What a fantastic Hapkido-filled weekend!

WOW! What a fantastic weekend!

It all began with the 5 Elements Seminar on Saturday.

5 hours of fun-filled Hapkido, there was something in this seminar for everyone. There were 38 students on the mats, the Dojang was buzzing with the fun and excitement of learning new techniques, of trying new stuff, of students at all levels able to play around with techniques they would otherwise not have gotten the chance to see, let alone practice!

There were takedowns and throws even white belts could try. There was pain enhancement and students were surprised that the techniques they had learnt could hurt even more with the application of 3 letters - T, L and/or C!

And once we had learnt how to enhance pain, we went through how to control pain, how to turn pain off! So easy and so effective - AWESOME!!

A personal favourite, we saw how easy it is to knock people out, with one of the Black Belts going down like a sack of spuds (yes, and all caught on film for later enjoyment!)

A highlight was the students of varying levels who lined up to feel what it was like to get knocked out, Master Geoff making his way through the crowd like the messiah healing people.

And ofcourse we finished up with Ki, every student getting to break a piece of wood using only Ki. Always a seminar favourite!

But that was only half the weekend!

Sunday was a Sun Bae training day for red belts and above. A great opportunity for senior belts to work through coloured belt syllabus material, the Black Belts to play with the new Black Belt syllabus, and senior students to spend some quality mat time with Master Geoff on their techniques.

There were 11 senior belts on the mats at the Sun Bae, and the training day was of huge benefit to every student in attendance.

Well done to those students who managed to do both days, no doubt today is a huge let down after a jam-packed Hapkido weekend like the one we just had!

What a brilliant weekend, what a fantastic way to kick off the IHA International Training Seminar!

For more photos from the fun-filled Hapkido weekend, click here.

The 5 Elements Seminar!

The 2009 ITS kicks off with the 5 Elements Seminar, its on this Saturday 28 March 2009 at CSD Moorebank.

The seminar runs for 5 full hours, from 12pm - 5pm with an hour spent on each of the 5 elements:


1. Earth - ground locking and takedowns
2. Water - throwing and breathing
3. Fire - pain enhancement and locking
4. Wind - wave techniques, movement and redirection
5. Void - mind over matter and Ki

This seminar is an opportunity for coloured belts to get exposure to techniques they would otherwise have to wait YEARS to see. And no doubt every student in attendance will see techniques they have NEVER seen before.

And just for added fun, we'll get to do Ki breaks on wood as part of the Void session!

So come along and join the fun! Don't miss out and regret it afterwards!

This Saturday from 12pm at CSD Moorebank. It's going to be awesome.

2009 ITS T-Shirt Design Revealed!

Push me if you dare!

Exciting news just in...

The Limited Edition International Training Seminar (ITS) commemorative t-shirt design has just been revealed (see image below)!

Following the witty tongue-in-cheek style of the previous 2 designs, this t-shirt is the hottest thing in season!

To be eligible for the t-shirt you have to attend one of the official ITS Seminars which are listed on the back of the t-shirt.

The sexy t-shirt costs AUD 40 (USD 30 or € 25) and orders to international students will be delivered by Master Geoff while on tour.

For Australian students, to guarantee receipt of your t-shirt at the Australian ITS seminar (that's The 5 Elements Seminar on Saturday 28 March 2009), you have to order and pay for your t-shirt before Monday 23 March 2009.

Order now through your Regional Chief Instructor or via email to hapkido@netro.com.au.

Don't miss out on your chance to wear one of the coolest Hapkido t-shirts ever!

Order your Limited Edition t-shirt today!

BBC Seminar - 'The Art of Striking'

The second seminar in 'The Art of' BBC seminar series is on this Saturday 7 March 2009 at 1:30pm.

The topic is 'The Art of Striking' and we're going to go through 30+ strikes, some not using your arms, most of which have never seen before, none of which are on the current syllabus.

That's a minimum of 30 new strikes to learn for every student at the seminar - some of which you will love and want to keep for your arsenal. For Black Belts this means exposure to new variation techniques to add to your list of weapons!

If the last seminar on 'The Art of Kicking' was anything to go by, the seminar this Saturday is going to be a great deal of fun.

Just a reminder also that 'BBC In The Raw' - the DVD of the last BBC seminar is now available to order. The DVD will set you back $25 and is footage of the last seminar - that's right, all 30 kicks! Great to have for those who attended the seminar (you might even see footage of yourself trying one of the flying kicks on the wavemaster) and a must-see for those who missed out on the last seminar. Order your copy today!

Master Geoff's Birthday

Master Geoff celebrates his birthday on Wednesday 25 February 2009.

And what better way to celebrate than by getting into your Dobok and onto the mats for a fun Hapkido seminar that will be run by Master Geoff himself and on his birthday no less!

Seminars are always fun, but without a doubt this special birthday seminar will be more fun than usual!

Of course no celebration is complete without cake...

Join us for the seminar which will start at 7:30pm and to wish Master Geoff a HAPPY BIRTHDAY with cake cutting (and eating) straight after the seminar at 9pm next Wednesday 25 February 2009!

But... does anyone dare sing Happy Birthday? ;)

AHG Turns Sweet 16!

The Australian Hapkido Group (AHG) celebrates its Sweet 16th Birthday on Monday 19 January 2009.

To think that is was 16 years ago that Master Geoff created this incomparable and unparalleled organisation, an organisation we are all so proud to be members of!

To celebrate this momentous occasion we invite you to join us for dinner on Saturday 17 January 2009.

Details as follows:

Where: Black Rose Cafe
Time: 7pm

If you'd like to come along and help us celebrate, please put your name on the sign-up sheet at the front desk by Thursday 15 January so we can let the venue know how many people to expect on Saturday.

There will also be cake in abundance next Monday night between the juniors and seniors class so please make sure you join us for that also!