Martial Movement

Martial Movement started as a small Taekwondo club. Over time the focus changed to the training of martial arts movements in general. Whilst still retaining a core of Taekwondo training and following a Taekwondo belt promotion syllabus, aspects of Wushu, Capoeira, Western Fencing, and Aikido are all incorporated into general training. The purpose of this is two-fold. First, students will not be limited to one style, and can draw upon different movements needed for whatever situation they find themselves. Second, we want students to enjoy training! By mixing various extra elements into a Taekwondo curriculum, it allows for playing around with different ideas and gives the students more ways to enjoy what they are doing.

Classes in Haedong Kumdo (Korean swordsmanship) were also offered separately, however sword work has now been incorporated into Taekwondo/Martial Movement classes.

Taekwondo

People take up new physical or mental activities for many reasons - meeting new people, learning something they’ve always wanted to learn but never had the time for, relieving their stress, or simply just to have fun. More and more, those taking up Taekwondo are finding out that training incorporates all of the things above and much more.

Whilst Taekwondo is a popular martial art around the world, there are still many who are in the dark as to what Taekwondo actually is. So, what is Taekwondo? Taekwondo is an exercise, an art, a form of self defence, a discipline and a sport. To put it succinctly, Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that puts its emphasis on kicking techniques. The Korean word ‘Taekwondo’ translates into ‘the way of the hand and foot’. Weapon training does not play a large part in Taekwondo, which focuses on using the body’s natural weapons of the hands and feet to accomplish its goals.

The new practitioner will soon find out that Taekwondo’s emphasis on kicking techniques gives them a great aerobic workout as well as improving their balance and co-ordination. But these aren’t the only things that will improve. Self-evaluation is an important part of Taekwondo, resulting in the realisation of the student’s physical and, more importantly, their mental strengths and weaknesses. These, along with the increased self-discipline, will help the practitioner increase their level of confidence which will be evident in their life outside of Taekwondo. And of course, Taekwondo is an excellent way to learn self-defence.

Haedong Kumdo

‘Hae’ means ‘sea’ and ‘dong’ means ‘east’. Haedong is an old Chinese name for the ancient Korean kingdom of Balhae. ‘Kumdo’ means ‘sword way’. Haedong Kumdo therefore translates as East Sea sword way, or Korean swordsmanship. Note that the name implies the way of the sword – not sword fighting! This name Haedong Kumdo was first used around 1982 by Kim, Jong-Ho and Na, Han-Il (Korean names are written surname, first name). Kim and Na had studied Korean swordsmanship from the early 1970’s and were both licensed to teach the Korean sword arts of Gicheon Mun and Shim Gumdo. They started to teach swordsmanship under the name of Shim Gumdo, but changed the name so the art wouldn’t be confused with the already established art of the same name. The sword methods themselves, as well as certain formalities and elements of etiquette/style, reflect an older root, but the formalised curriculum was established around this time.

The emphasis of Haedong Kumdo is not on sparring (although this is also incorporated into training), but on the development of the individual by focussing on the form of the art itself. In doing so, students clear their minds of tensions and learn natural flowing movements. Training incorporates basic sword work, forms that are based on battlefield tactics against multiple opponents, meditation and breathing techniques, focus techniques, sword self defence and sparring, and at a more senior level, true cutting techniques with the cutting of bamboo and straw bundles. More physically demanding than it looks, Haedong Kumdo demands and builds great physical strength in the legs, torso and arms of the students. Mental and emotional strength are also forged through continuous training.