Making your Techniques “Lean” --- Chief Instructor's Blog November 2023

 

More is not always better.  Sometimes, less is better.  I am sure most of you are aware of the Lean Principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS) that were created to eliminate waste and be as efficient as possible. So, one might wonder, how these same principles could be applied to make our martial arts techniques as efficient as possible.  

The three terms associated that are used in the TPS to describe wasteful practices to be eliminated are Muda, Mura, Muri [Ref. 1].  Let’s looks at each of these and how they may apply to martial arts techniques.

Muda is any activity that consumes resources without creating value [Ref. 1].  So, you have “muda” in executing your techniques if you have any additional movements or actions that are taking away from the speed or force of your technique or even putting yourself more at risk.   Some examples include:

• Slight backwards hitch before throwing your forward punch. That slight backward is taking more time and expending energy in the wrong direction.
• Moving your front foot first in jump kicks.  This is taking time to plant the foot and puts that front foot at risk.
• Tensing your shoulders or raising your shoulders in high block or knife hand.
• Any technique that is not linear.  As, we have discussed many times, liner techniques are the shortest path to your target, so takes less time and results in most forceful.

Mura is an unevenness in an operation [Ref.1]. So, you have “mura” in your techniques (1) if you are not moving from one technique to another in a smooth, even way or (2) if you are not keeping your energy constant versus going up and down.  Going up and down is inefficient and does not ensure all your energy is being able to be focused in a singular way and forces you to constantly redirect it which expends energy that does not go towards your technique. In addition, you may have “mura” in your techniques if you are not balanced or have improper posture.  Some examples include:

• Uneven weight between your feet in horse stance.  Horse stance is most effective when have weight evenly on both feet.
• Shoulders not over hips in attack stance. 

Muri is overburdening the equipment or operator [Ref. 1]. So, you have “muri” in your techniques (1) if you ae going faster than your physical body can handle at this time and you are not in control, (2) if you are throwing more force than your body can handle at this time and you are off-balance, (3) if you are trying to blend techniques and not performing them one then the other, or (4) you are only using internal energy and not external energy.

To make your techniques leaner, think about each of these principles and systematically apply them one by one to each of your techniques, incorporating them into your hyung, sparring, and self-defense.  Making your techniques lean will result in more effective techniques, and more effective techniques will keep you safe.   

Regards,

Kelly

“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” ~ Bruce Lee (1940 –1973), American-born Chinese Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and founder of Jeet Kune Do

 

Reference:

1. Muda, Mura, Muri - Get a Quick Introduction | Lean Enterprise Institute, retrieved 10/21/23

 

Value of Training with Variety of Partners --- Chief Instructor's Blog October 2023

In my last blog, I described key concepts to embrace in order to walk away from and survive any attack.  Embracing the concepts are one thing, but you also need to ensure your training provides an environment that allows you to practice these concepts as much as possible. 

One of the best ways to do this is to ensure you are practicing and training with a variety of partners with different strengths, heights, sizes, technical skill levels, and different intensity levels.

Every person attacks differently, so by practicing with a variety of partners it will help you experience the randomness nature of attacks.

By practicing with different partners, you really learn how to apply techniques, so they are effective.  Good techniques should be effective against almost anyone.  If you only practice with the same people with the same skill levels, you may not learn what really makes the technique work well.  And while you are learning this, if a technique is not working, you get the opportunity to practice not stopping and trying something else until it is effective.   

Training with partners of different heights will allow you to train at multiple ranges (close in, kicking range, weapons range, etc.).  This will also teach what techniques are more effective against taller people or shorter people. Training with partners of different heights and sizes also provides another opportunity to experience randomness since fighters tend to take advantage of height or size and fight differently than say smaller or shorter people.

Training with partners with lower technical skill will train you to stay focused and not underestimate an opponent.

Training with more skilled partners may provide the opportunity to practice not stopping and trying something else if at first the technique was not effective.

