EMBRACE THE TAEKWONDO HANMADANG
Contributed by Bruce C.K.W. Harris
There are several reasons why a Taekwondo School Owner/Instructor would benefit from participating in a National Taekwondo Hanmadang and in becoming a certified Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee.
As a Taekwondo Instructor/School Owner, we all teach basically the same core Taekwondo subject areas: Forms, Breaking, Self-Defense, and Sparring. That is what the vast majority of Taekwondo Instructors teach, though some teach only Sparring, or a mixture of Sparring and Mixed Martial Arts, or some other fighting-only curricula. It is to the group of Taekwondo Instructors who teach the more well-rounded and traditional Taekwondo curricula to whom I am addressing.
Ninety-five percent of your students study Taekwondo for reasons other than to become an Olympic competitor. Those reasons probably include self-confidence, self-defense, weight control, fitness, family activity, focus, discipline, or any number of other reasons. Through the process of learning forms (Poomsae), breaking (Kyukpa), self-defense (Hosinsul) our students achieve their personal goals and, in the process, advance in the life-long process of becoming a martial artist.
Over the past 40 years or so there has been an emphasis on insuring that Taekwondo is included in the Olympic Games. In order to do that, the focus was on the Sparring aspect of Taekwondo. Therefore, there are many opportunities and outlets for students to compete at Taekwondo sparring events. Unfortunately, only a very small percentage of our student population excels in the sparring aspect, especially to have a reasonable chance at becoming an Olympic Taekwondo athlete. The Olympic Games themselves only include 124 or so Taekwondo athletes from all the Taekwondo athletes in the world. You can determine the odds for yourself. Even though mostly all Taekwondo students practice sparring, the large majority of them have little desire to commit to the training necessary to become an Olympic athlete.
So, what about all of the other students in our Dojangs? Until now, there have been very few outlets for them to participate in State, National or World Taekwondo events. Korea is the exception to this because they have long ago embraced the Hanmadang system. A Hanmadang is, generically speaking, a celebration or a festival. So, a Taekwondo Hanmadang is a celebration of Taekwondo, a festival in which all students may participate. The Taekwondo Hanmadang affords every Dojang Owner/Instructor the opportunity to showcase his/her students, allowing them the chance to gain self-pride and self-esteem. The Taekwondo Hanmadang should not be viewed as a competition, but more as an activity that showcases all of your students and their talents and abilities in Taekwondo. If one must think in terms of competition, consider it as being a competition with self that leads to self-actualization. It presents each student the chance to be the best that they can be at one event, without worrying about an external opponent trying to keep them from doing their best.
Taekwondo families are becoming more and more prevalent as parents look for outlets to train, study and spend productive time with their children. The Taekwondo Hanmadang is one of the few sporting activities in which the family may participate as a family unit. This is not true of many other sports.
A Taekwondo Hanmadang consists of fun and challenging events. Those events may include Poomsae (Traditional forms, Creative forms, Extreme/Weapons forms), Breaking (Speed breaks, High Jump breaks, Power breaks), Self-Defense Exhibitions (Weaponless, against multiple opponents armed and unarmed), and Team Demonstrations where a group of students have a set time limit in which to demonstrate several mandatory techniques while being as creative and as entertaining as possible. There is truly something in which everyone may participate and show their skills, from the youngest to the most senior in age.
Many school owners are embracing the concept of the Hanmadang and hosting a local school Hanmadang. It is shown to keep all students motivated because they now have an outlet to display the techniques that they practice and learn daily in Taekwondo class.
United States Taekwondo Committee is committed to having a National Taekwondo Hanmadang annually. Unlike with Sparring tournaments, the National Hanmadang is open to all who wish to participate. There is no maximum number of competitors at the National Taekwondo Hanmadang. It is open to all and all are welcome. This year the 1st US National Taekwondo Hanmadang will take place in Chicago, IL at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center. The site is truly awesome! The hotel property is only 3 years old and the convention center is directly attached to the hotel. And, we have secured a phenomenal room rate of $89/rm!!! Please check elsewhere in this website to register both for the event and for the hotel. The convenience is worth the price alone.
As for becoming a certified Hanmadang Referee, there are several benefits to that as well. When you host a school Hanmadang all of your Black Belts will be able to serve as officials for the event. Further, they will go through the process of learning the standardized way of judging Taekwondo Hanmadang events. Even for those few school owners who have hosted their own local Hanmadang, without the benefit of Hanmadang Referee Training, the event was not as fair for all students as it should have been because each Instructor had their own personal interpretation of how to judge. Once each of you Instructors is trained and certified you have a valuable asset within your school for improving the way you teach your curricula. Also, as a certified Hanmadang Referee you will be eligible to be selected to judge at the National Hanmadang or, if you or your Instructor is 4th Dan Black belt or higher, you may be selected to judge at the World Taekwondo Hanmadang held every year. This year it will be August 5-8 in Dangjin, Korea.
In conclusion, I urge each Taekwondo School Owner and Instructor to participate at this year’s 1st US National Taekwondo Hanmadang in Chicago, IL. Also get certified as a Hanmadang Referee. Your school will benefit and grow, as will all of your students.
