Han Mu Do is a form of an ancient martial art that is focused on several aspects of the study of empty hand techniques, the study of Ki, the study of weapons.
It also places a great deal of emphasis on the study of martial arts philosophy (Kimm, 2003). Believed to have been developed at least ten thousand years ago, Han Mu Do is gaining in popularity in not only America but in other parts all over the world such as Europe and Australia. Han Mu Do is derived from the basic principles of the Han Philosophy which has four distinct characteristic.The First Characteristic of Han Mu Do is that Han means head or high position and is symbolic of the leadership and guidance that the early Koreans looked for from the Han or people in high positions (Introduction to Han Mu Do Philosophy, 2006).
The Second Characteristic of the Han Philosophy equates Han to big or whole. It emphasizes that harmony in the whole community is very integral to the attaining of happiness or general well-being (Introduction to Han Mu Do Philosophy, 2006).The Third Characteristic of Han means brightness or optimism, which signifies the peace, cleanliness and honesty in life (Introduction to Han Mu Do Philosophy, 2006). The Fourth Characteristic of Han means higher learning which emphasizes the importance and value of education and culture (Introduction to Han Mu Do Philosophy, 2006). These four characteristics of the Han Philosophy are the foundation of the martial arts system which is known as Han Mu Do or as it is known in english, “The Way of Korean Martial Arts”.Han Mu Do was originally developed and introduced by Dr.
He-Young Kimm in 1989. It took over 40 years of training and research in the different Korean martial art systems to develop such a technique. Dr Kimm sought to integrate the different techniques and philosophies that he had learned from these very different and contrasting martial arts disciplines that were unique because of the new techniques which they introduced into a single comprehensive balanced system that utilized all these innovations and thereafter Han Mu Do was born (Kimm, 2003).Han Mu Do has four basic divisions which are Yuh Kwon Sul which is basically known as the Study of Empty Hand Technique, Mu Ki Sul which is also called the Study of Weapons Technique, Son Do Sul which is focused on the Study of Ki and Han Chul Hak, which is also called the Study of Han Philosophy. These four basic divisions all revolve around the central theory of the art of Han Mu Do which emphasizes the need for balance in all aspects of life (Kimm, 2003).
The importance of balance is manifested in the techniques that Han Mu Do uses such as the balance in the empty hand and weapons techniques, the equilibrium between techniques that emphasize one’s physical strength and Ki energy, the equality in the development of the physical body and mental, philosophical and spiritual training of one’s self, the balance of techniques of the left side and the right side one’s body and finally the balance between the traditional and the modern philosophies and techniques of other martial arts systems (Kimm, 2003).These techniques, characteristics and philosophies have made Han Mu Do one of the few martial arts systems that emphasize the importance of balance but not only having physical conditioning but also include mental conditioning. Having a sound mind and a great looking body are more than enough reasons why people should get into Han Mu Do today.
