Our new logo art is the brainchild of master artist Jim Barnes, good friend and skilled Hapkidoin. The flaming hand is truly a live hand and means so much to us. Not only is live hands a massive part of Hapkido technically but also the concept of the open hand and the flames are filled with meaning for us as Christians. Jesus himself heals with his open hands and calms storms in addition to so many other miracles. The flames have echoes of the burning bush in the Old Testament when God himself spoke to Moses and declared, I AM... The flaming hand is iconic and is so perfect for our Christian Martial Arts. Many sincere thanks to Jim and his family. If you would like to see more amazing art from Jim Barnes visit his website: www.ravenseggmultimedia.webs.com
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What is Hapkido's greatest strength and at the same time it's greatest weakness? I think it's the fact that you need an uke. Uke is the word Japanese and Korean grappling arts use for a training partner.
You really only need three things to learn Hapkido. A teacher, a student, and ...an uke. This sets Hapkido apart from almost every other Korean martial art. For example one could do Tae Kwon Do forms solo all day and get a pretty good workout. But Hapkido has no forms. I was once asked to give a demonstration of Hapkido and all I could do was smile and say well... grab me. Without a physical person in contact with you Hapkido is too abstract and to ethereal to even really demonstrate. Often the Hapkido Online students greatest challenge is to simply find a person to regularly practice with. For those of you that are married with an understanding and patient spouse you have an edge. If you have mostly grown children that happen to have an interest in Hapkido then you have Hapkido training wealth. The uke is also what makes Hapkido great! How many other martial arts show you so graphically what your techniques can accomplish? Unlike learning a form applying a technique to an uke actually puts you in contact with another human being and teaches you volumes about humans and movement, every time you do it. While almost all martial arts have sparring (Hapkido too) the reality is that sparring must be safely kept under control or people will get hurt. Applying techniques to a Hapkido uke is also done with great control to prevent injuries. But each technique is carried till uke feels pain and taps. Hapkido people are accustomed to pain because they feel it every practice and they know how to deal pain out to an opponent. The best uke's are noncompliant. The very best have a scale of compliance. The first few times you do a technique they are relatively compliant but as you gain skill a good uke increases the difficulty level. When you are highly advanced doing the techniques an uke makes it a challenge for you. A good uke makes you earn every single joint lock, the hard way. One thing that might set Hapkido Online apart from traditional Hapkido training is that while we learn break-falls and rolls we rarely employ them in actual practice. We instead prefer to do a technique till the uke is about to tip over and is in pain and tapping. We call this Tipping Point training. In so doing, believe it or not, our training is actually more realistic. It's more realistic because on the street the average person doesn't have the wherewithal to roll with a joint lock. The lock that might have thrown an experienced uke that rolls with it would actually cause absolute joint destruction to a non trained person. Also I've seen way to many flashy Aikido and Hapkido schools that get so caught up in the roll they seem to have lost the technique that might (I stress might) have caused the roll to begin with. It looks impressive to see a full grown person get thrown through the air and roll and pop on their feet. But... We aren't here to impress. We are here to learn Hapkido. True Hapkido isn't really all that visually impressive or pretty. A Hapkidoin moves his joint lock just a fraction of an inch and his attacker cries out in pain crashes headlong into the very, very, solid ground ruined. I believe a standing uke simulates these conditions far better than one preparing to tuck and roll. So in summation, the uke means you need a friend to learn. You cannot learn alone. While this is a weakness because you must have another person on hand to practice; in a way it's also a strength. This keeps Hapkido from wandering away from combat effectiveness. Have you ever seen Tai Chi practitioners in the United States and compared them to Tai Chi in China. The U.S. version is with rare exception little more than dance. It is best to embrace Hapkido's social necessity and just start a club that meets regularly. You will find that you look forward to having a good laugh while you and your friends practice Hapkido together. "Instructor Jon, I'm currently the instructor for a class that's 5 students. I'm looking to expand to about 7-10 students to try and ensure that the monthly rental fee is always covered. It's a monthly tuition and with 5 students it's just enough to make the monthly. However, when that changes I have to cover the cost. What have you found is the best method that you have found to expand a class enrollment?" My Reply: You want to increase revenue to meet potential rising overhead. You have three options really; increase the number of students, or increase the amount you are charging each student. Increase revenue from non-student sources.
