Martial Arts As A Lifestyle --- Chief Instructor's Blog March 2026

 

I have mentioned in class that martial arts (at least traditional martial arts like Han Moo Kwan) are not something you do a few hours a month, but it is a lifestyle; it is the way you live your life and grow through it. 

So, what does it look like when it is a lifestyle?  Before I start listing many examples, I will preface that as a lifestyle, it does not mean you are perfect in all the items below all the time.  Martial arts, even as a lifestyle, is a practice, which means you continually strive to do these things and note when you may have fallen short and work to do better next time. 

Be Grounded

You are grounded and move from your center in everything you do.  You move through / from your center as part of how you move in the world, whether it is walking, running, sitting, standing, hiking, lifting weights, etc. 

Be Focused

You remain focused on the task at hand versus being distracted, and laser focused in situations that are critical (examples: a critical conversation at work that could be the difference between an employee quitting or staying; critical conversation with your child or spouse, or driving a car where distractions can cause a collision resulting in injury or worse).

In Control and Self-Aware

You control the situation.  You are not reactive to aggressive behavior whether it is an angry friend, co-worker, manager, customer, or aggressive driver.  You are not over sympathetic to people who are being manipulative.  You are not reacting to someone’s behavior that you are not happy with.  You are able to be in control of yourself and not be controlled and stay calm under emotional or mental stress.  You are aware of your triggers and practice staying in control through mental exercises or actions like deep breathing.

Be Disciplined and Demonstrate Commitment

You practice discipline in your everyday life.  You work to meet your commitments on time.  You continue to push through one step at a time and be persistent to achieve your goals, complete projects, learn a new skill, etc.

Be Balanced

You practice being balanced in your everyday life.  This means being physically balanced in your other physical activities but also encompassing the concepts to other aspects of your life.  To be physically balanced you are not overextending or pushing too hard or trying to muscle through things, such that you are overexerted and get injured or cannot sustain the activity.  This can apply to mental and emotional balance as well, not pushing too hard and overextending yourself such that you cannot sustain or are easily exhausted. 

Positive Mindset

You maintain a positive mindset in everything you do, especially in the most challenging times.  This means continuing to work on it and persevere and not just give up because it appears to be difficult at first or you are not succeeding in the beginning.  A great quote by the legendary 16^th Century samurai Miyamoto Musashi is "It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first".  This can apply to learning a new physical skill; a new task or role at work; meeting a challenging deadline or customer demand, etc.

Practice Continuous Learning and Self-Improvement

You are open to learning and continue to learn whether that is learning more about subjects you are familiar with already or learning something totally new.  You are open to learning and do not let new things stop you from trying.  You practice self-improvement and strive to always be /get better in everything in your life (examples: your hobbies; communication with a spouse / partner or a manager / co-worker). 

These are several examples of what it means instilling what you learn in the dojang as part of your everyday life and therefore becoming part of your lifestyle and who you are; not just what you do 1-2 hours a week.

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

After asked why we practice the reply was “To better ourselves.” ~ Mr. Ui Jung Kim, 6th Degree Black Belt, Founder of the Han Moo Kwan Club, Sunnyvale, CA

Do You Know What You Should Be Working On? --- Chief Instructor's Blog February 2026

Becoming proficient in martial arts encompasses many attributes: mechanics inclusive of flexibility, agility, balance; body awareness; accuracy and targeting; speed and reaction time; timing; endurance; foot work; grounding; focus and intent among other things depending on your rank. 

With so many things to work on, how do you know if you are working on the right things and not potentially spending too much time on some things while ignoring other items important for your continual improvement in the art form. 

Here is a good time to remind you of our Club’s expectations for your training:

·       When you are a White Belt, the Instructor of that class takes primary responsibility to ensure you have the information to test.

·       Once you are promoted, the responsibility is primarily yours (i.e., Instructors will provide training at a level appropriate for you, based on your skill set and experience.  If you miss classes, it is your responsibly to seek that information out from a qualified Instructor of what you might have missed). 

·       If you are not sure of what you should be working on, or need extra guidance or clarity, it is your responsibly to ask the questions and seek additional training outside normal class hours if needed. 

