Hap ki do master teaches in Federal Way

"The best way to learn martial arts, says Master Choe Hui Son, is to build on a foundation of a good attitude. Whether he’s teaching youngsters tae kwon do or their parents the lesser known martial art hap ki do, that is the basis Choe starts with.“If you only learn technique, you’ll probably turn into Mike Tyson – a good boxer, but nothing up here,” Choe says tapping his forehead. “We think philosophy is very important in martial arts.”Choe and several of his students will be demonstrating their techniques and philosophy tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble in Tukwila, at 7 p.m. Friday at Borders in Federal Way and July 24 at 1 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble in Federal Way. His latest book, “The Korean Martial Art of Self Defense, Practical Hap ki do Textbook,” will be available at the demonstrations. It is also one of the top-selling martial arts books at Amazon.com, listed at No. 37 nationally. His hap ki do video tape will soon be available on the Internet as well.Choe moved his school from Spanaway to Federal Way in May and is up to 50 students. He hopes to build the school to 200 students.“He’s excellent with kids,” said Sherry Danza, who has been studying under Choe for seven years. “He has a passion for this.”His passion started in Seoul, Korea, at the age of 6, when he began to study both tae kwon do and hap ki do. He is certified as a sixth Dan in tae kwon do and a seventh Dan in hap ki do. He was the head instructor for the U. S. Army at Camp Stanley in South Korea in 1980. He later served in the South Korea Marine Corps before opening his own hap ki do school in Seoul. In 1987, Choe served as a personal body guard for South Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong Pil. In 1988 he became one of the trainers for the South Korean Olympic power lifting team.Now Choe operates one of just two schools in Washington that teach hap ki do. Hap ki do is a martial art based more on defense than offense. Hap ki do roughly translates to a “method for the coordination of spirit.”It focuses on redirecting the attack and turning the attacking energy back on the attacker with offensive techniques that may control his violence or render him incapable of further antagonistic actions, Choe writes in his first book.Instead of striking or kicking, Choe teaches ways to manipulate the attacker’s joints, whether it be the fingers, hand, elbow, knee or other, in directions they’re not suppose to move. “We have to use unflexible directions,” Choe said. “We practice to make a partner lay down without a punch or kick.”Steven Segal of action-adventure motion picture fame uses many hap ki do techniques in his films. “You can’t break an elbow like that. That’s movies,” Choe muses about Segal’s unbelievable power. “The body is much stronger than that.”The ability to subdue attackers with a twist of a wrist or arm has attracted several police officers to his classes, Choe said. The teaching goes behind the proper holds and moves, however. It includes centering on one’s Ki, or center gravity. “Ki is spiritual energy,” Choe said. “They (his students) know the right way and the wrong way and which is the best way to live your life.”Promoting positive energy around you by abiding by the code Choe promotes to his students, which calls for loyalty to country; obedience to parents; honor of friendship; never retreating in battle; and in fighting, chose with sense and honor.“It’s more modern than the older styles of martial arts and it encompasses many other styles in it,” said Jerry Wolff, who has studied martial arts for 26 years. Wolff travels from Graham to attend Choe’s classes. “He focuses on being able to react to any situation. You become more aware of who and what’s around you.”Danza likes hap ki do because, “it’s a practical self defense that works for women and children.”"

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