Training with partners with higher technical skill can provide an experience to practice deep breathing.  Sometimes when people train with higher technical skill, they get nervous or anxious and their heart rate goes up.  When this happens, this is an opportunity to practice that deep breathing to stay focused and in control.  Similarly, by training at high intensity levels you have the opportunity to practice deep breathing.   

It may not always be possible to train with a variety of partners but take advantage when you can.   

Regards,

Kelly

"You should not have a favorite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well.” ~ Miyamoto Musashi  (c. 1584 –1645) - famous Japanese swordsman, the author of The Book of Five 

Some Key Concepts to Surviving an Attack --- Chief Instructor's Blog September 2023

 

Han Moo Kwon Tae Kwon Do is a close-in fighting martial art whose sole purpose is protection when options to avoid confrontation and conflict do not exist.  In the event, you must defend yourself there are some key concepts that everyone should embrace to walk away from and survive any attack. 

 1. Randomness

You never know how your assailant will attack or react, so do not try to predict it.  Attacks can be very random and while you may not think a person will attack or grab a certain way, you do not know, so you should not predict.  Assailants may typically react a certain way to an applied self-defense technique, but you should not assume.  For example, sometimes when you are grabbed and you perform a self-defense technique, the assailant may hang on or sometimes they will not.  So, you should always be prepared and be in the moment, ready for anything.

2. Deep, Even Breathing

In an altercation, your body naturally kicks in its fight or flight response which results in increased heart rate and more rapid breathing all controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.  During this rapid breathing, you are less clear in your thinking and in control of your thoughts and actions which are being dominated by the fight or flight response.  And if your heart rate and breathing get too far out of control, you will not be in a state to react as effectively.  By deep, even breathing in pressured situations, you will help kick in the parasympathetic nervous system which will slow down your heart rate. Deep, even breathing will provide more oxygen to your body resulting in a) clear thoughts and actions, b) muscles having the oxygen they need to perform, c) more endurance to last during the altercation, and d) the energy flow that accompanies breathing to make your techniques more effective.

3. If at first you do not succeed, do something else

The techniques we practice in class are effective (if performed correctly) but maybe not 100% of the time.  Depending on the attacker’s body type, mental state (e.g., on drugs), how they attack, a particular technique may not be as effective.  So, if your first technique to a response to an attack is not completely effective, do not keep trying the same technique.  You should try a second or third technique, but do not stop.

4. Never underestimate assailant

Do not assume your assailant is not trained or that since you are trained an assailant is easy to defeat.  Stay confident in your abilities, but do not underestimate the assailant. 

5. Do not assume anyone will come to your aid

Unfortunately, in our society today, people are more interested in videotaping and posting to social media platforms versus coming to someone's aid or even calling 9-1-1 to help.  So do not assume anyone that sees the altercation will help in any way.

6. Watch out for buddies

Do not assume there may not be more than one assailant.  Keep vigilant and aware of your surroundings.  Maybe the second assailant is not even someone the initial assailant knows but just wants to join into an attack.

7. Assume a Weapon

Assume your assailant may have a weapon but has kept it concealed.  Do not assume there may not be more than one assailant.  Keep vigilant and aware of your surroundings. 

This leads to probably the most important concept.

8. Do not stop until you feel safe

Continue to fight until you feel safe. I cannot tell you what that feels like for you (and maybe very situational dependent), but you will know.

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

“Self-defense is not just a set of techniques; it’s a state of mind, and it begins with the belief that you are worth defending.”~ Rorion Gracie  (1952 -), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master

 

Principles Behind the Techniques --- Chief Instructor's Blog August 2023

NOTE:  This blog was updated in July 2026 and again in August 2026 to separate and clarify a principle versus a strategy, include all the principles of Han Moo Kwan versus a subset, and add additional examples. 

While being able to perform the techniques very well is important, to truly master a martial art you must also understand and master the principles behind the art form.

First let me start with the fact that Han Moo Kwan is a self-defense martial art style.  It is designed for you to stay safe and end altercations quickly during in close combat.  Therefore, its principles are all based on these premises.  For the purpose of what is stated below, the principles are the foundations to guide movement and strategies are more the tactical plans for applying techniques. 

