Perspectives on the Founding of a Martial Art and Its Fundamental Principle

[진영]

🌿 Perspectives on the Founding of a Martial Art and Its Fundamental Principles

Many people hear that Energy Flow is the core of martial arts and immediately assume it is something extremely advanced —
a level far beyond beginners, or a practice reserved only for black belts.
But such a misunderstanding arises only when someone has never understood what Ki truly means
and has merely memorized external movements without grasping the essence behind them.
With that limited view, it is natural for them to think that energy training is something distant or unattainable.

The foundation of martial arts training begins with recognizing the flow of energy (Ki).
Only when one becomes aware of this flow does the body start to understand the true principles and natural logic of movement. Through this awareness, a practitioner gradually learns how the human body functions as a system and how life itself operates.

This is the essential premise of what I call the ultimate goal of 21st-century martial arts training.

The flow of energy refers to the natural energy that permeates the universe —
the source of all phenomena and all forms of existence.
In Japanese martial traditions this is expressed as Aiki,
and in Chinese traditions as Yin–Yang.
These terms point to harmony with universal energy, and practitioners learn to embody that harmony through training.

Eventually, the purpose of training is to awaken to the laws of nature.
Yet the way this manifests varies greatly depending on the practitioner’s capacity.

In Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu, through Ki-Mu training and balanced breathing,
the practitioner is guided to experience natural energy directly —
what I refer to as Muwi-ui Giun (the effortless resonance of Ki).

By realizing the principle of Mu-Ui Dong-Won (武醫同原) —
the unity of martial arts and healing —
one understands how natural energy (vibration, love) becomes the basis for movement and healing.
This places martial arts training and everyday life on the same continuum,
leading one toward the genuine purpose of human existence.

This “direct experience” of natural energy becomes the essential foundation,
and it marks the beginning of the path toward Ki-Mu-Che (氣無體) —
the state in which the body responds without intention and moves according to nature.

To understand this principle is a form of knowledge;
to truly experience it is an extraordinary blessing —
a rare meeting of timing, capacity, and destiny.
Levels of realization vary infinitely,
but one can only continue to make sincere and unending effort.

The true capability to found a martial art begins from this direct experience.
From it, one becomes able to express unique characteristics that remain aligned with natural principles.

To “found” a martial art means that the body and mind must be trained in a system capable of following energy.
A curriculum must be created based on a clear understanding of the essence, movement, and truth of nature —
only then can physical and mental training become efficient and systematic.
This is the genuine basis of founding a martial art.

This matters because martial arts must lead practitioners toward the ultimate purpose of life
and cultivate human character in a proper and meaningful way.

Simply creating difficult movements,
or showing impressive techniques that others cannot easily imitate,
or establishing an organization through strong social or administrative skills —
none of these alone justify the founding of a martial art.
Such cases must always be observed carefully,
for they may mislead the next generation.

Until the mid-2000s in Korea, countless martial arts organizations appeared and disappeared —
a phenomenon unimaginable in many other countries.

Simply mimicking and memorizing forms — with or without weapons — even after decades of training, will come to an end the moment the body begins to fail, because the body is a machine with a limited lifespan.
But when one trains through Energy Flow, the practice does not stop. It becomes a ceaseless path that continues until the very last moment of life.

In my publication,
“Searching for the Forgotten Half in Martial Arts” (Author: Jeong Seong Kim),
the reality and essence of energy, as well as the principles of healing systems,
are presented clearly with numerous diagrams.
The book invites readers to consider how martial arts training
can influence human society on many levels —
not only for martial artists but also for those who practice religion, philosophy, yoga, meditation, and other paths of cultivation.
I believe it will be of genuine help to many.

---

✒️ Signature

Jeong Seong Kim
Founder & President
Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu ☆ United World Haedong Kumdo Federation
📅 25 November 2025 (Tue)
📍 South Africa

✨ #JinyoungSsangkumRyu #HaedongKumdo #FollowTheEnergy #MartialArtsPhilosophy