Alright, I bumped into this while looking through some of my old TKD Times magazines. I was curious, and decided to check it out. Now, this is either the most self serving pile of crap I've ever read OR the number one bad ass in the world. What do you think? Here's what I got directly from the website: www.grandmasterhykwon.com Head Grandmaster H.Y. Kwon Founder of Combination Martial Art Hwar Do 10th Degree Black Belt World Champion - King of the World Championship Also: 9th Deg. Black Belt - Tae Kwon Do (W.T.F. Kuk Ki Won) 10th Degree Black Belt - Hap Ki Do (Korea Hap Ki Do Federation) 9th Deg. Black Belt - Kum Do (International Federation Hae Dong Kum Do) 8th Deg Black Belt - Kung Fu (Korea Kung Fu Association) And other degrees Grandmaster Kwon was born in South Korea and at the age of five he started his training in martial arts. Following an old Korean tradition, he was asked to deliver food to the neighbors before his cousin’s wedding and had to make a stop at a house with a large, unfriendly dog. In retelling the incident he said "After crossing a bridge over a large stream and following the path to the doorway, a snarling dog lunged at me. I instantly dropped the food and began running towards the stream. The dog kept getting closer and the bridge was too far away, so I jumped right across the large stream. Afterwards, I asked my Grandmaster how I was able to do so for I thought that it was impossible for a boy my size to do such a thing. My Grandmaster explained that since it was an emergency that extra-ordinary strength and energy came out. I asked him why I don't have this ability when I practice, and he told me ‘With more patience, concentration, and hard practice, you can call upon this strength whenever you choose.’ During many difficult days of training I reflected upon the advice of my Grandmaster as I thought about that day before my cousin's wedding and the strength I had to jump across the large stream while running from the dog." As he promised himself, he devoted his life to martial arts training and began to realize the extra-ordinary human power as his Grandmaster had explained. He then began studying many different styles of martial arts to learn how to wield this power. Master Eric Kwon, Grandmaster Kwon, Master H.J. Kwon Grandmaster Kwon was operating four schools in Seoul Korea in 1982, when the U.S. and Korea celebrated 100 years of friendship. That year he traveled to the U.S. as the head coach of the Korea Pro Tae Kwon Do team for the International Pro Tae Kwon Do Championships and he became very interested in America. In 1983, he came alone to the U.S. with the dream of one day creating the world's best combination martial art to help the growth of martial arts in America. After the first week of being in the U.S., he opened a school teaching Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do, and Weapons. At that time he did not have a home and he slept in his school. In the winter to save money he turned the heat off and many of the nights were very cold and nearly unbearable. That year was his first Christmas in America and he did not realize that all the restaurants would be closed which forced him to go without food for the holiday. His limited English skills also caused him problems. While getting his haircut, the barber misunderstood him and shaved Grandmaster’s head rather than trimming it. In another incident, he mistook liquid soap for skin lotion and, after it dried, his face became very irritated. There were many problems that made life difficult, but he always kept his martial art mind and spirit, overcoming the many hardships. While teaching, he always kept a positive attitude, giving his best, and the results brought him many students. Five years later, his family was able to join him in the U.S. While teaching, he found that his students wanted to learn the techniques of other martial art styles as well, therefore, he began devoting his entire life to researching his ideas to create and develop the world's best martial art form, naming it Hwar Do which is a scientifically blended style bringing together the best techniques from Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do, Kung Fu, Karate, Kickboxing, Judo, Weapons, and other animal fighting forms. After Hwar Do became an official martial art in 1989, Grandmaster Kwon relocated to the Washington, D.C. area to establish and expand the growth of Hwar Do from the nations capital. In 1991, Grandmaster Kwon proudly became a citizen of the United States of America. 1992 marked the year that Grandmaster Kwon began teaching seminars on the Hwar Do techniques instructing masters from around the country which then expanded worldwide. He also held a demonstration to benefit handicapped children. Next, Grandmaster started creating video tapes on Hwar Do techniques in 1993 and completed the ten tape set by 1996. In 1997, Grandmaster held a demonstration to raise funds to benefit Children’s Hospice International. Then, Grandmaster was invited to give a special demonstration at the Full-Contact World Championships in 1998. Grandmaster Kwon’s career reached new heights in 1999 when he became the winner of the sparring category for the first-ever Grandmaster’s King of the World Championships. In 2000, Grandmaster performed another amazing demonstration raising $11,020 to help The Autism Society of America. In 2004, Grandmaster received the World Peace Martial Arts Academy Award, and in 2007, Grandmaster completed 48 curriculum DVDs. Grandmaster continues his training and teaches at the headquarters in Centreville, VA. His two sons, both masters, carry on the legacy teaching in Ashburn, VA and Gainesville, VA. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KING OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Taegu Auditorium, Korea Nov. 13, 1999. This century’s best martial artist came to compete in the speed, power, and sparring categories for the first ever Grandmaster’s King of The World Championship tournament. The winners were speed king: Grandmaster S.G. Dong; Power King: Grandmaster C.T. Goh; Sparring King: Grandmaster H.Y. Kwon. In the sparring category, Grandmaster Kwon and Grandmaster Kim made it to the finals. Grandmaster Kwon’s first attack was a kick to the chest and a palm strike simultaneously, knocking down his opponent. That man then stood up and Grandmaster Kwon put his shin in the back of Grandmaster Kim’s knee to take him down and proceed to put his foot in a joint lock causing Grandmaster Kim to submit. Grandmaster Kwon weighs 81kg, but he is still able to put his leg behind his neck despite his size. This shocked many people in the audience. Also, the Grandmaster can do this while squatting with the other leg. To do this even once is very difficult for other people, but he can do so over 150 times in a row. Additionally, Grandmaster Kwon conditions his knuckles and the chopping part of his hand, creating tremendous calluses. This allows him to strike a metal punching bag instead of a canvas one. People said that he is so strong and solid that he is like a metal machine. They also said that he is a complete martial artist, mental and spiritual aspects as well. Grandmaster Kwon created the combination martial art HWARDO and has produced ten video tapes teaching his techniques. He now teaches his art to the public. The rules for the sparring category were. 2 people chosen from the semi-finals will compete in the finals. The last person standing will be King No height or weight constraints. Also, each martial art does not compete separately, but all together. No holds-barred. There are no limitations on techniques used except, due to high ranking status of theses competitors, using knuckles is not allowed. However, any other type of hand technique is permitted. 40 minutes continuous sparring is the time limit Ways to win include submission. Knockout or unanimous decision of the judges that the other person cannot intelligently defend themselves. No point system
According to the link that the Duelist provided in post #138 of the "KSW: Typical day in the Dojang" thread (and included in the original post of this thread), it's as I suspected... the correct way to pronounce this conjunction of jamo (as evident on the front of their uniforms - 활도) would be HWAL-DO (that is, if I correctly comprehend korean lexicon). But what the art was named would be easier to interpret if the hanja had appeared somewhere. The DO part is undoubtedly 道, which means way or path. And luckily there aren't too many characters pronounced as HWAL/HWAR in korean, so let's take a look, shall we? Most entries in a korean dictionary will be about bows (as in the weapon used to shoot arrows) since hwal; 활 is the korean word for that object. But rarely will the hanja accompany such entries, since 弓 (gōng) typically uses the sino-korean pronunciation of GUNG instead (gung-sul; 弓術; 궁술: archery, guk-gung; 國弓; 국궁: national bow [used for traditional korean archery], etc.). Besides, this MA system of master Kwon's doesn't revolve around archery, so we can lay any speculation in that area to rest. If HWAL = 滑 (huá: glide/slide/slippery/cunning), it would be "the way of slipperiness." - [LOL] If HWAL = 猾 (huá: sly/crafty/cunning/shrewd), it would be "the way of craftiness." - [LOL again] If HWAL = 豁 (huá/huō/huò: finger game [rock/paper/scissors] : opening/crack/slit/to sacrifice : clear/open/liberal-minded), it would be the "way of open-mindedness." - [which would be rare indeed for a korean national - LOL yet again] If HWAL = 闊 (kuò: broad/ample/wide/encompassing), it would be the "way of broad scope." - [note: this would make sense if Hwar-Do draws on many MA to make up its curriculum, IOW a TRUE "mixed" MA] But I'm gonna put my money on this one: If HWAL = 活 (huó: live/exist/survive; lively/energetic), then it would be the "way of vitality." - [this makes the most sense especially if Hwar-Do is based somewhat on any HKD arts, as those tend to invoke the character KI (氣 qì; 기) quite often, and if tacking on the ideogram for power/force (力 lì; 력 ryeok), it becomes more apparent since the charcters 活力 (huólì: energy/vitality/vigor/vital force) when taken together carry the exact same meaning as KI] Granted, it's all just sheer speculation on my part but if anyone knows a student or instructor from master Kwon's group, then maybe they could share their personal insights?
Hey. I am a stident of Hwardo, for three years now. I met Grandmaster Kwon when I got my black belt, and, though he did not spar, he moves like an experienced martial artist. I am not positive if all those titles are legit, though. As for the name, Hwardo means "Way of the Growing Mind." Hwardo is a real, credible, martial art, if it was in doubt. The sparring is an effective blend of many techniques including Kung Fu, Hapkido, Judo, and others. I can answer any other questions anyone might have.
