Hap Ki Do Training at Osan Air Base
When my husband and I knew we were coming to South Korea, we immediately started talking about the martial arts available here. Since then, we have realized that the same challenges arise here as in the United States. There are a lot of mediocre instructors, a lot of low quality instructors and very few excellent instructors. Finding the excellent ones while combating the language barrier can be challenging!
We have been blessed to find Master Chang (full name Chang Yong Sil).
He has been teaching at Osan Air Base for at least 40 years.
We still have not pinpointed how long EXACTLY he has been training. He does not view it as important and in the past many people have twisted the information he has given them for their own purposes.
He only wants "The True Way" taught.
We found a flyer at Osan, watched one of his classes, met with him to discuss what Hap Ki Do is all about, and signed up to begin training with him in the evenings at his off-base school about 10 minutes away from Osan Air Base.
At Osan, he teaches 8-9:30 am Monday through Saturday and 6-7:15 pm Monday through Friday.
Master Chang (pronounced more like "Jung") does not advertise on the internet. He only gains students through word of mouth and flyers at Osan.
Here are two of his earlier flyers:
Now, it costs $100 a month per person to train with Master Chang.
When we started and over the next three months, there were only 5 students total involved in training.
There have been many classes that we benefited from being the only 2 people in class!
You can see the Federation uses Chinese characters, because originally China occupied the Korean peninsula. Later the Japanese occupied the peninsula. The Korean War resulted in a split between North and South Korea. The United States was integral part of South Koreans gaining their independence.
Master Chang lived in the northern part of the peninsula with his family before the war resulted in North and South Korea. He moved south during the conflict.
Master Chang refers to himself as our Sa-bam-nim, or our teacher/instructor.
(I will update this later to include the Hangul characters!)
Here he is showing us a Hap Ki Do magazine distributed in the 1970s. He has kept so much history!
We only wish we could read the Hangul characters!
The publications often included pictures of chiropractic techniques and descriptions for further study!
Here we are in our white belts!! I have studies Tang Soo Do, also a Korean martial art, for about 15 years. I haven't been a white belt since I was 10!
I have since determined that it is even greater for your mind and spirit to become a white belt again!
I never would have called myself a prideful person until placed in the situation of being positioned below my husband in class (since that's the way we originally lined up) when he has never had any martial arts training.
I can honestly say it has been wonderful for growing Christian humility in myself. It also puts me in the proper frame of mind as the submissive wife God has called me to be by teaching me to let my husband lead our family...and lead us in the martial arts.
After about a month and a half of training, we tested for yellow belt.
Testing costs $40.
Tests are held during a normal class time and other students are encouraged to participate.
You turn in your old belt and receive your new belt at the next class you attend after testing.
Master Chang looks so solemn in these pictures, but he has a great sense of humor too!
That never gets in the way of really hard training though!
We always leave class completely exhausted and dripping in sweat :)
Below, you see Master Chang on the left, a Hap Ki Do "older brother" named Kenny in the middle and my husband on the right.
Master Chang believes that seeing "older brother" participating in the test with us helps us to learn more by seeing what he does and knows.
We were proud to test for yellow belt!
About 2.5-3 months after beginning our Hap Ki Do training, we tested for blue belt.
The belts for our school are: white belt, yellow belt, 1st blue belt, 2nd blue belt, 1st brown belt, 2nd brown belt, and black belt.
Master Chang says that color belts, black belt and master are the levels that matter.
He does not refer to himself or post anyway what level of master he is.
We have our suspicions, but we do not want to add to the "lie way" that many have chosen to share.
Below, I am throwing William, another "older brother" who is no longer training with us.
His mind was not focused on Hap Ki Do.
Master Chang has taught us that: Hap means "harmony," Ki means "energy," and Do means "way."
So Hap Ki Do means the way of harmony of all your energy.
Master Chang always says, "Mind and body together, always."
Master Chang wanted to get some pictures of me throwing William.
It really amuses him for me to throw William.
I think I threw him about 40 times that day.
Poor William!
In class, Master Chang calls me "minnie mouse," because it's so cute when I throw these big guys!
Haha
Now that neither Kenny or William are training anymore, my husband is the victim of Master Chang's amusement. He regularly has me throw him a LOT!
Master Chang has been teaching the same way, the same techniques, the same level of intensity for over 40 years. He is such a wonderful person to know and we are already "Hap Ki Do family," as he says!
We'll keep you posted!