I will discuss each of the key principles and why it is important to mastering the art form.

Close the Distance

The art form is meant to be performed in close, since it uses the body (e.g., hands and feet) as weapons.  In addition, most attackers do not know how to fight close in, so learning to defend yourself close in puts you at the advantage.  To be effective close-in we employ the strategy of short strikes.

Short Strikes

Short strikes are harder to see coming and to stop.  Short strikes put you at an advantage since most people cannot fight close in.  This advantage will keep you safe and end an altercation quickly. 

Strike for damage to end it quickly / Every movement does damage

If every movement causes damage, it will end an altercation quicker.  That is why we strike and block to break. Even when blocking, it is not deflecting, the block is attacking.  This is not just how we physically perform techniques but a mindset.  And this means not only strikes, blocks, and kicks, but the transitions, turns, “in between” techniques.  If you start using “preps” as another means to do damage, that is a good start.  In addition, we employ linear strikes and proper structural alignment as strategies.  

Linear Strikes

Linear strikes are also faster and harder to stop.  Both of these attributes are important to end an altercation quickly. 

Structural Alignment

Every technique has a proper alignment such that the body’s skeletal and muscular system supports the technique to maximize force.  A few examples are (1) closed fist punching arm alignment, (2) blocking arm alignment, (3) hip rotation and leg lock in side kick, (4) leg lock in turnaway kicks, etc.

Get Off The Line

If you draw a line down the center of your body from forehead to groin, it passes through the vulnerable and vital spots in the body.  So, it is critical to protect those parts of your body.  By getting off the line, the intent is to no longer have the center of the body in a line with attacker weapons. 

Protect yourself at all times

If you are protecting yourself at all times, especially vulnerable spots, you will stay safe.  We protect ourselves when we keep elbows close to the body and protect the ribs/kidneys, or by keep weight off the front foot in cat stance to protect the knee, or arm traveling straight up first in high block to protect the head.  If any of your techniques leave you vulnerable for other than a fraction of a second, you may relook at how you are performing the technique.  In addition, a key strategy is to keep proper posture and alignment so stay balanced and use the structure of the body to maximize force, absorb the force, and reduce injuries to self.

Proper Posture / Stances

Every stance has an alignment that keeps you balanced – for the most part it is head over shoulders and shoulders over hips with your mass over your center of gravity.  If you are “out of square” in punches, knife hand, etc., you can easily be pulled off-balanced or fall forward if an attacker steps aside as you lean in to strike. 

Structural Alignment

Every technique has a proper alignment such that the body’s skeletal and muscular system supports the technique to minimize injury to self.  A few examples are (1) closed fist punching arm alignment, (2) blocking arm alignment, (3) hip rotation and leg lock in side kick, (4) leg lock in Turnaway kicks, etc.

Keep it simple

At its essence, Han Moo Kwan is simple and straightforward.  Certainly, there are some exciting and fancy moves you can practice that look flashy and fun to try and impressive to perform, but those are not always effective, require more moves which more opportunity to be stopped and slower, or keep you safe.  The goal of Han Moo Kwan is to be effective and stay safe therefore with that objective in mind, techniques are kept straightforward and simple.

Focus on the opponent, not just the weapon.  The opponent is the one that will harm you

If an assailant has a weapon, you need to be aware and control, trap, and disarm as focus on attacking vulnerable locations on the assailant.  If the assailant is injured, they may no longer be able to use said weapon. 

Fight as if your life depends on it, doing whatever it takes to defend your life

As the art form is meant for self-defense purposes, IF you have no choice but to use physical techniques, then you should continue to fight until feel safe and / or are safe.

Be grounded at all times

By being grounded at all times, you are harder to move and if you do move, you move in control and safely. By being grounded your techniques come from your Center which makes your techniques more powerful. 

Use External Energy

When we use external energy, we add even more power to our techniques.  When we add the intention of inflicting severe damage and destruction to the energy, then the techniques are near impossible to stop.  And therefore, any altercation will end quickly.