So, with the above said, you should be getting feedback from instructors in class and have notes from a testing sheet.  This is the starting point.  If it has been a long time since you have tested (and many are in that category), test at the next available opportunity to get more recent feedback.

In addition, other things you need to be doing (if not already):

·       Share with the instructor what you are working on and get feedback about if that is the priority for you at your current rank and what is expected to progress towards the next belt level. 

·       Ask for input on a very regular basis. If you are waiting for right before a test, or waiting for what ends up on a test, that is not enough and may not necessarily be comprehensive but just stating some key or items that stand out.

And then how do you know if you are improving?

·       Keep a log.  If you are working on speed for example, maybe you time yourself every few weeks going through a set of repetitions or how many repetitions can be done in a set of time and monitor if improving.  Keep in mind that if one week you are not as good as previous week, note what other things might have prevented you from doing better that day (e.g., did you not get enough sleep night before, did you not eat well, etc.) so you are not discouraged if you are not always showing improvement week to week or have a setback.

·       Video / Record yourself.  With today’s smartphones, it is easy to video / record yourself and see for yourself.  For example, if you are trying to ensure your basic knife hand is linear or your turnaway kick you are not leading with the pinkie toe, then you can record yourself periodically and see for yourself.

·       Ask for feedback during or after class from a qualified instructor if you see any improvement or if you appear to be on track.

Martial arts is a personal journey of continuous improvement and growth, so if you are looking to improve you need to make sure you have the information, a plan to work on those items, and ways to track progress.

 

Regards,

Kelly

“There is no finish line. When you reach one goal, find a new one."  ~ Chuck Norris (1940 – present), American martial artist and actor with black belts in Karate, Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and judo.

 

References:

1. Fighter's Fact Book: Over 400 Concepts, Principles, and Drills to Make You a Better Fighter by Loren W. Christensen

2. Fighter's Fact Book 2: Street Fighting by Loren W. Christensen
3. Ultimate Fitness Through Martial Arts by Sang H. Kim

 

Empathy Can Get You Killed --- Chief Instructor's Blog January 2026

 

Human nature is we react and match the intensity and speed of an opponent.

If an opponent speeds up, it is human nature to speed up.  If an opponent becomes more aggressive, it is human nature that you become more aggressive. 

Reacting to your opponent/assailant is not the goal / objective.  If you are always reacting and matching their speed or intensity, then most likely you will get injured or even killed if attacked.

The goal is to move faster than an attacker - always.  The goal is to move and project the appropriate intensity for the situation regardless of what the attacker is doing.

To practice this, you must break human nature, and it starts with each class and with the basics.  Your goal should be to move and perform each technique as fast as possible while just maintaining control and good posture/mechanics regardless of how fast or slow the instructor or the Black Belt leading basics counts.  It is ok to be waiting for the next count.  Notice next time in basics if you are (1) just keeping up with the cadence of the count or of the speed of the person next to you or ahead of you or (2) focused on your own techniques and performing as fast as possible with control and good mechanics.  As a Black Belt, this is what is expected.  For more information, and a demonstration of this, see HMK Black Belt Challenge 02, Fast Basics / Slow Count; Speed; do not match speed of opponent.

Notice next time you are free sparring, (1) are you keeping up with the pace of your sparring partner and matching their pace or intensity or (2) are you performing at the speed and intensity required to control the match? 

During open, random attack self-defense, notice if (1) you are defending at the same speed / intensity / force or (2) are you performing at the speed and intensity required to disable / damage / end the altercation quickly?  

In all cases above, the answer should be number 2.  If you are unsure about how to get faster, please refer to the August 2025 blog, Improving your Speed.

And if you do not consciously go faster and perform at the intensity required during class, it will not translate in a real altercation.  In a real altercation body memory will take over and if your body memory is always reacting to your opponent then that is what you will do.  For more information on this, see the February 2018 blog, You Will Fight How You Practice.

 

Since it is the start of a new year, this is a great time to set that intention to practice not reacting but moving faster and with the intensity required regardless of your parter on class or the count of an instructor.

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

“When your opponent is hurrying recklessly, you must act contrarily and keep calm. The opponent must not influence you.”  ~ Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584 –1645) - famous Japanese swordsman, the author of The Book of Five Rings