Essay of Ilkka Hämäläinen, Haedong Kumdo Järvenpää, Finland

[HAEDONG]

A few thoughts about martial arts, learning and life

Ilkka Hämäläinen, 

Haedong Kumdo Järvenpää, 

Finland

Energy

To me, the word energy means some kind 

of life preserving flow or vibration that 

occurs everywhere. I guess it’s the most 

vital factor to all living things – the ability 

to be and to do something.

Naturally, energy is strongly associated to all movement and action. So when it comes to martial arts, we have to carefully think about how can we channel the energy on particular exercises and techniques, 

and how energy flows easily in our bodies. In martial arts one are basically transferring a certain amount of energy – depending on the intensity of the action – from one point of your body to another. To do this correctly, you have to be relaxed and focused – I call it a flow motion mode.

It’s important to breathe and use your whole body to execute a technique. That’s how you get energy to flow. Mental training and understanding what you are doing is as important as physical training. For mental training, one can use some memory techniques to i.e. memorize the kumbups. 

I usually use visualization techniques to remember all the correct forms and 

patterns. Learning a good technique takes a lot of physical repetition, but you also need to understand the technique in theory – what's behind the movement. I believe everything depends on the balance and the control between the two main cotdistract the other, but body and mind must work together as one.

=> 

Body + E ( just follow), 

Mind + E(act for body, selfish one etc.), 

Spirit(original nature) + E(pure one)

As you can see it at the drawing of Spinning-top's theory shown as a metaphor for better understanding,  the original basement for Energy of body and mind come from the area of spirit which is called the zone of emptiness(MU or Kong).

i.e) see the below site

http://cafe.daum.net/uwhkf/JvX2/87

What is good for our body and mind?

As everything affects everything, to keep yourself fit physically and mentally, 

you have to give a thought to a few basic principles. I’m not saying that I always follow the list mentioned below, but at least I do my best. So, here’s a short list of the four principles that one should embrace on a way to good and healthy body and mind:

a) Eat good healthy food (organic if possible) and avoid food additives 

as well as meat to keep your body clean.

b) Sleep, relax and meditate often enough to keep your mind clean 

and to avoid stress.

c) Exercise your body and mind regularly, 

but remember it shouldn’t be too serious – don’t forget to have fun. 

d) Stay true to yourself.

=> Yes, it is very good principles you made as a general definition anybody can understand and follow. 

I may make some descriptions with yours in brief.  

a) is good for body +E,  

b)& c) are good for body+E and mind+E,

d) is good for your spirit

The mean of "stay true to yourself" is to "forget yourself or know yourself, which mean my will is not there. So we can stay into the Light with pure Energy. 

It is for an enlightenment. 

What is interesting and important for me in martial arts?

I’ve been practicing taekwondo about ten years, and haedong kumdo for a couple of years now. As I also play and teach a few different instruments, I see a lot of similarities between music and martial arts. For example: creativity, movement, rhythm, timing, patterns, improvisation and flow. That relation and how to make use of it, is one thing I’m very interested in. The most important parts in martial arts for me are learning, developing a good technique and of course mental growth. 

Practicing martial arts is a lifelong path, and try to implement the above mentioned things from dojang to everyday life.

=> As I always stress through every seminar, the principle of Nature is very simple and clear. All is interconnected in the universe. I mean the principle of body movements and the one of martial arts or music is exactly same as it lies under one principle in the universe, also it is naturally same as the principle or way of our life.