None of these principles get mastered all at once.  It takes years of practice and focus on each one, then many at once, then all at once to master the principles.  And once you master the principles, you will master the techniques, and then you will master the art form.

Regards,

Kelly

"Techniques are simple but the principle is profound.” ~ from Muye Dobo Tongji, a martial arts manual published in 1790 in Korea, written by Yi Deongmu (1741–1793), Pak Je-ga (1750–1805) and Baek Dong-soo (1743–1816)

 

Are Martial Arts About Violence? --- Chief Instructor's Blog July 2023

Some people believe that martial arts is about violence and therefore would never study or practice it.  In the movies or on TV shows, in many instances depicts people using martial arts techniques in an offensive, violent manner, so I can understand why people may think martial arts is about violence. 

But this is not what traditional martial arts is about.  In fact, traditional self-defense based martial arts is more about keeping peace; it is not about violence.

As a reminder, first steps of self-defense are awareness and avoidance.  If you are aware of your surroundings and avoid a physical altercation, then you have successfully defended yourself.  If those options do not work, then you defend yourself physically.  Miyamoto Musashi legendary Japanese samurai and author of The Book of Five Rings said it well when he wrote, “The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them.”

But to be able to defend yourself physically, you need to be trained and be comfortable with going against aggressive behavior.  You have to understand that behavior is not about you and let if not affect you. Then you can stay in control and do what you need to do to stay safe. 

It is actually natural to go into flight or fight mode when encountering violence. If aggressive behavior or name calling, for example, gets you excited or amped up, this will not help you stay in control, stay calm, and end an altercation quickly.  It would probably actually make the altercation go longer and the longer it goes the worse the injuries could be for you.

And therefore, you need to experience it and study it.  You need to be able to train in scenarios of aggressive behavior in order to not overreact if you encounter them in a real situation.  And in some cases, that calm demeaner can deescalate a situation before it becomes physical.

So, while you may need to experience and study violence to be effective in self-defense, it is not to learn to be violent or promote violence.  It is truly so you can learn to avoid it and/or defeat it.

Regards,

Kelly

“I am not teaching you how to fight. I am teaching you how to control evil. That’s what we are really doing here.” ~ Masaaki Hatsumi (1931 – present), founder of the Bujinkan Organization and a Togakure-ryū grandmaster

Staying Motivated to Practice and Train --- Chief Instructor's Blog June 2023

 

Martial arts is a lifelong pursuit.  Like many skills, if you do not practice or train you will lose the skill set.  Gichin Funakoshi in his 11th principle from his book The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate, explained it as “Karate is like hot water. If you do not heat it constantly it grows tepid.”   So, one way not to turn your martial arts into tepid water is to stay motivated. 

So, how does one stay motived to practice and train week after week, year after year?  I have been training and practicing for nearly 30 years.  Below are a few things I have used to stay motivated over the years.

 1. Remember Why I Started

Sometimes you can stay motivated just by remembering why you started in the first place.   Maybe you wanted to become more fit, more flexible, learn self-defense?  Whatever it was, maybe just remembering and reminding yourself why you started is enough to be motivated to practice and train that day, that week, that month or that year.

 2. Focus on the Process

If you feel like your training is not going well, be more process oriented as in the Eastern way of learning and focus on the process and not the results.  As noted in my blog last month, if you only focus on the results, during those times when you struggle, you can end up stopping and quitting.

3. Create Goals

As mentioned in my last month’s blog, having goals can be a way to stay motivated.  These goals can be short or more long term.

A few ideas for short term goals:

·         Learn a new technique

·         Learn the next hyung

·         Learn Mr. Kim’s timing combination

A few ideas for longer goals:

·         Earn the next belt

·         Become faster. It could be as simple as performing hyung a second or two faster while still performing it technically correct.

·         Improving your endurance. Maybe your goal is to get through all of the basics with full power and not lose your breath.

·         Learn a new interpretation of a technique and incorporate it into all techniques, every hyung, everything you do. 

