Convert to Musado Hapkido

You may have come to a point in your Hapkido career/training where you need to grow internally, as a martial artist, rather than just being left to rise through the ranks without substance. If that's the case, you should seriously consider opening a charter school under the International Musado Hapkido Federation banner. If you are looking to join a federation for the first time then we can help you with that process too.

Making the decision to convert can be a turbulent experience for you as you struggle with your decision. Once you have made your decision the turbulence will subside as you find calm just like in the turbulent waters on the right there are spots of calm water and it all eventually settles. Leaving your old federation will be a big step as you consider how this will impact you personally and professionally and how such a move will affect your present student base as well as your standing in your martial art community. This is understandable and it's normal to feel this way. However, if you are looking to grow as a Hapkidoist and martial artist but can't because of strict policies that may be in place in your present federation then join our federation.

If you presently operate a Hapkido school under another federation you will also be concerned about how this move will affect your students' loyalties toward you. If you didn't think about these issues you wouldn't be human. However, it doesn't hurt to explore new horizons. As the founder of the International Musado Hapkido Federation I hope the information in the next few pages will encourage you to email or call me.

As you take the next step in the conversion process we will do our best to ease that transition in a professional manner. We will provide you with a IMHF Charter School manual that provides you with basic, but essential IMHF policies as well as the training and promotion criteria for each rank and a written description of each technique. The manual will also include IMHF application forms, testing forms, and price lists on testing and merchandise.

At this particular point in time there are no videos/DVDs available to sell to the new Charter school owners/operators to help them visually learn their new techniques. There are no plans to produce any at this time. We would rather send you the techniques in written form so that you can add them to your book and use as reference. We feel that the written form is better than the video/DVD format in that you can write notes/draw diagrams in the margins or at the end of each section and you can always have the book readily available to refer to during class. It's quite alright to refer to the manual if you're not clear on a technique. This way you won't get it wrong. Videos are good but you may not be able to refer to them as easily as you might the book of techniques.

Instructors will be sent their belt techniques sections in packages of three (3), three (3), two (2), and two (2). Before schools are sent their next package they will have to submit a tape, to this headquarter, on which they demonstrate their knowledge of the techniques. This is especially critical if there are great distances involved and the charter instructor can't come in and train with the master on a regular basis or have the master come up to their school to teach. While they are perfecting the techniques, charter school instructors are permitted to teach them to their students and test their students on a regular basis. Once the video is viewed at this headquarter an email response will be submitted detailing observations and suggestions on each technique and the next package will be sent and the process will repeat itself.

Converting Dan certification will be different for each martial artist depending on their martial art background. Typically, if you are already a certified Hapkido Dan holder then the conversion is straightforward. If you are from a different martial art but want to introduce Musado Hapkido to your school to draw more students then you will have to go through a more rigid testing and verification process than a Hapkidoist might expect. It must be realized that not every applicant may be eligible to convert or apply for a charter to teach Musado Hapkido. Every application will be reviewed and considered on its own merits.

Belt Testing Registration Process. Charter school instructors will record the result of each student's test on the testing form and indicate whether they passed or need to be retested. These forms are then placed on the student's file. Instructors will submit the names and belt level achieved in the testing to this headquarter so that we can send you their certificates.

New Charter Members will not be asked to forget anything they learned in their previous martial art or Hapkido Kwan as these were invaluable lessons taught by very knowledgeable masters. Charter school owners/head instructors will, however, be free to tap into their own knowledge and experience which will allow them to infuse their own personality into the Musado Hapkido techniques they are teaching while adhering to the principles and methodologies of Musado Hapkido. So, there is room for the Charter school member to explore how Musado Hapkido can best serve to protect their students from their own "mean streets" wherever that might be in the world.

Details on the conversion process are on the Membership page.

If you have any questions please contact us.