I don't know enough about hapkido to judge Konley's weapons work, but a few things scared me away from him right away: 1) The name of the place: American Dojo. Besides being a cheesey name, it uses a generic Japanese term for a place that teaches primarily Korean martial arts. 2) His TKD credentials come from Cho's, a big WI/IL chain with no affiliation and a reputation for being McDojos. 3) The horrible video that opens when you go to his web site: http://americandojo.com. "We're building leaders, one black belt at a time. Aiyaaah!" 4) Vague references to "jiu-jitsu" experience but no mention of any actual qualifications. 5) Hard sell on the phone. I confess I haven't been to the place or seen Konley teach myself, but all this together makes me pretty scared.
Well if you have the opportunity to go and try a class, take advantage if it and get some firsthand knowledge and experience. I'm interested to hear your impression after you have been there. Just read everything before you sign anything and run if they ask for your credit card before you train
I appreciate the offer, Kevin, but yes, Chicago is too far to drive for martial arts training multiple times a week. I may have to give up on hapkido for now.
I remember Barrie (Restall) telling me that a person from Milwaukee had been training at the YONG SUL KWAN, but I had not heard anything for a while. I had thought about helping them get established up in Milwaukee. There are a couple of Chinese MA places up there that seemed rather intriguing. FWIW. Best Wishes, Bruce
