As most of the readers of this blog know, I am constantly taking classes in various martial arts in hopes of gaining some new insight into my practice.  Currently, I have been taking classes at a local Aikido school.  When I attend classes at that school I wear a blue belt.  That is the rank […]

Koan (kong’an in Korean) is a Sino-Japanese word.  That is to say, it originated in the Chinese language (gong’an) and is now used in Japan.   The word is made up of two characters: 公案.  The first character, 公 (Ko) means “public” and the second character, 案 (An) means, “case”.  So together, the characters translate as […]

The series continues with this post on the “Fire” Exercise.  This exercise, which is typically taught third, is an excellent way to exercise the legs and stretch the associated joints: knees, ankles and hips. “Fire” Meditation (불 선) Color: Red Element: Fire Season: Summer Chinese Name: Li Directional Relationship: East Familial Relationship: Second Daughter Directions […]

The series continues with this post on the “Lake” Exercise.  This exercise, which is typically taught second, is an excellent way to stretch the legs and the associated joints: knees, ankles and hips. “Lake” Exercise (호수) Color: White Element: Metal Season: Autumn Chinese Name: Tui Directional Relationship: South East Familial Relationship: Youngest Daughter Directions for […]

Most Asian cultures base their understanding of the body and its potential on the concept of ki (chi), a vital-life force or energy, which permeates the world and every living thing.  Although ki is a metaphysical concept it can be physically quantified, measured, manipulated, and felt in one’s body through various ki practices. The purpose […]

Since the formation of the World Taekwondo Federation, its officers and member countries have tried to standardize the practice of Forms in Taekwondo.  To accomplish this, they developed a set of forms called the Taegeuk Poomse.  When these forms were being created, all of their movements, techniques, appearances and projected meanings were based on the […]

Three Phases of Learning in Shin Ho Kwan   Phase 1: Su (수) – To Defend & Protect “Su” comes from the Chinese word “Shou” (守) which means: to defend, protect, guard, conserve.  守 is made up of 宀 and 3 additional strokes. The character “宀” means, “roof”. In this phase a new students learn […]

As a teenager, the simple act of walking out onto the training floor was always a challenge for me.  It was a very rare day that I didn’t do something wrong the instant my foot hit the floor, which inevitably resulted in me doing pushups.  “What could I possibly do wrong?” you ask.  Well let’s […]

Recently, I have been going through all my old cd’s and I have found several that I will be sharing the contents of on this blog.  Last week’s post, “The Shin Ho Kwan Knife Form” was one of them.  This week I will be focusing on the 10 Basic Elbow/Strike Set of the Classical Combat […]