Tigershark Hapkido Workout Video Now Available!
Recently Grandmaster John Dowdy completed his first video in the American Martial Artist Tigershark Hapkido Series. This is a double workout video with each component workout being about 54 minutes long (all on one disc.) The workouts are designed to help develop physical stamina, coordination, balance, focus, speed, power, agility, and the use of combinations. This is the first in our series...
Read MoreSparring:Part 2:No-Contact Sparring
When learning the art of sparring or free-fighting, it is important for students to spar at least once with no contact or mere touch contact. Some styles never spar or have contact; however, I believe that sparring is a useful training tool for our style of martial arts. No-contact sparring has both its advantages and disadvantages. the main asset is that it teaches control- the control...
Read MoreDojo Poem
A habitat unto itself The dojo stands as a refuge A place to test our limitations To dare to try To dare to fail Seeing the opponent in the mirror Knowing that our most vocal “silent assassin” Is only the voice within ourselves. The dojo silences the critics Within our mind We stand as a tribe We punch as a tribe We kick as a tribe United in the conquest Helping each...
Read MoreGrandmaster John Dowdy's Teaching Schedule
Children’s Hapkido Classes: Mon, Tues, Thurs (5:00-5:50 PM) @ Burlington ACMA Adult Hapkido Classes: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs (6PM-7:20 PM) @ Burlington ACMA Judo/Jujitsu/Mixed Martial Arts: Mon, Tues, Thurs (7:30- 9PM) @Burlington ACMA Jujitsu: Wednesday (8:10-9:30 PM) @ Neill’s Tae Kwon Do in Chapel Hill, NC Jujitsu:Friday (8:10-9:30 PM) @ Neill’s Tae Kwon Do in Chapel...
Read MoreThe American Martial Artist: Personal History: Part 4
June 21, 1969 was when I first started martial arts. The style that I studied was Kuk Sool Won. The belt ranking system was white, blue, red, yellow, yellow with a black stripe, then black. At the dojang that I trained at they tested for lower belts every two months. I started on an off month and regardless of how hard I worked I wasn’t ready to test for my first belt, which was...
Read MoreThe American Martial Artist:Personal History: Part 3
This winter we have had quite a bit of snow which reminded me of my early training in Korea. When I first started martial arts, the class was downstairs. After about a month the school moved upstairs. At the new location there were several small window panes that were broken out, which wasn’t so noticeable until cold weather arrived. Every day the first person to arrive at class...
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