The Martial Art called Haedong Kumdo By Jesse Törmikoski

[HAEDONG]

The Martial Art called Haedong Kumdo

By Jesse Törmikoski

Relax and feel the energy

I’ve been an artist my whole life. I’ve practiced sculpting as an art form for many years and I’ve never doubted myself as an artist. Sure, there has been low points in my career when I didn’t feel as good or enough but there has not been anything that I couldn’t overcome. I’ve had different kinds of teachers and friends in my life who have taught me a lot and I’ve taught them. My partner is an artist too and I couldn’t be prouder of him and I love to share my opinions and feelings of art with him. I’ve had a lot of positive interactions and experiences through art and artists alike. It has been, it is and it will be a huge part of my life.

When it comes to being a martial artist, through the years I have had many doubts about myself. I often felt frustration when I couldn’t learn something. I felt the need to blame my teachers for not being good enough or suitable for me. I have always despised violence and martial arts always reminded me of that. I thought what I will get out of all of this. I felt inappropriate as a western to do something I knew nothing about. I didn’t know the roots of Haedong kumdo, the story behind it. It was just a way to spend my evenings with some friends and a wooden stick, spinning around aimlessly. Yet I continued.

Focus and see it

I found the part that interests me the most. As I started to see, Haedong kumdo was not just a martial art, it was something more. I know that what first inspired me to join the group was not only the friends who encouraged me into it, not the cool factor to be able to cut and slice things, but the fact that it was something else. It was beautiful to watch. As I learned more, I saw all the sense in movement, I felt good while doing it. I saw the aesthetics in Haedong kumdo. I saw why it was called martial arts. It was an art form for me. I started to focus more on that fact, rather than accomplishing something countable. I wanted to explore more the visual content of the art form I once called sport. How I saw myself from the eyes of another performing something. Performing an art with long tradition yet modern touch.

I found my own meaning to train more, to accomplish more. To study the art and meaning behind what I did. The elegance of movement and continuance of motion. The little gestures that change everything. The tempo and fluency.

Realize and do it

I study to be an art teacher. I started studying art education as a major because I want to help people to express themselves. To help them see their own talent. Or to let them have fun. I have known this for a long time. Yet it took me some time to realize that it is what I want to do.

The same goes with Haedong kumdo.

Haedong kumdo has been a fantastic way to express myself and still have the enjoyment of doing exercise. It keeps my mind and body in balance. It is counted as a workout but it’s so much more. It could be an art form.

I wanted to teach what I had learned so far and as soon as I got my black belt with my name on it and the graduation to first Dan was successful I started as an assistant teaching the art of Haedong kumdo.

In my teachings I have emphasized the parts of training which I find more fascinating. We have done the Haedong gimu a lot with the students as well as different moving exercises and the emphasis is always to feel relaxed and ready to learn. Although lots of learning comes from repeating, I’ve done my best to create some new ways to teach and learn. I want the students to have fun and I always let my own mistakes to show, so they could learn from me and feel more relaxed. I really enjoy doing the gumpup and think about the meanings behind the different moves and stances and discuss about them with the students. That way I feel I get the most out of teaching the art of Haedong kumdo and to really understand it.

In the future I want to continue teaching. I get a lot out of it and I consider it as a great way to gain experience to my future work as a teacher and an educator. I would love to take some parts of my training into the classroom and try different techniques to teach with the students there as well as in Haedong kumdo training. I want to keep getting better in training and learn more so I can teach better. I want to experience more in also about Haedong gummu as I see it a way to realize more about the movement and the aesthetics of it. I want to find ways to combine the art of Haedong kumdo into my own art.