Feedback from the Finnish Haedong Kumdo (Jinyoung Ssankum Ryu) Spring Seminar in 2014

and organized by Finnish Rep. Johannes Hentunen (4.dan). As I arrived in Helsinki from the deep heartlands of Finland I was able to attend training sessions from 8th to 13th of May. 

As always it was a very productive and enjoyable get-together with Chongjaenim Kim and the Finnish HK family. Again I felt that in knowledge and skill we got deeper with the familiar and wider with some new curriculum (Ssangkum Chackbaldosul).

The seminar consisted of dan training, dan tests and the main seminar day for all belt levels. We also had some extra training in a park training Kimu with trees, which was to my eye a very illustrative method for channeling inner strength.

In addition we got a lot of insight to Kimu as the Thursday’s dan training mainly consisted of it. Grandmaster Kim emphasized that even though Kimu includes the elements of a fighting skill he teaches it only for health and happiness, for good life.

GM Kim taught that while practicing Kimu one should program it to one’s system so it becomes a state of mind which can just simply be turned on. So if one is still thinking too much of some particular hand movement and concentrating on things outside, programming is not yet finished and the natural flow of energy is disturbed. GM Kim also taught to question how to focus.

If we are learning something new or doing something interesting, it is quite obvious that we do focus. I think the point of this was that sometimes we try to focus too much which makes us stiff and too attached to some certain detail. Through enjoying and training this automation process is possible so sometimes it’s just better to do and enjoy instead of focusing and thinking. “Don’t do it intentionally”, he said, when we tried to imitate some twisting motions in Kimu-training.

I really believe in this kind of training. That you can really change the way how you move and use your body radically. During my time in the martial arts I have also experienced it. I find the key in the feeling. When you find a natural feeling and learn how to keep it though the motion you just go and do it.

During time, enjoyment and practice you start using your body differently in different situations. But somehow you must find the feeling and keep it.

And this is not an easy thing to teach or learn. I think GM Kim is doing a great job with this and in my opinion Kimu is one of such a system that teaches this.

I really like the way how Chongjaenim appreciates social life. Almost every evening the HK family gathers around in some restaurant and/or pub to chat about life. I want to make a connection point to Kimu in these situations outside the dojang. As we were chatting in a pub I noticed, again, how Chongjaenim’s body language works. I am impressed just to look as he waves his hands during telling a story. There is no tension in his shoulders. 

Actually it’s a challenge to find any kind of tension anywhere. Even though he is swinging his hands the use of muscles is so economic, that you really cannot see extra tension. It seems that there is a permanent Kimu-mode going on in normal life actions also, which gives me the imminent impression of a true master of this context.

Training session in the park was an interesting one. First we did Kimu as usual, but after that we sought out a tree that was suitable for our personal training, based on a feeling. After this we started getting contact with the tree. Bumping and leaning exercises, our stomach, upper back, shoulder etc.

At first it was a mystery to me what on earth we were doing but after the shoulder lean I started to get some idea. After that we hit the tree gently with our arm and took a soft grip of the tree. After that we hit with the side of the palm and kicked it gently with a lower thigh.

As explained we changed the contact point step by step away from our core. So I felt that the added value of this Kimu method was especially the channeling of energy and creating a solid structure to pass the energy out to its target.

It was a delight to see GM Kim showing his skills to the tree constantly. Contact happened as sustained fire but still the flow of energy seemed to exist from blow to blow as it was just one motion.

You take the energy in and you must let it out.

As I heard it GM Kim taught that the source of energy lies in the ground and we should concentrate on the feeling under our big toe. From here the energy can be channeled through the body to the palm and carried out to the tip of the sword. He also emphasized the importance of the stomach area or as he said “the bladder” in channeling the energy.

This is where the gains of Kimu appear in the sword art. As you can channel the energy to the tip of the sword economically, it is possible to do multiple cuts with a fluent movement, like Chongjaenim’s sustained fire with the tree. I believe these benefits are universal to all martial arts, but only the ones that are interested in the world of inner strength emphasize these things.

In the dan tests Finland got five new chodan’s and there was also a dan test and a pre-dan test for higher dan grades. During the seminar one 3.dan was graduated. We got to see some very beautiful Kumbup and even some very skillful two sword cutting.

The skill level of the Finnish 3.dan and 4.dan seems stunning to my eye. Main seminar day for all belt levels consisted of one and two swords forms, Kimu and drawing and sheathing with two swords (Ssangkum Chackbaldosul).

Also the dan got to see some very accurate points in the Simsang Kumbup shown by GM Kim. Absolutely beautiful skill demonstrated indeed. Ssangkum Chackbaldosul consisted of small and accurate movements reinforced with a true fighting spirit. It is truly beautiful to see very strong self-expression‍ through such a minimal motion. This exercise really seemed to reflect the inner spirit of the one holding the swords.

 GM Kim likes to talk about love and energy. Energy is love, love is energy. You do good things to others and good things will happen to you. If the essential truth was to be summarized to only one word, I think Chongjaenim’s word would be “love”. 

In this seminar it was also seen in his humble actions. One HK practitioner had injured a toe and was not able to practice one day so GM took time from his teachings just to help this person with his acupuncture. A while after the treatment this person came with us to train again.

As I hear this is a common way for GM Kim to take care of his students in urgent need in other seminars as well. He wants also to teach acupuncture to his higher dan students. Some information was shared in this seminar about the subject among the higher dan.

Similar caring behavior was seen in other situations also, in helping to serve food with others for example. I had an opportunity to try a special Korean coffee GM happened to have with him. Good coffee, nice chat, something to remember.

During the seminar GM Kim attended to his student’s wedding all the way from Korea and spent time with us in the summer cottage of the Finnish HK rep. We had a great time enjoying food, drink, music, Finnish sauna and great company! Personally I so much enjoy the fact that this is not just going to the dojang and back home. This is life inside and outside of the dojang, friends sharing things under a great teacher and a great art.

Not just sports, not just fighting but life itself. Of course the motives of men are varying, but I feel that it is very important to emphasize these wide-ranging motives behind practicing martial arts and especially the wide-ranging opportunities in training them. Martial arts have lots to offer to different people.

Martial art is often seen as way of upbringing, education and personal growth. We all have our significant paths and lives. On our path one might consider it important to have a good teacher.

During my studies I have bumped into this today’s problem that people have more or less lost their connection to nature. I have also seen it written, that some martial arts offer a good solution to this current problem.

As we are studying the principles of nature, natural movement and natural state of mind, even training outside and respecting our surroundings it brings us closer to nature. And it has a connection to our health and happiness.

A lot depends on the teacher. In my opinion in the United World Haedong Kumdo Federation there is a Grandmaster who is a very good one in teaching to think out of the box, the laws of nature and the sword art of Haedong Kumdo. And the Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu is as a style a very unique one! I recommend this art and Chongjaenim Kim’s teaching to anybody interested in these kinds of things. This is not for fighting but for the quality of life.

Thank you all for the great seminar!

See you soon.

Haedong!

Antti Junikka