Dojo Hosts Police Training as Master Garret Opens an LA Dojo

This past month has flown by! We held our first Parents' Night Out, and it was a great success. Several bigger things happened, too, that show how far our dojo family reaches.

Here's what's new: how we're serving our community, a new dojo in Los Angeles, a trip to Korea and a Black Belt Weekend with visiting Grandmasters.

Serving our community

We believe a dojo should make its whole community stronger, not just its students. This month, that showed up in a few ways.

We've partnered with the Santa Barbara Police Department to provide a training space for a group of officers. It's an honor to support the people who keep our community safe.

We also became an official vendor with Heartland Charter School, so homeschooling families can include martial arts in their children's education. Please tell your homeschooling friends! And Master Austin was interviewed by Teen Sports Radio.

Each of these is a different way of doing the same thing: bringing what we teach on the mat to more people, whether they wear a badge, learn at home or just want to feel safer.

We're also hosting a women's self-defense seminar on International Women's Day, led by Master Mel. It's a chance to learn basic self-defense skills, gain confidence and empower yourself. No experience is required, and it's open to the public.

A new dojo in Los Angeles

Master Garret is opening a new dojo in Los Angeles, in the Northridge and Chatsworth area. It will start with martial arts classes only.

This is a proud moment for our dojo family. It means the way we teach, with families, respect and self-defense at the heart of it, is reaching a new community. If you know anyone in that area who's interested in martial arts, we're now welcoming trial students there. Reach out, and we'll connect them with Master Garret.

Opening a new dojo is a big commitment, and starting with martial arts classes lets the new school build its community one family at a time. We're cheering Master Garret on, and we can't wait to see Hapkido take root in a new neighborhood.

Training with our GHA family in Korea

This August, members of our dojo family will join martial artists from the Global Hapkido Association in Korea, with students coming from countries as far away as Australia. Together, they'll train, tour and experience Korean culture.

We believe martial arts is best understood at its roots. Training where Hapkido grew, alongside martial artists from around the world, gives our students a deeper sense of the art they practice every week. Registration has closed, and we're grateful to everyone who's able to join.

Trips like this also build friendships that last. Our students will train with people they've never met, from places they've never been, and discover how much they already share through the art.

Black Belt Weekend with visiting Grandmasters

Grandmasters Hee Kwan Lee and Adrian Garcia Torres of the GHA are joining us for our Black Belt Weekend in May.

It starts on a Friday evening with the black belt test. Come cheer on the candidates as they test for their black belts. On Saturday morning, existing black belts complete a mid-term test of their skills, and others rank up to their next level. Masters Austin, Garret and Bill will also be demonstrating and testing for their next ranks. Afterward, the Grandmasters will lead a self-defense seminar for martial artists of all levels.

Watching our own masters test reminds every student that the journey doesn't end at black belt. Learning keeps going for as long as you keep showing up. Having Grandmasters on our mat is also a rare chance for every student, from new color belts to senior black belts, to learn directly from some of the most experienced martial artists in our association.

From police officers to homeschoolers, from Los Angeles to Korea, we're grateful to share this art with so many people. And no matter how far it reaches, it all comes back to the same place: students and families on the mat, learning together.

Have questions or want to learn more? Contact us using the form below, and we'll be glad to help.