Blankenship Martial Arts
Martial Art As Science Martial Art As Philosophy

Eating/Drinking/Other

You must know your own body. If you normally eat before exercise, you should maintain that practice. Our training sessions are about ninety minutes so allow for that when you decide how much and when to eat relative to your class start time. Try your normal regimen and adjust accordingly after you see how your body responds. Bring a piece of fruit, some juice, or some other healthy and light snack in case you feel enervated during the class.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day. You are welcome to bring water to class and keep it in the bathroom for consumption during the class. Please label your water bottle with your name before you arrive.

It is inappropriate to use any non-prescription drug or alcohol before coming to class. If you use tobacco products, make sure your body, breath, and clothing are clean before attending class.

What to Wear

Wear your normal street clothes and shoes to class. Keep your shoes on until you enter the school so that the tile and carpet are not soiled by dirty feet. Wear clothes which are appropriate for the weather and which reflect our efforts to demonstrate respect and humility in training. You may wear the dobok to and from class if you are discreet (see appendices). Morning class students should always bring sweatshirt, tennis shoes, and any other weather-appropriate garments for the possibility of outdoor training.

What to Bring

In addition to water, bring the following to class: the dobok and belt; a pen and notebook/pad; and any required training equipment (sparring pads, staff and other weapons, groin protectors, etc.). You will be told when you need training equipment, but you may choose to get that equipment before it is required. See the Office Manager for recommendations and purchase. Unless you are a medical or law enforcement professional, or unless you have prior permission from the Chief Instructor, pagers and mobile phones should be placed on silent mode or turned off. Ask the Chief Instructor about other items you may wish to bring.

When to Arrive

Arrive at the school about twenty minutes before class. This should allow time to dress, perform at least ten minutes of housekeeping duties, and sit in silent meditation or self-examination for five minutes prior to class. You may arrive earlier than the time necessary to complete the above-mentioned tasks. See Appendices for the school hours, and see the appropriate sections below for other recommended activities. If you arrive late, ask the Chief Instructor for his recommendation about your pre-class activities; you may request to do additional housekeeping after class.

What to Do If You Are/May Be Late

If you know you are going to be late for class or if there is any possibility that you might be late, please be polite and call to ask permission to arrive late. Late means any time after the scheduled start time of the class you wish to attend. Some work schedules may force you to be frequently late to class; please telephone in advance each and every time to request permission. It is part of the protocol of a traditional school and a generally courteous practice. Being late because of poor planning indicates a need for better time management skills. Frequent avoidable lateness indicates misunderstanding of, or unwillingness to, adhere to our commitment to personal discipline and mutual courtesy. If you arrive late, see the Chief Instructor.

Where to Park

You may safely park in the school parking lot or on the street. It is also acceptable to park at the middle school across the street during non-school hours; please be considerate of the needs of the middle school staff. Do not park in the lots of adjacent businesses.

What to Do Outside the School

As you walk from your vehicle to the door, clean the lot and grounds. The neatness and cleanliness of our physical environment is an indication of our commitment to a pure and clean internal environment. If the door is locked when you arrive, wait patiently for the staff to open the door. Although the school is scheduled to open at certain times, the staff may occasionally need to delay the opening to accommodate special tasks or to complete phone calls in progress. Demonstrate patience and courtesy by remaining outside quietly.

Entering the School

When you meet people waiting outside the school or as you walk into the school, you should greet them with a bow and a verbal salutation appropriate for their rank or for your relationship with them. If you meet someone whose name you do not know, introduce yourself. If the door is not propped open when you enter the school, close the door after entering. If the door is propped open when you arrive, make sure it is left open.

The Entry Area

Remove your shoes and place them neatly in the shoe rack or on the floor out of the way of others who will be entering the school. If you have worn a hat to the school, please remove it. If you observe someone else entering the school who fails to follow this protocol, please ask them politely to remove their shoes and/or hats. You should have disposed of any drinks, foodstuffs, or chewing gum before you arrived at the school, but in case you did not, please do so immediately. Pour any remaining drink into the sink in a restroom, and throw any remaining food or chewing gum into a lined trash receptacle. The only exceptions are unopened drinks or snacks which you have brought to the school for consumption to address possible conditions of enervation or hypoglycemia. If the entry area is not neat and clean, take the responsibility for policing the area.

The Hall

As you make your way from the front door to the dressing area, be careful not to damage the walls by scraping your bag or other items on them. Also be careful not to disturb or damage the plants which line the hall. As soon as you can, read the Dojang Song Chil which is posted on the outside south wall of the training area. This document should serve as a guide for the way to approach your training, and should be taken, with the Dojang Hun, as guidelines for transposing training inside the school to life outside the training environment.

Bathroom

In the interest of modesty make sure that the bathroom door is closed after you enter; if no one remains in the bathroom after you, leave the door open. Please be considerate of others and keep your possessions neatly and compactly arranged. As much as possible, store your belongings on the floor, on the clothes rack, or under the bench. Without unnecessarily disturbing the possessions of others, please help keep the bathrooms neat and clean. If you have valuables about which you have concern, you may request of the Office Manager that you be allowed to deposit them at your own risk in the school office. Realize, however, that we have never had anything stolen from the school so the bathroom should be expected to be a safe place for possessions.

