Shannon King celebrates his third year at the dojang.

Spring has arrived and it's a time to start new adventures, so we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year personally, professionally, and as Martial Artists.  There have been many changes for us as a family, and there have been a few key things that kept us grounded as we grew. One of the key ideas from WMAC is to keep your basics solid. We do this as a family and as martial artists. A bit of advice is to annually if not monthly watch the beginners DVD’s  (all of them) and read the Beginner's Handbook.  I studied Hapkido for 4 years in another state and was told that there were no forms in Hapkido.  Since learning the many forms in the WMAC curriculum, my Martial Arts has become even more grounded. These have been key to growing and is crucial for all Martial Artists. We encourage and challenge you to make time to practice your forms.  I can’t tell you how many times I had “funny” looks while practicing a form waiting for the train on the platform or even in my office after lunch. In fact, I think the entire Q train knows basic elbow form from a few years ago! Much like life, our Martial Arts can grow to become shaky, so it’s great to have these available tools to reform, strengthen, and deepen our foundation. This is one of the many lessons learned at World Martial Arts Center that we carry into our personal family life. Our family is committed to continued training and keeping up through the school newsletter and social media. Hopefully we are welcome back home to train and test in order to be apart of SaBuNim’s World Martial Arts Center “Special Forces.”

Our Spring as a family begins with newness as well. It’s with a heavy heart that we write to the family at WMAC, that our family is moving in the middle of June to Boston to start a new beginning with opportunities we just couldn’t pass up. Sydney has successful been excepted to a great new school there and Allyson continues to escalate her career as the President/ CEO of an international company. I will continue to expand my own personal company with new national accounts.  For now we will say, “see you all soon and never good bye to our extended WMAC family. Thank you.

“Anytime we come back to Brooklyn, we hope to visit the WMAC family.”       

Thank You SaBuNim, ChukSaNim, KyuSaNim’s, JP, John, Delta, The front desk staff: Janet, Lauren and Howard, The Special Forces, and The WMAC Team

Respectfully,

The King Family
Shannon, Allyson, and Sydney

Tiger One, Elbow form, Hapki 2 and beyond, we are very familiar with the routine of learning a new form, drilling it, correcting a position here, sharpening a movement there, and drilling again; all in the pursuit of executing a perfect sequence with utmost precision, focus, and force. Forms represent our dedication, progression, and hurdles to the next belt. However, how often do we stop and consider their significance?

Upon reaching a plateau in my training, I pondered the significance of forms. I did a brief research on its history and was surprised to find that it is an ancient art - forms date beyond the Korean Poomsae (TaeKwonDo forms) and the ancient Chinese forms that influenced the Okinawan Kata (which would later give rise to Karate) in the 14th century.

Forms served as transmission of Master-proven techniques and philosophy to generations. Through choreographed memorization, forms succinctly communicated how and when to use each technique, as well as ingrain those techniques into muscle memory so they can be used instinctively in any situation. They also served as unified defense that exerted collective fortitude in times of turmoil and war. Imagine an enemy scout spying on a feuding kingdom and witnessing an army executing a form, with their battle cries (kyaps/kiai) reverberating powerfully across the fields - an intimidating display of immense physical and mental fortitude.

Although times have changed, forms are history, our lives, and the future of martial arts. When we practice our forms we are living decades, centuries of Masters discovering and perfecting the art. We are the inheritors and torch-carriers of a lifestyle, artform, and precious knowledge.  Thus, with a humbler, awed, and renewed perspective, my ambitions on the mats are reignited - please join me for the millionth time, in our drills of Tiger 1, Dagger, whichever form it may be:)

With Respect,

Laura