안녕하세요! Hello all, I came across this forum due to a Google search. I've done some reading (not nearly enough, I'm sure), but I have a question that I'm hoping you can help with. Background: I am retired US military living in Cheongju, South Korea. My wife is an English teacher here. I am going to a tutor for Korean lessons, but I don't speak much Korean (which incidentally, other than hello, is my "go to" phrase). I've had a little training in martial arts, but nothing more than about three months to my credit in any system due to only having two of the three prerequisites at any given time (time, money, and a reputable school nearby). There are two local gyms that I know of that teach Hapkido (I think there are a total of five in the area, but these two are the closest). One has done classes for foreigners before, but it is a 40 minute walk (minimum) from my house and also advertises Taekwondo and Judo. The plaques that they have over the door are for the Taekwondo associations that they belong to. The second gym is much closer, and would likely be my preferred location to go, due to the fact that it only advertises Hapkido, and is only about a 10 minute walk or so from my house. My Question(s): Given that I am almost certainly going to have to bring a native speaker with me for the initial meeting, is there anything that I should look for that might be a "red flag" concerning the school during the initial interview? (For example, teaching multiple arts under one banner, which is one thing I was told to be careful of long ago). Is there anything that I should look for in regards to early stage training that would be a red flag? I ask this because I know that there is a difference in the way that westerners and Koreans do things (to say the least), and would like any insight/advice that those of you who have trained in Korea might have. Thank you in advance, RedSatyr
Follow up: Don't know if it makes any difference, but the names of the places are as follows: Hapkido/Taekwondo/Judo: Teun Teun Hapkido Hapkido only: Hapkido Yong Sool Kwan I've tried to find some governing body or another, but everything I can find on the internet is either tied to western schools, or the Korean sites seem to be about halfway broken (and there are a lot of Hapkido associations, apparently). I haven't tried the Korean search engine (yet), because I *really* have to know what I'm looking for specifically in Korean; I can't extrapolate like I can in English...LOL. RedSatyr
I trained in Korea for four years. In each case, I went to the nearest schools in the area, stopped in and checked them out, and found decent schools in each case. You may wish to take a native speaker with you the first time, but you really don't need to know much Korean to train - just follow what the others are doing and work hard. Here's what I would ask: -Do you have an adult class? (If not, I would avoid it) - When are class times? (Don't be surprised if they want you to train twice a day, morning and evening, 5 or 6 days a week) - How much is it? -If you really want, you can ask what "kwan" or system it is, there is some variation because of that. I'd be more concerned with finding a good "adult class" than which group it is necessarily.
I appreciate the responses! Fusen, one of my friends has been taking BJJ in Yongam Dong, which is one of the neighborhoods nearby to where I live, and he’s been very happy with it. I can actually see a Taekwondo dojang from my balcony window as well. Hapkido has been a little more difficult to find for some reason (although I’m sure that if I lived in Seoul, there would be no real problem). Thomas, thank you for the input. I’m not as worried about needing the Korean to train, but more so for determining what the terms of the training will be in regards to money, expectations, etc. In fact, training/interfacing with the Koreans there *should* help me in my quest to learn/become fluent in the language. Since I am retired (and my visa won’t allow me to work), training twice a day wouldn’t be a particular problem, and would actually be welcomed. I’m also not as worried about the system (though it is something I’d like to be aware of) as I am of accidentally enrolling in Smiling Kim’s Hapkido School, Kimchi/Yakimandu Stand, and Taxi Service, if you know what I mean... Kwajman, there are a few ways to come to Korea to train. You can get a ticket to South Korea and visit for up to 90 days on a tourist visa. You can “extend” that by doing a “visa run”, meaning that you go to Japan (or elsewhere, but Japan is closest) and spending the night. Then you come back and re-enter the country, and bam, you have another 90 days. The issue is going to be where to stay/how much you can afford to spend on lodging. Jimjalbangs are somewhat affordable to stay in, from about W10,000 (about $10) a night. If, on the other hand, you have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, and are a native English speaker, you can get a job as an English teacher, either in a hagwon, or through the public school system (although the public school jobs are getting harder to find). Typically, in addition to being paid a living wage (and a fairly good one, to be honest), you are given a place to live, they pay for your flight over and back, and you *should* receive a payout from your pension fund when you leave. Some people come for a year (which is the minimum contract), but others come and stay for a long time. Additionally, if you have a Master’s degree, you can quite likely get a job with one of the universities, which is a really sweet gig, from everything that I’ve heard about it. Check out Dave’s ESL ( http://www.eslcafe.com/ ), if you think that’s something that you’d be interested in doing. Finally, you can come as an exchange student, but to be honest, that’s something that I don’t personally know that much about. Thank you all again for your responses, I’ll let you know how things go!
