I have asked this question of many. And when I say the vast majority, I don't mean every single student that ever trained there. That would be impossible. But a great many that I have not numbered, who have shared with me their experience there and, as I have said before, it was interesting to me how similar their stories were, and often the exact same.

As well, to reiterate one more time for Paul and Austinso, NO, I did not expect to have my hand held. NO, I did not expect a hug after every class. And NO, I did not think there was some "secret group" there, as Paul put it. But, I did think, as do many, that there are some students there that are the teachers pet. M. Hwang does like to play favorites, and those are the ones that are protected. There is without a doubt some divide in that school. Why else would some have to pay that extra fee, and others not? If there are rules in place, then they should apply to everyone equally. No one is above the law and no one should be below it.

I don't understand how you all can question what I am writing and then yourselves contradict what you say, such as Austinso, who wrote that he got a cracked skull, broke his ankle, etc... I think the warning signs are all there for anyone to see. To get a cracked skull, it would have to be a sufficient blow to the head, and that cannot be by accident. I have heard of other schools who train hard as well just like at eagle, but I do not hear of such injuries. I wonder why that would be? That should say something to anyone about how the school is run and who is running it. If such things as deliberate injuries go on in a school under one teacher, and that teacher does nothing about it or to reprimand this student, well then....
I think a Master knows a thing or two about how to read a person's character. If he does not want one person there, why not just say so? It would be much more honest and respectful than to send a senior belt to injure them, such as I was.

I am not writing these things for "narcissistic reasons", as Paul put it. The only narcissism is that of a teacher who flatters himself with his own inflated sense of importance. Christians believe that we are all God's children and so are all created equal. Then why are not all treated equal in that school? I heard recently from someone who trains there that the next black belt that M. Hwang will make is a punk kid named Jimmy. What is the world coming to?
If one knew his reputation, then they would know what I mean by this.

I am writing this post in the hopes that it will reach someone like Joseph5 and it won't be too late. It will give them something to think about and won't be deceived like I was; won't be injured to the extreme like I was. BE CAREFUL is my warning. Not everything is what it seems on the surface. For me it is too late, but for others it may not be. I still want to play with my children and enjoy my life. I have family matters to attend to and don't need this nonsense. I have had enough of this and enough of martial arts.

I wish Joseph5 all the best and hope he and others find the happiness they seek.

[wazzabi]

it seems like you really didn't like your time training under Master Hwang. i've been training with him for a year now, and i don't think i've ever been to a better school.

by the way, that "punk kid" Jimmy is really a great guy. he spent the entire class training me on the day he was awarded his black belt, and it was out of his own initiative. he saw that my ground game had good potential so he spent pretty much the rest of the class sparring with me and teaching me how to grapple. he's very disciplined, controlled, and is always willing to help fellow students. and no, he wasn't intetionally trying to hurt me like you might have thought.

and if you've had enough of martial arts that's your choice. just remember that not everyone thinks like you do, and for other people, like myself, love martial arts, and are willing to take a few beatings in order to excel in it. as someone in the other thread pointed out, injuries in martial arts are like injuries in any kind of sport or physical activity. it happens. if you fell off your bike and broke your leg, does that mean biking is too dangerous and you should never do it again? of course not. instead you should try to figure out what you did wrong, so in the future, you will know how to avoid the same injury. the same thing applies to martial arts. if risk of injury or a few beatings is too much for you to take, then that's you. but don't try to discourage other people from getting into something they may potentially really enjoy, such as in my case.