About Musado Hapkido
Musado Hapkido is a living, breathing, evolutionary modern form of martial art developed for today's more violent "mean" streets and is specifically designed to meet the needs of the modern-day urban warrior. Musado Hapkido evolved from the founder's personal experience in brawling, street fighting, wrestling, Uechi Ryu Karate, Combat Hapkido and army hand-to-hand combat training. Like the more traditional styles of Hapkido, Musado Hapkido combines strikes, joint locks, arm bars, sweeps, pressure point attacks and manipulations, and throws to incapacitate an attacker.
This is where the similarities end. As a modern-day urban martial art, Musado Hapkido has further evolved to reflect the founder's Algonquin warrior roots, to develop (or re-awaken) the practitioner's inner-warrior spirit while it teaches him or her to use the force necessary, within the limits of the law, to defend themselves, their loved ones, or weaker members of society from those who might wish to do them harm.
The new IMHF logo shows the fearless Algonquin warrior standing in the Sacred Circle, drawing on its spiritual essence to defeat an enemy. The connection to Musado Hapkido's Korean roots are expressed in the use of the name "Musado," which translates to the Way of the Warrior - Bushido in Japanese - and the word Hapkido. Hapkido translates to "the way (do) of "co-ordinated" or "harmonized" (hap) "power" (ki).
The Founder - Dojunim Mike Fournier
Mike Fournier is a Kichesipirini Algonquin who has been involved in the combat arts since 1969; first as high school wrestler and eventually studied Uechi Ryu Karate under Sensei Jim Maloney, a Mi'kmaq from the Eskasoni First Nation who was once dubbed "the Great Red Hope" by Black Belt Magazine (c. Feb/1977).
While with the Special Service Force in the early 1980s, Mike trained with the commandos in hand-to-hand combat. During his tour of duty in New Brunswick he received his national certification as a wrestling coach and co-coached the Oromocto High School wrestling team to a 1993 NBIAA Provincial (State) Championship.
In 2006 he rekindled his relationship with his first teacher and old master, Jim Maloney, training with him to further develop his own martial arts skills as well as his Anishnabe warrior spirit. This Anishnabe warrior re-awakening has been instilled in the fighting and training philosophy of Musado Hapkido.
The Dojunim (founder of the style) and Head of Musado Hapkido Federation is a member of the World Head of Family Sokeship Council International Martial Arts Hall of Fame, inducted in 2005. Members of the IMHF, school owners/instructors and their students will benefit from the Master's professional qualifications and his international recognition as an expert in close quarter defensive tactics.