You also have an excellent fourth option that you did not mention, lowering overhead. Step one, Increase Revenue: Increase revenue! The first thing you need to do is to diversify, don't just rely on student fees for income. For example have you considered seeking sponsors? Have you considered putting advertising on your website? Do you even have a website? I find it's best to bring in as many revenue sources as I can WITHOUT leaning on my students. You will have a better chance of attracting more if you keep your fees competitive to the other schools in your region. Attracting new students can be handled in so many ways. You need to become your own salesman. Give demonstrations at local attractions, schools, churches, etc. These don’t cost anything and can really get your school out there. Otherwise it pays to advertise. Again, do you have a website? Are you listed on Dojolocator.com? Believe it or not good old fashioned fliers are still a great way to bring interest. Print ten fliers per student and write their name in tiny letters in the corner. Give them incentive to hang the fliers and tell them if you find one of their fliers out and about town you will give them a prize. If you have a martial arts supply store in town especially make sure you have a flier posted there. If you don't have a martial arts supply store in town then you have a golden opportunity to become that supplier. Simply get a wholesale account and sell retail. Let all the local schools know that you have stuff and can get just about anything within a couple of days. If you keep good relations with your neighbor schools they will actually use you as a supplier. I find in the end it's best to stay on good terms with the competition, heck I've even recommended people to my competition when they were a better fit than I was. You know what, they started referring people to me too! Step two, Reduce Overhead: I have been blessed. I actually have a space at the local gym that I can use free of cost. No light bill, no water bill, no insurance bill, NO RENT. We made an arrangement and it generally works in my favor because often I get business from the gym itself. I've also taught in churches, on military bases, and in community centers. The gym benefits because they can list me as a regular offering to attract new members. I am currently saving a grubstake to build my very own Dojang in a barn on our property. It will be climate controlled and the best part, I will own it free and clear, so no rent. If you find a better location that will save you money be cautious. Every time you move it's likely one or more students will find the change inconvenient and stop attending. We've had this bad experience again and again. Otherwise just use common sense. If you are paying for power try to reduce the power you use. Fluorescent light's, storm windows, put things on timers so they only run when you need them. If your insurance is high try to find a better deal. I could go on and on but this is a great start! My Fellow Hapkidoin,
One year ago I began building Hapkido Online, while we have come a long way in that year obviously work continues. We've passed many milestones. Approval and support of the Tactical Hapkido Alliance, first students, and first international students. We've also seen the rise of the very first Hapkido Online clubs. In the past year we've added scores of video and text training. We've had to occasionally go back and re-shoot training video's to ensure the very best training. We've added lesson's about the history of Hapkido and tons of graphics. I owe thanks first and foremost to God, my wife, kids, and our family. Who have believed in this project from the beginning. Important people have helped us along the way, most notably, Grand Master Rodemaker, Senior Master Ziots, and Master Feathers and his family. Grand Master Rodemaker has been so passionate in his support, where would we be without his energy? The Feathers family is made up of warriors and they have put in interminable hours towards the learning and propagation of Tactical Hapkido. I would also like to send a respectful bow to my brothers, Braxton and Clayton and a big hug to my sister Denise. I would also like to say a very warmhearted thank you to the uke's who have allowed me to torture them on camera first and foremost among them, Mr. Matthew. You may have noticed him, the tall fellow that is often my uke. In many ways Hapkido Online has grown with Matthew, our belt level content has grown as he has grown as a Hapkidoin. For you beginning students you are in many ways following Matthew's path as my local student. I would also like to share my thanks to our students and friends at Pro Form TKD. Mr. David Henry and Mr. John Straka were some of our very first distance learners and at the time took quite a leap of faith. Additionally Mr. Henry has been a contributor to Hapkido Online's content occasionally. In the last year Hapkido Online has welcomed over 70,000 visitors. It has gained critical recognition on other websites and gained notice with advertisers. Most importantly it has a small but loyal student base that make it all possible. It is YOU the students that allow me to build it so that others may learn and grow. Hapkido Online has brought Chon Sul Kwan to the hearts of many new people and has made the first steps for a real and lasting international presence for the THA. I would like to express my gratitude to everybody at THA. So many have contacted me to express support for our work here. It really helps. The 7th of February will mark Hapkido Online's birthday for that is the date that I purchased the domain. The domain has been renewed and I look forward to another great year. Thank You all so much for your participation, support, and patronage. With Great Respect, Jon Ferguson Hello Hapkido Friends, We have a tremendous seminar coming up April the 27th. It's in Martinsburg, WV. For those of you who train with me at Yorktown that's only about four hours down the road. I realize for you international guys it's pretty darn far but if you were planning on being in the Eastern US around that time it would be well worth your time. Attached is the flyer with all of the details. The seminar is being hosted by our very own Mr. David Henry. It will be a fun filled Saturday with Grand Master, Senior Master, and Master level instruction, often you will get personal instruction as they generally walk around and help people individually. Grand Master Rodemaker is a very dynamic teacher and speaker and is always a joy to learn from. I strongly urge you to attend, you won't regret it!
