Today I added further content at Blue and High Blue. I am also working hard to get video edited for Red and High Red. We are close folks to first dan in our filming and I am feeling very excited. For those of you who have been patiently waiting for this content I can only say thank you!
When I began building Hapkido Online in the fall of 2012 (has it been that long) I thought it might take me about a year to get all the content uploaded to first dan. Now we are nearly upon 2014 and I am still working away at it. In the doing of this project I have learned as a martial artist and a teacher many things. I've been forced to dissect each move again and again and then find ways to teach the material to a student that may indeed be many hundreds and sometimes even thousands of miles away. The man who types these words has grown a great deal from the man that began the project. Hapkido Online will never be finished. For like life itself, it's about the journey not the destination. So long as I draw breath I will continually be refining our content, making it better and easier to learn. I will continually be exploring the limits of our latest technologies in a quest to bring the students the best possible learning experience. I have been on this journey of martial exploration for over two decades and I am on it still. How do we convert a person right off the street with no prior training into a skilled martial artist? It's difficult. It's a serious commitment of time and effort not only from the student but also the teacher. We teachers may work with hundreds if not thousands of students and only a happy few will actually become skilled martial artists. Most people find that the commitment of time and effort is far too great and they drift on to other interests. With odds like these one might ask, why bother at all. If you have ever been violently attacked, the truth becomes clear. To feel helpless in the face of pregnant hate and aggression. To feel your heart beating violently in your chest as if it were a runaway stampede fleeing from fear. To feel as if your life is about to end, that you may never see another day. It's the most wretched of feelings. It's a feeling that I would choose to protect others from ever having to feel. As a martial artist we are not exempt from fear. When we get attacked we feel fear, it's natural, it's normal, it's human. BUT we don't feel helpless, for we ARE not helpless. We can fight and we can prevail! This is why I teach and this is why I believe it's so important to learn. Having been attacked myself on several occasions I know how it feels. I know how it felt before I learned martial arts and I know how it felt after learning martial arts. It's the difference between real security and living in fear. I challenge you all, tell a friend about Hapkido Online, spread the word. We have a great program, we are doing it for the right reasons, and it's only going to get better. God Bless, Jon Ferguson
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Well tomorrow I leave for the Annual THA Conference. These are always the most fun a person can have doing Hapkido. I look forward to seeing old friends and learning new things.
Some of our Online Students are slated to attend I am sure they will be amazed. Everybody be safe out there and I'll see you at the Conference! Hi Guys,
Just to let you know I am back to filming, editing, and uploading content. I hope to have as much Gup stuff as possible finished before THA Conference on November 2. Master Feathers and I will be filming remaining material while we are there. I hope to see some of you at this years conference, they are a blast and very educational. Also if you haven't heard yet, we have started a new site www.dunamistao.com , try it I think you will enjoy it! God Bless, Jon So for my Birthday a Hapkido Master named Tim Feathers came to visit me. You are likely familiar with him from his many contributions to Hapkido Online.
Let me tell you that was a very great Birthday present! Master Tim and I are old friends he was my first and still favorite teacher and frankly one of the best! We spent several hours re-filming white belt.... I know, I know, we already have white belt film. However most of that stuff was shot over a year ago. Since that time my photography capabilities and film editing skills have greatly improved. Also my ability to teach Hapkido has improved. Also, also, I have lost 37 pounds since that old footage. Also, also,also, this time I could demonstrate it with Master Tim! As you know White Belt training is free to all who visit Hapkido Online. We want this free test drive content to be up to par with our latest content so that students and potential students can see what they will be getting at all levels. It makes sense to put our best foot forward. Now those of you heading into the higher Gup levels were not forgotten for we also took the time to film all Blue Belt Joint Manipulation! Needless to say the film editing for all of this excellent footage is daunting. But I have begun. As I type these words I've been editing for nearly 5 strait hours. Everything I have edited up to this point has been uploaded to white belt breakaways. Even if you are well past this point in your training I urge you to go and have a look see at white belt again and our new footage, it's the best we have done to this point. You may notice that the move Across the Bow has changed. Master Tim and I originally posted our legacy version of that move. The new film has the move as outlined in the THA encyclopedia. Frankly THA's version is superior to our older way anyhow. For those of you learning and testing. You may demonstrate this technique either the legacy way or the new way, sorry for any confusion. Well it is well after midnight and my alarm is set to ring in less than four hours...... I'll resume editing and uploading as soon as I can folks. Till then good night and God bless. Jon After more than a year of training, we are finally getting some students into the higher Gup levels. As a result I have to get back to work! For those of you keeping track I've been adding content to High Green today. You will notice that I've merged hand and foot techniques onto one page. As we progress to the higher levels the net number of new techniques reduces but we expect greater polish on the content already learned.
I am frankly looking for a massive jump in overall capability from green to black belt. Hopefully I can get new video loaded soon for those in need. Also for those of you above green, it's time to start sparring. Invest in some good safety gear. You'll notice I am not selling that stuff here. I don't make a penny from you investing in your own safety. I do sleep better at night knowing you are doing the right thing. Take the time to read my tutorial about sparring safety: http://www.hapkido-online.com/sparring-safety.html Good martial arts requires a bit of contact, otherwise you are just learning to dance. But always, always, place safety first. Very proud of progress overall. For some of you it might be time to ask yourself when the last time you checked in was... I have a digital dojang and I'm not afraid to use it folks. I serve you best through constant feedback. V/r and God Bless, Jon Well we've finally begun. I am doing this project out of pocket so it will be baby steps. We've decided to break it up into bays. The space between the column on my left and right is Bay 1. You can see the lumber I've purchased. Just out of frame are three massive casement windows for three bays. This small slider window is to be removed and we'll be cutting a large hole in the barn for the casements.
