Need some help...

Discussion in 'Hapkido' started by Beowulf77, Sep 1, 2014.

  1. Beowulf77

    Beowulf77 New Member

    Hi,

    I'm considering joining a Hapkido dojang in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: it's called Hwa Wan Yue Hapkido Martial Arts Academy. Has anyone heard of it before? Is it legitimate? The academy instructor is Grand Master Don Cha. Has anyone heard of him/been taught by him before?

    The website address is http://www.hapkidohwawonyue.ca/

    I studied martial arts years ago, and while I'm anxious to return to them, I'm really concerned about choosing the right place. I would really appreciate any help anyone can offer.

    Thanks kindly for taking time to help me out.

    Best,

    Beowulf
     
  2. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Welcome to MAP.

    I'm sure someone in the know will be able to help.
     
  3. Beowulf77

    Beowulf77 New Member

    Thank you!
     
  4. Thomas

    Thomas Combat Hapkido/Taekwondo

    According to the website, he is a student under GM Hwang In-shik, a very reputable instructor who, in my limited knowledge, has produced some very good students. From what I have seen and heard, there is a bit of cross training involved, contact sparring, and the rank is earned sparingly.

    If this instructor earned a 4th dan from GM Hwang In-shik, it should be a good level. I'd be a bit concerned about his establishment of his own system and self promotion to 10th dan.


    Again, I do not know this particular instructor. I would recommend going in and watching a class and seeing if you could do a free session or two. See if it fits what you are looking for and if it is something you would want to commit your time to.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2014
  5. Little Robin

    Little Robin Valued Member

    In checking out the website the training looks fairly legit given what is posted. There are multiple training opportunities each week. I do like the fact that the full coloured belt syllabus is listed. There are a number of black belts listed as instructors with the club and that's a good sign as well.
    GM Cha does seem to be running a "stand alone" dojang, with no explicit connections to his former teacher or to any other Hapkido association. That is not necessarily a bad thing at all, but it does make me wonder about the Grandmaster title as Thomas pointed out.
    Hapkido training in Hamilton (and most of Southern Ontario) is fairly limited, which I find odd given that its a prominent training style in most of Northern Ontario. To my knowledge there is only one other Hapkido school in the Hamilton area and that is with Master Dusty Miner at Sidekicks in Burlington. I have visited there to train a number of times. They are affiliated with the National Korean Martial Arts Association which has a pretty good reputation here on MAP.
    My suggestion is to try them both (or any other if there is any...) and go with the one that floats your boat! Good luck.
     
  6. Convergencezone

    Convergencezone Valued Member

    The OP asked if this school is legitimate. What do you consider legitimate? In the Hapkido world there are various opinions on this and no one agrees, because many people are motivated by business interests, and are just basically trying to sell a bill of goods - mostly by tearing down others.

    If I were looking for a school Hapkido, I would look for:

    a.) Reasonable fees and a full disclosure of them.

    b.) Some kind on non-compliant training

    c.) What do adult black belts look like? Are there people who I would be afraid to fight?

    d.) Kids and adults training separately, not together.

    e.) If I liked the facilities, the classes, and the people.

    One thing that I don't is important is lineage, as long as it is, in fact, actual "Hapkido" and not just something thrown together. In this case it looks like the instructor actually teaches Hapkido, so I don't think that would be a problem here. There are plenty of bad instructors with well-know teachers, and plenty of great teachers with unknown ones.

    I wouldn't particularly have a problem with someone starting his own association of promoting himself to whatever rank as the head, as all major martial arts associations started this way, as well.
     
  7. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    i like how he shows very clearly the cost and the class schedule.

    i was curious to find out what affiliation the dojang had, then read on the site that this gentleman has created his own style of hapkido and given himself 10th dan as the founder of the style. to me, that's a warning flag.

    but, you should take a test class and see if you like the style, and go from there. i would recommend also trying several different "arts" to look for a good fit. there's no reason at this point to not experiment. surely, you can get a free class from almost any dojo/dojang/gym.

    why hapkido as opposed to anything else? why this particular dojang? is it proximity, or the art or something else?
     
  8. Beowulf77

    Beowulf77 New Member

    Thanks for your responses guys. I really appreciate your taking the time to help a newbee out. I tried a class last week and am trying another tomorrow. Unfortunately it's tough to tell what's legitimate and what's illegitimate without past experience. Any further suggestions? I also liked the school's clear curriculum and the instructor seemed pleasant and he took 20 minutes to work one-on-one with me to show me several techniques.

    Gio: I gave a bjj class a try, but found the lack of a clear curriculum and the exclusive focus on sport jiujitsu a turn off. Hapkido seems to me to offer an eclectic MMA system, without demanding specialization in the beginning. I want to learn how to kick, punch, throw, joint lock and grapple (while mastering a few techniques of each as well as I possibly can). Ultimately, aside from giving me another kind of fitness training, I suppose I'm studying it mostly for self-defence. I did look into taking a judo class (I've heard it's excellent for self-defence), however, I've read that most judo practitioners develop serious knee problems. Since I'm in my early 30s and in good shape/health, and I see the pursuit of any martial art as more of a serious hobby than a life style (i.e., my family, professional obligations, etc., will take priority over it), I'm reluctant to risk too much on it. Hope that makes sense...and thanks for taking an interest in my post.

    Best,

    B.
     

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