Hello Hapkido Fans,
Tonight I've uploaded the final video for Green Belt. I may re-shoot and fine tune here and there but the base footage is in place. I hereby dub Green Belt to be complete. On to High Green! Enjoy, Jon Yesterday I uploaded a better same side S-lock video. The video above it was seven months older. The instruction is better in the new one and after seven months of focused practice my technique is also better. (I originally learned this lock decades ago.) Since the latest video is so much better than the original I've decided to pull the old one. However before I pulled the old one I took a screenshot of the two video's. I would like to point out that I am 25 pounds lighter in the new video than the old one. Regular Hapkido practice and eliminating wheat and dairy from my diet completely for the last three months has been good for me. I am still losing weight and on track for my target weight of 185 pounds. This stuff works folks! We used the swivl to shoot some video yesterday:
http://www.hapkido-online.com/yellow-belt-joint-locks.html Look for the one under S-Lock called "S-Lock Explained in Detail" I had the remote tucked into my Dobak top above my belt. Next time I think I might try to conceal it in my sleeve so the device tracks my hands not my body. One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on Source Unknown...
I found the Pai Mei Diet to be largely un-sustainable and so I switched to the Bible diet. Some have called it the Paleo Diet. Here is my progress:
Calorie diet Today Breakfast 1/2 cup oatmeal = 83 TBSP Raisins = 40 TBSP Honey = 135 Cup Coffee = 2 tsp Non Dairy Creamer = 10 tsp Sugar = 16 Total 286 Lunch Can Tuna = 191 1 Apple = 116 2 Oranges Mandarin = 70 1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds = 182 2 bottles Water = 0 Total 559 Dinner Though my breakfast and lunch are largely predictable, Dinner is always a random variable. I think this is okay because it allows me to socialize with the family and the dietary variety helps reduce cravings and round out any vitamin deficiencies. My only hard fast rule is that whatever is on the plate I do not eat anything derived from wheat or dairy. I often try to substitute from other sources. For example, on spaghetti night I’ll use brown rice in place of noodles. I also try to eat smaller portion sizes than I normally would and I avoid dessert altogether preferring to simply eat an apple or orange instead. I find that if I eat a salad prior to dinner and drink a bottle of water it helps reduce the amount of food I eat. I estimate that on average I consume about 700 calories for dinner most nights. Daily Caloric Intake (on average): 1,545 Weekly Caloric Intake (on average): 10,815 Monthly Caloric Intake (on average): 46,350 Daily Caloric Burn 8 Hours Sleeping = 549 10 Hours Sitting = 1520 1 Hour Hapkido = 600 (This is only three hours a week.) 1 Hour Walking = 400 2 Hours Chores = 680 2 Hours Lying (TV) = 240 Daily Total 3,989 Weekly Total 25,523 Monthly Total 102,092 Caloric Deficit Daily Deficit 2,444 (Best case on Hapkido Days) Weekly Deficit 14,708 (Assumes three hours of Hapkido) Monthly Deficit 55,742 The conventional idea that a pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories is essentially flawed. The human body simply doesn’t work this way. However in lieu of a more realistic formula we’ll use it. Accordingly: Daily Fat Burn 69% of a pound or 313 grams of Fat Weekly Fat Burn 1400 grams or 3 pounds of Fat Monthly Fat Burn 5600 grams or 12 pounds of Fat Since starting my diet in November I have lost 22 pounds so surprisingly the conventional equation isn’t far off for me. |
Jon FergusonTeacher and Hapkido Online Developer. Archives
April 2022
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