We found the windows on craigslist. They are old and used but still serviceable. New windows would be $4,500 so getting similar ones for $100 was quite a bargain. We'll also be installing a large glass and wood door (8 feet tall) that we found at a Habitat for Humanity Re-store. Another massive bargain. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my father 'n' law Mr. Tony Medley. Carpenter, Electrician, Planner, Project Manager, and all around crucial player. Dad is the real miracle worker and I wouldn't get far without him. On the floor left are my old wrestling mats with two folding tables protecting them from foot traffic. Well after much deliberation and conversation with the wise I
decided to take the old Hapkido Online Forum page and build a completely separate website called: http://christianmartialartsforum.weebly.com I may purchase the domain for it too if it gains popularity. Unlike the old Hapkido Online forum this website is for all Christian Martial Artists. By casting the net a little wider hopefully it will work better. Well Folks Happy to say our good work continues. We have new video uploaded to High Green and Blue Belt Level. It is frankly some of the best footage we've shot to date. As always I would like to share my gratitude with Grand Master Rodemaker for shooting Hapkido Online video. Also my undying gratitude to Master Feathers and family for their ongoing
work and effort. Also Mr. David Henry deserves mention for hosting us at his awesome ProForm Dojang. Also I would like to thank my wife Julie and family for allowing the Father/Husband a couple of days to focus on Hapkido. I've also uploaded the prayer stretch for the warm-up pages. It's a stretch we do every class at my Yorktown school and I feel it's effective. We still have a LOT of video in the can that needs editing and uploading. I'll be working away. Also I would like to mention Mr. Pat Mills, photographer and kindred spirit, who has selflessly lent his camera equipment and advice to Hapkido Online off and on for the last year. Much of the better stuff you've seen on our site was made possible by this man and we are indebted to him. The last few weeks have been very quiet on Hapkido Online. I suspect that Spring is here and folks are outside with their families and that is good. Family always comes before Hapkido. I know in the days and weeks ahead I see progress video's from everybody. For those of you interested in building clubs and/or charter schools. Check out the new club membership option on the join and store page. It's a heck of a good deal. One thing I can say about Hapkido Online and the Tactical Hapkido Alliance, we want very much for you to succeed. Many orgs are very reticent to share and are territorial in nature but THA has always worked hard to see it's people be fruitful and multiply. Some of you seem to struggle endlessly with finding uke's. I'll be praying for you. Hapkido can bring people together if you let it. I trust the Lord will look out for you. Remember it's impossible to learn Hapkido alone. One might say it's impossible to really learn martial arts alone. It would be like trying to sharpen a blade without a sharpening stone with the empty space alone. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 The Martinsburg WV seminar was, I think, a real success. Mr. Henry has an extremely nice dojang and many good people in attendance. Our hotel accommodations were the nicest of any THA seminar I've yet attended and they were priced very, very, reasonably. Seminar turnout was good and everybody genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves. Many thanks to everybody who participated and to Mr. Henry for hosting. Also as always my appreciation to Grand Master Rodemaker who inspires young and old alike.
I was extremely pleased that one of Mr. Henry's Hapkido Online Club uke's, Mr. Colin, has decided to join up and promote. I found him very capable and was very honored to be able to test him and promote him in person. I was so inspired by Mr. Henry's Hapkido Online Club that I've decided to offer a Club Membership Package. It is frankly, the most economical membership package on Hapkido Online. It covers 6 lifetime THA memberships with two years of Hapkido Online service. For a budding martial arts school or an established school wanting to include a Hapkido Curriculum this is an amazing offer. We help you build a successful Hapkido Online Club and eventually a flourishing THA Charter School with pre-established teachers and students. Everything you need to make it. GM Rodemaker was so pleased with this idea that he has promised that any Hapkido Online club that has at least one Hapkido Online Black Belt will be offered a charter school membership at a substantial discount! Folks, I tell you this is an unprecedented opportunity. Don't believe me? Shop around, you will see. My Fellow Hapkidoin, Just wanted to remind you that the Martinsburg, West Virginia, Hapkido Seminar is on the 27th of THIS month. Our very own Mr. David Henry is hosting this year at his excellent Pro Form Dojang and I know it will be an awesome Martial Arts experience. This is a real opportunity to train with Grand Master Rodemaker and other Master's and Black Belts including my own teacher and good Friend Master Tim Feathers. For those of you who learn primarily online these seminars can really, really, help you advance and learn. Attached is the paperwork and contact information for the seminar. I've attended a couple of these and every time had a very fun experience and walked away with greater understanding of Hapkido. GM Rodemaker always foster's a kind and fun loving atmosphere combined with some serious martial arts instruction. Very Respectfully, Jon Ferguson www.hapkido-online.com
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Jon FergusonTeacher and Hapkido Online Developer. Archives
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