Over fifty years ago, a chance
meeting between Mr. Bob Rainie and Mr. Ui Jung Kim at a gas station in
Since then, over a 1,000 people joined the Club. Of those, our records indicate, 619 have tested and reached at least the rank of Green Belt. Of those, 67 have reached at least the level of First-Degree Black Belt.
While Mr. Kim and some of his original students have since passed, most notably Mr. Bob Rainie and Mr. Gary Murray, along with one of our past Chief Instructors, Mr. Jeff Burgess, the Club carries on. Maybe the numbers are not what it once was and currently we do not have a permanent location to train, we do continue on.
Mr. Kim was quoted as saying more than once, “Show up, work out”. And that is what we have been doing, whether it be via Zoom, in the park, and hopefully soon a new location, we are showing up and working out to honor Mr. Kim, our founding members, and all those instructors who taught just to share their knowledge and the art form.
Not only did they share their knowledge they shared and taught overtly the energy side of martial arts. In the East, the energy side was held close and never openly shared. It was discovered after years and maybe decades of training by experiencing it from the masters. In the West, most instructors never discovered the energy side or believed it exists so they could not pass it along to their students. Or they may be demonstrating it but not overtly teaching it, so very few students are discovering it.
But our Club has had the unique experience of our founders not only overtly teaching but finding methods to help us understand it quicker than eastern methods and helping us understand how the energy side benefits us not just in martial arts but in our everyday lives. I feel extremely fortunate and grateful for these teachings which have sharped and influenced my life in such positive ways.
On this 50th anniversary,
I ask each of you who have been a part of the Club whether for a month or
decades, to reflect on the teachings you have received for practically free,
how those teachings have helped you better yourself and thank those instructors
(whether living or dead) who have shared their knowledge and insights. And then ask yourself how you are giving back
to these instructors by continuing to “show up, work out”, continue to, if do
already, or find ways to give back to your community.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment