Hey guys, Hapkido newcomer here. I have my second class tomorrow night with Grandmaster Gedo Chang in Naperville, IL. I'm super stoked.
I switched from TKD, in which I was a yellow belt. I'm 25 and I started doing TKD as my first martial art about 3 months ago. I fell in love pretty quickly, but I found myself wanting something more than a kicking sport, which, at my school, is basically all TKD is taught as. Did some research and found Grandmaster Chang's Hapkido Academy nearby. Gave it a try and immediately signed up for 6 months (I hate contracts, but whatever). GM Chang is a great teacher from what I've seen...he has the power to calm yet excite at the same time.
It's been strange trying to do many of the Hapkido techniques so far, as they're often very similar, yet different, from what I'm already proficient at in TKD. Also, I'm looking forward to/dreading doing the throws/locks that I've seen demonstrated already. On the one hand, they look like a lot of fun to be on the giving end of. It doesn't look like too much fun for the guy on the receiving end. Oh well...pain builds character.
Anyway, even though I'm back to being a lowly white belt, I'm super excited about learning Hapkido. Seems comprehensive, practical and potentially deadly so far.
P.s. Sorry to post a "hey guys, I'm a n00b" thread, but I figured no one would mind considering the relatively low amount of traffic.
I switched from TKD, in which I was a yellow belt. I'm 25 and I started doing TKD as my first martial art about 3 months ago. I fell in love pretty quickly, but I found myself wanting something more than a kicking sport, which, at my school, is basically all TKD is taught as. Did some research and found Grandmaster Chang's Hapkido Academy nearby. Gave it a try and immediately signed up for 6 months (I hate contracts, but whatever). GM Chang is a great teacher from what I've seen...he has the power to calm yet excite at the same time.
It's been strange trying to do many of the Hapkido techniques so far, as they're often very similar, yet different, from what I'm already proficient at in TKD. Also, I'm looking forward to/dreading doing the throws/locks that I've seen demonstrated already. On the one hand, they look like a lot of fun to be on the giving end of. It doesn't look like too much fun for the guy on the receiving end. Oh well...pain builds character.
Anyway, even though I'm back to being a lowly white belt, I'm super excited about learning Hapkido. Seems comprehensive, practical and potentially deadly so far.
P.s. Sorry to post a "hey guys, I'm a n00b" thread, but I figured no one would mind considering the relatively low amount of traffic.