Herzlich Willkommen!

Report over the 1st international Hapkido-Festival 2018 in Leibnitz, Austria For the first time in the history of Hapkido, more than 300 martial artists from across Europe came together on the weekend of 8-10 June 2018 to celebrate their HAPKIDO together. Grandmaster Gerhard Agrinz, President of the International Hap Ki Do Dan Federation, invited a total of ten masters and grandmasters from Austria, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia and Germany to design numerous seminar units over two days, giving participants an insight in nine different styles of HAPKIDO. The martial arts practitioners had the unique opportunity to experience similarities between the styles and at the same time to get to know the particular peculiarities of the styles. Fast and effective self-defense techniques, complicated combinations of lever and throw techniques, spectacular pedaling techniques were taught as well as basic knowledge to capture and assess a dangerous situation completed with teachings on the legal basis for self-defense. In the JUFA sports resort in Leibnitz in the beautiful Styria, the athletes were provided with excellent food and refreshing drinks. There was a boisterous atmosphere throughout the weekend that seemed like the many attendees had known each other for years. In fact, the breaks were used extensively to make new contacts and to work up the newly learned techniques and movements in small groups and to ask for details. Under blue skies and bright sunshine, there was no sensation of competitiveness among all martial artists. Instead, they exchanged experiences of traveling to Korea, the homeland of HAPKIDO, and held many open discussions about individual training methods and philosophical approaches to martial arts styles. While martial arts fighting is always about fighting someone else, is martial “arts” in itself about "attitudes to life, assertiveness that you can also use in life" (Quote Grandmaster Gerhard Agrinz from the ORF TV report). The festival was rounded off by a seminar unit by Prof. dr. Jürg Ziegler, 10th Dan Sin Moo Hapkido, who presented a cross-section on functional relationships of the human body based on his studies of TCM. Special breathing techniques, which promote the Ki - the inner strength - and can be used in everyday life for self-healing, could be practically experienced by all participants. Finally, he explained some basic features of the human meridian system and impressively demonstrated the mode of action of individual acupressure points when used as impact or pressure point technique. Another highlight of the festival was the two-hour Budo gala on Saturday night. In the presence of several hundred spectators, more than twenty different martial arts schools / associations and organizations gave a short cross-section of their art in short demonstrations. Accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of traditional Asian drumming, children, adolescents and adults demonstrated their skills in self-defense, weapon techniques with sticks, nunchucks and walking sticks, as well as spectacular lever and throwing techniques. Accompanied by Austrian television, the gala offered the appropriate setting for the lecturers • Prof. Dr. Jürg Ziegler, 10.Dan Sin Moo Hapkido, World Community Sin Moo Hapkido, • Detlef Klos, 9th Dan-Tong-Wong Hapkido Hanminjok Hapkido Association, • Perry Zmugg, 9.Dan Sin Moo Hapkido, Zmugg Body Fight Art Center • Mladen Kuznik, 8th Dan Kudokwan Hapkido, Korea Hapkido Federation • Gerhard E. Hermanski, 8th Dan Hankido-Hapkido, Federal Academy of Korean Martial Arts • Demit Momod, 7.Dan Hapkido, World Hapkido Federation • Volker Gößling, 6.Dan Hapkiyusul, German Hapkido Federation • Karl Müller, 6.Dan Hapkido, International Hapkido Dan Federation System Kim Sou Bong, • Dmitry Lozhenski, 4th Dan Hapkido, Korea Hapkido Federation to - on the one hand, thank them for their tireless dedication to our Hapkido and, on the other hand, for their contributions to the seminar units, which together have created the diversity of the Hapkido Festival. Prof. Dr. Jürg Ziegler thanked organizer Grandmaster Gerhard Agrinz in his laudation for his dedication and initiative, which made this special and so far unique Hapkido event in Europe possible. © 2018 Pressebeirat HANDO - Bundesakademie koreanischer Kampfkunst