Introduction
The purpose of the Hwa Rang Club at Stanford University is to provide an environment for personal growth and learning through the martial arts. Specifically, the club practices an integrated balance of Korean martial arts, most notably Taekwondo and Hapkido. Taekwondo is internationally well known for its fast, agile strikes with both hands and feet. Hapkido complements these techniques with precise joint locking, twisting and throwing. Participants are welcome at all levels of experience. New membership is especially encouraged at the beginning of each academic quarter. Broader information regarding martial arts across the university is available at the Stanford Martial Arts Program website.
Instruction
Our grandmaster, Grandmaster D. K. Shin, has over 45 years of experience in the martial arts and has been sharing his knowledge through instruction in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1971.
Our head instructor, Master Maureen Panganiban, is a 5th Dan (degree) black belt who has won many local, state, and national competitions in both forms and sparring. She is a certified referee and international coach, and is also the head instructor at the Hwa Rang Kwan in Redwood City.
We are also very fortunate to have weekly instruction from Master Y. S. Ha, who has studied taekwondo for over 35 years, and was the head instructor at the MIT Tae Kwon Do Club for more than a decade before moving to California. Other club instructors are black belts who are personally trained by Grandmaster Shin and Master Ha.
Special training for interested students is possible at Hwa Rang Kwan , led by Grandmaster Shin in Redwood City. The school also offers extended opportunity beyond regular on-campus practices, including competitive sparring training, traditional sword techniques (Kumdo), and specialized equipment.
Curriculum
The club aligns its curriculum requirements to the standards established by Grandmaster Shin at Hwa Rang Kwan. These standards lead to recognition with international affiliations such as the World Taekwondo Federation. Standard forms, for example, are shared across WTF, and one good reference is the Purdue site http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~jidokwan/forms/ (link is broken, still looking for a replacement site). In general the variety of exercises at all levels will extend well beyond the baseline descriptions, but these requirements are particularly valuable for establishing a common framework. In addition to the mechanics and individual growth, even more important are an open mind and a firm commitment to mutual respect and support. Examples of common customs are at http://www.hwarangkwan.com/student-info.html , and more are learned throughout one's experiences.