“For me, after leaving my home and living 13 years in a foreign country, if all I did was go there to come back and replicate what I learned over there, as if I had not returned to a very different world, I believe that I would be failing one of the functions of what … Continue reading From Inspiration to Influence (Repeat)
The founder of traditional Korean hapkido, Choi Yong-sul, claimed to have studied under Japanese martial artist and founder of Daito-ryu aikijujutsu Takeda Sokaku for approximately thirty years, after having been kidnapped from Korea and adopted into the Takeda household as a child, before returning to Korea and teaching his version of Daito-ryu which eventually became … Continue reading From Hapkido to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Through Sumo and Aikijujutsu
What got me into martial arts was a friend, but what got me passionate about martial arts was a story. When I first started doing traditional Korean hapkido, it was difficult, I was uncoordinated, and I was inconsistent. It was an extracurricular activity for me, not much different than going to the movies or reading … Continue reading Hooked by a Samurai Tale
Time, it is said, is our only truly nonrenewable resource. As such, we must choose carefully how we spend it. As someone who has a strong sense of responsibility to both my commitments and the people around me, it is very easy for me to overextend myself and my time, finding myself overstressed, under-rested, and … Continue reading Hell Yeah or No Thanks
My first college professor, the one who inspired me to pursue higher education after dropping out of high school, taught religious studies and philosophy. The first class I took with him was called Eastern Religions. It should have been called Asian Religions because even Judaism, Islam, and Christianity originated in The East, but I digress. … Continue reading Truth and Gospel