I lived and trained in Korea as well and if I could give only one advice; go where there are other adults training! The kiddie classed will probably be in the afternoon, so don't visit the school in the afternoon or early evening. Check out their schedule for the day and show up just before the adult training starts. I agree with MadMonk, check out Yongsulkwan! Not just because it is a hapkido only school, but also because it is one of the better hapkido kwans in Korea.
So, two of you have advised against classes with younger members in them. I am asking this out of ignorance - Why do you advise against them?
Do you really want to be training with 11 year olds to standards set for 11 year olds? I'm assuming that you are a grown man. Go to a school that focuses on teaching adults. I am willing to bet money that will be the Yongsulgwan.
There are a lot of schools that make their money off kids and will run lots of little kid classes. I would not want to train with a bunch of kids (lack of adequate size partner, lack of adult focused self defense, etc). In Korea, not as many adults train in martial arts, so you have to look a bit to find a school with a decent sized adult program (Il Ban boo). It may mean high school students and adults, but that can be fine. My preferences in a school would be: 1. Has to have adult students/ adult class 2. Closer the better (easier to get in and train often)
MadMonk108, LOL…Of course I’m a grown man. Thank you for your reply. Thomas, thank you for your reply and clarification of your earlier post. The reason I asked for clarification is I was just curious if perhaps there was some factor that I hadn’t considered in regards to working with kids. I visited the Yongsulgwan School this afternoon and this evening to see the class I am joining. The dojang is primarily a family run operation, and the class I saw this evening consisted of teens, some older, some younger, and based on the belts I saw, of all different ranks. I felt quite comfortable with the Kwanjangnim, and the things that were being taught certainly “seemed” like what I’ve seen in my research on the style. My thought is that I’m already bigger than most Koreans, and if we’re at a similar learning level (i.e. I am a complete novice), what is the issue if I’m older than they are? I certainly wouldn’t refuse to train under a 16 year old black belt in an art, if it came to that. I’ve signed up for a month with them, and if I’m not happy with it after that, then I’ll move on…
I have to admit that I feel better about my decision now. My instinct said that it was a good class/situation, but it violated one of the very pieces of advice I had been given here (from multiple sources) in regards to finding a dojang.
Sounds like a great mix. Don't get hung up on the age thing, just train and work hard. On the mat, the instructor is "senior" to you, but don't be surprised if off the mat, a younger instructor might defer to you. Have fun!
i think that most people mean pre-adolescents, when they meant kids and not older teens. nothing says 'stud' more than looking like kraemer in a karate class full of 8 year olds.
Thank you, Twisting... That was one of the reasons that I asked for clarification. To me, when I hear kid, it means under 20-ish. I'm a little older than your typical newcomer, I'd say, since I'm in my mid 40s and a grandfather...LOL. I had to laugh at your comment, because the Kramer class was one of the things I was joking about it turning into. I went to my first class last night, and it's definitely a keeper based on that. I had an absolute blast, and learned some stuff as well. The other students were incredibly welcoming, and the Kwanjangnim was excellent at getting the concepts across. One of the middle school students speaks some English, and she wrote down the techniques we worked on last night in Korean so that I can learn their names properly. I can certainly tell I'm out of shape (round's a shape, right? Right??!!). I think I surprised everyone, myself included, with how limber I still am (not so much when I crept out of bed this morning, however). So it looks like I'm off and running, so to speak. Thank you all for the information/help/encouragement. I'm sure I'll be back and asking some questions at some point...