·         Learn to perform every hyung mirrored without hesitation and technically correct.

For some longer goals, it can be beneficial to monitor yourself by creating a tracking method like a table of values denoting different levels of how you feel you are performing the technique (e.g., sometimes, most time, almost always).

 4. Stick to a Schedule

Create and stick to a practice and training schedule.  Even if tired, still train but go slow or with less power. Or just mentally go through all the techniques and hyung. As Mr. Kim would say, “Show up, work out”. 

 5. Have a Training Partner

Connect with someone to work out with and hold each other accountable to show up and work out.

6. Keep A Positive Attitude

Our mental attitude is also key.  If you show up and decide you do not want to train, you will most likely have a bad training session. And, as your practice goes poorly, you will reenforce not wanting to be there.  So regardless, come in with a positive attitude, even if you need to pretend you want to be there and are enjoying it. 

Regards,

Kelly

“If you ever lack motivation to train then think what happens to your mind and body when you don't.” ~ Shifu Yan Lei (1973- ), Qigong and Kungfu master and author

 

Western or Eastern Approach to Learning Martial Arts --- Chief Instructor's Blog May 2023

Western and Eastern cultures are very different in their approaches to learning.  So, is one better than the other to learn martial arts? Let’s look at two key differences.

1. Process Oriented vs Goal Oriented

In Eastern culture, the process of learning is valued. And it is actually acceptable to struggle, because it is part of the process.  In Western culture, we value the results and sometimes use struggles as an excuse to stop. In Western culture, we set goals and stay focused to meet those goals.  When I have mentioned I study martial arts, the first question I am usually are asked are “What is your rank?”  Or “Are you a Black Belt”?     

So, which one is better to learn martial arts? 

I think there is value in both.  Setting goals and working towards those goals can be very motivating and keep people focused.  However, if you do not take time to understand the journey/the path you took towards your goal you may have missed out on some key principles, thoughts, or different concepts you may not have otherwise discovered.  If though, you let struggles lead you to stop, or quit trying something, then you may also never reach your goal.  The other potential issue is if you think a goal is a stopping place.  If the goal is to only achieve a Black Belt, for instance, you may not realize the true benefits of studying a martial art long term.

2. Self-Discovery vs Taught

In Eastern culture, the instructor does not explain how or why you just practice over and over and over again until you understand the concept.  Mr. Kim did not explain why you were supposed to do anything - he would just say do this or do that.  If a student tried to ask him why, he would not answer and just reiterate the need to practice.  This is the Eastern way of teaching.  Eventually, you would understand through doing some concept or principle after practicing 1,000 or 10,000 times.  In Western Culture, teachers explain more the how and the why.  And we encourage students to ask questions as part of the learning process.  In fact, in school today students are expected to explain how they solved a math problem in words or explain to others students so they can ask questions. 

So, which one is better to learn martial arts? 

I think there is value in both.  In practicing over and over again, you can gain more proficiency.  And when in self-discovery mode, you are probably ready for the information.  Sometimes, we are told concepts (even over and over again) but it does not click.  But when you are practicing and working critically through the techniques and finally get it, it is probably because you were ready to learn it.  I have had students come and tell me - you know that thing you have been trying to tell me, well I was working on this form and finally got it.  In addition, understanding the why and being able to explain it may provide you a deeper knowledge of the form, the technique, the concept.  And, each student learns and takes in information differently, so if an instructor only explains the what, students may not learn at all or give up before learning.

So, for me, whether you continue to learn and grow through continually setting new and different goals, through the process, through doing a technique a thousand times, by studying the how and why, or all of the above, it does not matter as much as the fact you continue and don’t stop. 

Regards,

Kelly

"A student's mentality in learning martial arts is to overcome one's problems." ~ Ip Chun (1924-present), Wing Chun master, son to Ip Man who was Bruce Lee’s Wing Chun teacher

References:

1. Does the Difference Between Eastern and Western Learning Styles Impact English Study Practices? — LinguaLinkDC, retrieved 5/5/23