Thanks for the input/feedback, Klattz. :bow1: According to the quoted statement of yours, then I guess I'll hafta revise which hanja is most likely representative of master Kwon's MA. Hwar Do (활도) undoubtedly relies on 豁道 [huò dào] if based on TKMA naming principles (i.e. utilizing sino-korean nomenclature), as "way of the growing mind" (the interpretation you were told) and "way of open-mindedness" (the interpretation I discerned from consulting a dictionary) are close enough in meaning that little question is left as to the correctness of this assumption. EDIT: From the Hwar Do website: I don't know how I missed this before, but perhaps I wasn't looking in earnest. :dunno: But since clarification jumps from Hwar Do being "the way of a growing mind" to it being "a combination martial art" (explanations given in adjacent sentences), then going with 闊道 [kuò dào] or "way of broad scope" seems equally feasible. Either way, I'm dropping my assertion that 活 [huó] is involved in the naming scheme of Hwar Do. And I just have to say it (especially since In Hyuk Suh and Jhoon Rhee are both known to wear similar attire), take a look at these pics and you'll see we have yet another Korean grandmaster who likes to strut about in gold pyjamas.
The article raises more questions. How does a martial art become an official martial art? Can GM Kwon still across streams that he can otherwise not jump across when he uses his super natural strenght (which he can now summon at will) Do these King of GM championships still take place? Who organizes the matches? The winners all seem to be Koreans, did grandmasters from other countries participate? What are the requirements if you want to compete? Is there footage available?
There is, actually, footage available and if its real (meaning not planned out) then that man moves like nothing I've ever seen in a real fight. However, it's all up in the air isn't it?
By looking at some of the pics I inserted into my last post (#5), it seems that the grandmaster of hwardo is also "up in the air" quite frequently. :jester: :banana:
My personal favorite: "Grandmaster Kwon weighs 81kg, but he is still able to put his leg behind his neck despite his size. This shocked many people in the audience." [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUBMMAqo2SA&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - World Champion Grandmaster HY Kwon (Hwardo) 10th Degree Black Belt‏[/ame]
Okay,first that was an absolutely crazy calous. Was that even real? Also, you have to admit that his flexibility and power is pretty impressive but it makes me wonder if any of that is possible or if this is all "chinese card tricks"....
It was a real callus/callous alright. But iron thread hand conditioning doesn't require you to deform your hands like that (yechh!). And if you think he took it a little too far, you shoulod see a YouTube video of some chinese guy whose one hand is 3 times fatter than his other (he only trains one side for some reason). If you've seen the new Star Trek movie, it looks like when Kirk has an allergic reaction and his hands puff up (LOL). Yup, he's pretty darn flexible, but I'd have to say it's not all due to training but equally responsible is genetics. I knew a girl once, who could turn her head to the right while reaching behind her head with her left arm so that she could wedge her left elbow into her right ear (ditto for the other side). She could basically "unhinge" her shoulder. Sure she was crazy flexible with her whole body and not just her shoulders, but you get what I'm driving at, right? It's like how some people have incredible vertical leaping ability, easily outsurpassing what normal folks can muster. So, yeah, they're special, but it's not something that they "learned" how to do via training whereby they could teach the secret to others.
Hahahaaaaaaa. A METAL PUNCHING BAG!!! Welcome to fantasy land Gandmastah Kwan! Hwar do huh? He must have rubbed both his brain cells together to come up with this particular explosion of genius. Thank god for that!
I watched five minutes. Got bored with all the screaming and shouting bullcrap. People like this guy impress me much more nowadays. No screaming either! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNw_6DnFJ90"]YouTube - Insane feats of strength‏[/ame]
I like the strongman stuff that he is doing. He is strong and he is flexable, but if you want to see a different level of strongman stuff search youtube for Stanless Steel, Pat Povilaitis, John Brookfield, etc. For instance, Master Kwon pulled a small truck with a hooked elbow. Stanless Steel does shows where he holds back two motorcycles from pulling him apart. He did that trick with two small Cesna type airplanes as well. The needle only makes failing suck, it doesn't make pulling the truck harder. Pat P. does mind boggling breaks and bends. In one he holds and atlas stone in his lap while breaking a wooden baseball bat on his head (not percusively, he pulls it down with arms till it breaks). John Brookfield can hammer nails with his bare hands and he doesn't do any of that silly hitting of the steel bag.
Likewise was the case with KSW's own master Jung Oh Lee. After hammering two boards together with a nail (using his knife-edge as the hammer), he'd then pull the nail loose with his teeth!!! And BTW, KSW_123, it's good to see you still frequent the forum every now and again.
So muscle-bound folks impress you (per your post #14), but other feats of skill or strength don't? I find such inconsistency a bit queer (meaning odd/strange, not GAY - for gaylords, watch the video immediately below, hehe). [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWK5mfRGkiE"]Super Human Strength[/ame] And here's an old fart (like us?) demonstrating similar skills: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TRh0bNEDRQ"]Skill man[/ame]