Put on your uniform. If you find that you have forgotten your belt or another part of your dobok, see the Office Manager about borrowing a belt or purchasing a new dobok.

The Training Area

Bow as you enter the training area. See appendices about bowing. After you enter the training area, approach each person whom you have not greeted and do so with a bow and salutation. Introduce yourself to anyone you do not know. If there is a guest in the training area, make sure they are comfortable and have any information they might need. If there is a housekeeping schedule available for your class, check to see what tasks remain and assume the responsibility for accomplishing that task.

See Cleaning Manual for complete instructions and see appendices for basic guidelines. Make sure that your pre-class activities do not disturb any students who may be practicing, meditating, or who are currently in class. Make sure that you have time for meditation and self-examination before each class. To find out what training activities are acceptable before class, ask the Chief Instructor. You may generally assume that stretching, appropriate calisthenics, and basic technical training are acceptable pre-class activities. Your safety and the safety of all other students is a primary concern; in consideration of this fact, certain activities are prohibited without the supervision of an expert-rated instructor. See appendices for safety topics. Familiarize yourself with the location of training and cleaning equipment, read the announcements posted at various places, and offer assistance to other students and instructors.

Before Class Begins

After you have finished 10 minutes of housekeeping, you may engage in some light stretching or meditation. You should sit on the periphery of the training hall so that you do not interfere with on ongoing class. Sit facing the wall, as it is impolite to watch the class in progress.

The Beginning

Class begins when the instructor asks your group to stand. You will then have opportunity to greet everyone in the first group and the others in your group. Ensure that you speak to everyone, as we are all family. Guests should be greeted as well. Get to know your classmates, but please keep conversations discreet.

The Training Hall Oath (Dojang Hun)

After greeting, class will line up for the Training Hall Oath. Line up by rank, right-justifying that final row. We say the Dojang Hun to open and close every class. It is the essence of how to conduct yourself.

Dojang Hun

Seek perfection of character
Live the way of truth
Endeavor
Be faithful
Respect others
Refrain from violent behavior

Warm-Ups

After the Dojang Hun, class may start with a brief warm-up led by an instructor. These exercises are designed to limber and activate the major muscle groups that you will use during class. You should perform the exercises to your own ability level. Do not attempt a range of movement before your time. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Through diligent practice, your flexibility will improve.

Basic Class

Each class is designed to create martial artists intelligently. You may engage in the following core activities during a class. Also, from time to time, the Chief Instructor may emphasize a particular area or give special instruction to meet the long-term goals of the training.

Basic Movements

Basic movements are the foundation of your art. They are martial movements distilled to their essence. There are eight basic movements:

• Climbing stance center punch (chun kool sae chung dan chiruki)
• Climbing stance low level block (chun kool sae ha dan maki)
• Climbing stance high level block (chun kool sae sang dan maki)
• Climbing stance outside knife-hand (palm down) strike (chun kool sae son nal o po chiruki)
• Climbing stance inverted knife-hand (palm up) strike (chun kool sae son nal bakat chiruki)
• Back stance center block (hoo kool sae chung dan maki)
• Back stance inside center block (hoo kool sae mom tong ahn maki)
• Back stance knife-hand block (hoo kool sae sudo maki)

Stance may be practiced without hand movements to focus on your base. During such work, the hands are kept behind the back (“hands behind”) to eliminate idiosyncratic actions.

Form

Form focuses martial movement and martial intent into an engagement with opponents. This involves stepping, turning and putting together martial movement into a battle. H-pattern walking is your introduction. This is done hands-behind and will accustom you to the footwork of the four white belt (10th gup) forms. See forms appendix for description of your forms. Your first forms illustrate a combination of blocks and strikes. As in basic movements, stay relaxed and remember to breathe. Focus on feet, center, and martial purpose throughout the form.

Prearranged Techniques

Prearranged techniques isolate martial fundamentals much like basic movements do. These exercises are excellent for practicing many concepts, both basic and advanced. Initially, you should focus on clean technique and maintaining eye contact. More will come later.

Practical One-Step Sparring (Practicals)

Practicals demonstrate avoiding a blow and delivering a devastating counterattack. Since this is a formal exercise, decorum should be exercised throughout; however, if you wish to practice a particular movement multiple times with your partner, you are encouraged to do so. See the exercise appendix for a description of the white belt practical sparring sequence.

Avoiding

We teach six fundamental avoiding techniques. This formal exercise consists of a prescribed sequence of attacks countered by avoidance maneuvers. While this exercise is not as scripted as practical one-steps, you should follow the suggested avoiding techniques, as these will be built upon as you progress. See the exercise appendix for a description of the avoiding sequence.

Tightening Way

Tightening Way techniques control motion and interval while integrating body movement. In this activity you should feel relaxed while maintaining eye contact with your partner. Feel the intent of your opponent. When walking, keep your partner safe by watching out for others and obstacles. Think about moving from your center as you do this. It will help integrate your upper and lower extremities. See the exercise appendix for a description of the white belt Tightening Way series.

Self-Defense - Hapkido

You will be shown hapkido techniques for defense of self and those you wish to protect. This family business should not be shared with anyone outside the dojang family. These powerful techniques can be devastating. We would not want them used back on us!

When performing hapkido, feel your partner’s intent. Also, think about using your whole body to perform a movement, not just your hands and arms. When attacking during hapkido, grasp firmly, but do not actively resist the technique of your partner. Active resistance prevents your partner from learning and proves nothing: a superior opponent would use a different technique to counter your intent! See the exercise appendix for a list of the 19 white belt hapkido techniques.

Falling

To perform some higher-level techniques you must learn to fall safely. The two types of falls you will learn are break falls and soft rolls. Each may be used according to the situation. An optimal fall seeks to maximize duration and/or surface area of the fall to minimize force of impact. A soft roll primarily extends fall duration, whereas a break fall spreads the force over maximum surface area of large muscle on the body. Either fall should follow a path from the shoulder blade diagonally across the back to just above the opposite side buttock. The fall should not be directly over the head, neck or spine (as in a somersault). The head should not touch the ground during a correct fall.

Rank Exam

Rank exams are celebrations of everyone’s effort and progress. There are four exams per year, and dates are posted on the school calendar. You are encouraged to attend every exam, regardless of whether you are testing. Everyone has an opportunity to participate in every exam, and each exam features special demonstrations that you may not see otherwise. Exams are also excellent opportunities to introduce friends and family to your school.

A rank exam provides the opportunity to demonstrate your increased technical skill. The performance portion on exam day is only one-third of your test. Written and Oral test requirements should be completed before the posted deadline to qualify for the exam. Speak with any instructor should you have a question or would like guidance on the exam.

On exam day, you should arrive at the school dressed and ready to go by the time announced. It is traditional to bring flowers to decorate the dojang on exam day. You will also want to bring water and a light snack. In addition to your uniform, you should have your sparring pads, and for men appropriate groin protection.

Your exam fees should be paid, and any needed equipment (patches, sparring pads) purchased, prior to exam day. See the Office Manager to take care of these issues.

Dobok

• Wear a clean, neat dobok.
• Put pants on with loops in front.
• Draw strings by pulling straight out to the sides of the pants.
• Tie the strings in front.
• Put dobok top on, tying the strings on the right side to the left side, so that the left panel (lapel) is on the outside.
• Your name should be put on the left side panel of the dobok. Ask an instructor or the Office Manager for guidance.
• You may embroider your name on your dobok if you choose. Please see the office manager for detailed instructions and guidelines.

Belt

Place the middle of the belt directly above your navel. Take the belt ends around your back, exchange the ends in your hands, and bring them in front of you. To tie the belt, bring the right end over the left side, then under both layers of the belt and back up; then bring that end back over and under the other end, as tying a square knot. It is not appropriate to wear your belt outside the school.

Dobok and Belt Care

Typically, doboks shrink after several washings. Take this into consideration when sizing a dobok for purchase. Ask the General Manager for recommendations and purchase. The dobok is dyed white. You should not use bleach to clean the dobok, as this will ruin the dobok’s coloring.

Patches

You may receive your school patch by participating in a rank exam. The school patch should be placed on the left lapel of the dobok top, above your name. Ask an instructor for the proper orientation of the patch.

General Training

The training you have undertaken will yield specific mental and physical benefits, if you are open to them. Remember that you are exactly where you are supposed to be: the efforts you have put forth have resulted in your current position. No more, no less. Your work in the training is an opportunity to improve your body, mind and spirit; these changes may then be applied to your life outside the training environment. Experiencing challenges during your training is normal and expected. Your martial arts family will be a valuable resource in surmounting these challenges. Draw upon them early and often. We have an open school, and you may feel comfortable approaching anyone with a question or a comment.

Junior to Senior

There will always be students senior to you in your training. These are people who have conquered hardship and sacrificed much to achieve their understanding of the art. Everyone has the best intention here, and gives comments and advice from the heart. Be humble in accepting the words of others, as they are helping you grow. Forget what you think you know, and be open to the perspective of others. The seniors here are constantly training. A first-day student, never exposed to martial art, knows enough to see the beauty, power, and grace of martial movement. Your comments and assistance to fellow students continue the open tradition of our school and will reap benefits for all involved.

Senior to Junior

The senior is responsible for the well-being and proper training of the junior student. Humble and generous, the senior must give appropriate knowledge in a manner easily comprehended by the junior. We have all been helped on our journey by those beyond our level of understanding. It is imperative to honor that aid by helping the next generation stand on our shoulders and surpass our achievements.

Student to School

The school is the aggregate formed of the care and effort of the students who train here. Everyone gives of their time to maintain and improve the environment. At the most basic level, all must respect the work of others in helping the school. Better still is to actively assist yourself. There is much to do, and aid is always welcome and appreciated. Ask the Chief Instructor for suggestions or to discuss an idea.

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