Welcome to
The School of Hard Knocks
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
Our Styles
While we teach a "Blended" or "Eclectic" system, it is composed of several different styles of martial arts, both traditional and modern. A student following the standard curriculum will earn rank in some or all of these styles. We recognize, however, that not all of our styles are suited to all individuals. That said, once a student passes the basic levels, he or she may choose to focus on one ore more styles, while omitting the styles they do not feel that are a proper fit for them.
We teach and offer rank and promotion in each of the following styles at this time. In our quest for ever expanding knowledge and personal growth, we hope to add to this list as time progresses.
Taekwondo - Hapkido - Kenjukido - Kenpo - Jujitsu
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"The Way of the Hand and Foot," or "The Way of Kicking and Punching."
Taekwondo, originating in Korea, is one of the most popular and widely taught Martial Arts in America, and has been for close to half a century.
First of all, there are as many misconceptions about Taekwondo as there are different types of Taekwondo. Modern McDojos have so tarnished the reputation of Taekwondo in the modern Martial Arts world that it is rarely taken seriously. Our Taekwondo, however, is a street based combat system, as it was once taught before being refurbished to focus on Competition and/or Marketing.
What our Taekwondo is not:
A sport: While we do occasionally compete, we do not focus on competition. Competition enforces rules and tradition that will hamper the reflexes and instincts of a fighter in a real world self defense situation.
Flashy: As with competition, while we enjoy jumping through the air, spinning around, and kicking someone in the head, this is impractical unless you intend to engage mounted cavalry. We will have some airborne fun from time to time, but mostly we like to stay rooted to the ground and keep our techniques as tight and efficient as possible.
A Money Making Scheme: We do not have 28 belts that you must pay between $30 to $80 each to advance in on a monthly schedule. We have the traditional 9 ranks (or Gups) that a student must progress through to earn their Black Belt. We do not charge testing fees beyond a $5 charge to purchase the belt once
it is earned. And we do not have a "Camouflage" Belt. (Though if you would like to purchase one, you are welcome to wear it to open tournaments, demonstrations, and on Halloween.)What our Taekwondo is:
A solid base Art. The solid stances and powerful strikes make for an excellent starting point for any further martial arts training.
All about Precision and Power. Taekwondo was once referred to as "The Sniper of Martial Arts" with kicks and punches so powerful that when well placed a single blow could cripple or kill an opponent. We meticulously drill our techniques from the ground up (proper stance, proper posture, proper body movement) to achieve the maximum amount of impact and accuracy possible. This is not something done overnight or half-heartedly. It takes years of practicing the basics to master techniques that are often taught on the first night of class.
A Traditional Art with many Applications. While many modern schools teach "revamped" and "updated" versions of Taekwondo, we teach the old tried and true style that has been around since the inception of the name "Taekwondo." Our Patterns have been taught for decades, and while slight modifications have been made for practicality, they hold true to the lessons they were meant to convey, as well as teach the deeper meanings and applications that are lost on so many "practitioners."
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"The Way of Coordinated Power," or "The Way of Harmony."
Or, one of the lesser used translations, which we prefer, "The way of Ridiculous Power."
Like Taekwondo, Hapkido is a traditional martial art originating from Korea. Unlike Taekwondo, it is much harder to find, as Hapkido schools are rare. To our knowledge, we are one of only two Hapkido schools in the state of Arkansas, and the only one with the backing of a respected National organization.
Hapkido is an art of circles and fluidity. Where Taekwondo has powerful kicks and punches, Hapkido has an almost lazy-like approach, using an attacker's aggression and strength against them. Rather than meeting force with force, the Hapkido practitioner does exactly the opposite, meeting force with acceptance. Much like when a person tries to goad you into a fight and you merely smile politely, the attacker's attacks backfire to cause themselves harm rather than inflicting it on you.
Known for snapping joint locks, twisting throws, and painful submissions, Hapkido focuses on using your strength on your opponent's weakness, even while turning their strength into their weakness. Generally preferred by the more mature practitioner, it is both brutal and beautiful at the same time, and one of the better suited arts for self defense.
Hapkido is often compared to Aikido and Jujitsu. While many of the techniques are similar, the execution, intent, and result are the primary difference. On the mat and in demonstrations, one might see a Hapkido practitioner throwing a training partner around. While in Jujitsu and Aikido this would be the case, it is not as it seems in Hapkido. The training partner is often actually jumping into the technique rather than being thrown as a defense, because the actual technique is not intended as much to throw the opponent, but to twist body parts in ways that they are not designed to be twisted with such speed and force that the body part would be grievously injured before the rest of the attacker's body had time to catch up with it.
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"The Way of the Power of the Gentle Fist."
With roots in Kenpo, Jujitsu, and even Hapkido, Kenjukido is a fairly new art pioneered by Master Buddy Garrett, whom our instructors have the privilege of receiving training directly from. It combines the brutality of Kenpo with the control of Jujitsu and the streetwise destruction of Hapkido. In the spirit of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kun Do, it takes the best of several arts to tailor a personal self defense system that is nearly unique to each individual practitioner.
Each of the component styles has it's own strengths and weaknesses, but overlap such that the other components fill the gaps of one's weakness with another's strength while presenting the practitioner with nearly unlimited options. If you train to strike, you will strike. If you train to throw, you will throw. If you train to lock, you will lock. If you train to... Well, you get the point. However, if you train to do all of these, then it is easier to slip from one mindset to another, striking, grabbing, or even both when appropriate. This also makes one harder to predict, and thus more deadly.
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"The Law of the Fist."
Kenpo is more or less an American Martial art that started in China, moved through Okinawa, hung out in Hawaii for a while, then was adopted and mutilated into it's present form in mainland USA. Generally, Kenpo can be summed up in one word: Brutality. Notorious for vicious rapid fire strikes, crippling blows to vital areas, and yeah, plenty of cheap shots, it's one of the nastiest stand alone arts taught today. Weapons, both traditional like the nunchuck or katana, to the more likely to pick up like stick and knife are also taught, and there's even the rare flying spin kick that would make a Taekwondo guy crack a grin.
As with its integration with Kenjukido, Kenpo has been a valuable addition to our curriculum as it closes the gap between the long range powerhouse of Taekwondo and the up close and personal twist from Hapkido. The short range flurry of hands and feet fit perfectly in the middle, coupled with the occasional joint lock or even a throw or two, just to get a hapless assailant into a better position to accept the gift of pain as reward for his aggression.
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"The Gentle Art."
Jujitsu is a Japanese style based primarily around the concept of defending oneself in close quarters against an armed opponent. The majority of this style involves throws, joint locks, submissions, and even rolling around on the ground until your attacker is choked into unconsciousness.
As stated above, Jujitsu and Hapkido share many similar techniques, but with different applications and results. The easiest way to sum up the difference would be Control. Whereas a Hapkido technique is designed to maim, tear, or cripple, Jujitsu has a moderately nicer outlook and would rather simply take control of the opponent as wrestle them into a position where continuing to attack would be a "very bad idea." In Jujitsu, unlike Hapkido, a throw is actually a throw, and a joint lock is actually a joint lock. While less destructive, it achieves similarly painful results with less lasting injury. See? Nicer.
Jujitsu also has more focus on ground fighting, which is practical because a lot of fights end up with two people rolling around on the ground trying to throttle each other. While you will see some occasional throttling from a Jujitsu practitioner, more often you will see him or her simply squirm around, then twist an appendage into an obviously uncomfortable position, then smile while their attacker screams until finally pleading for mercy and apologizing for all wrongdoings.
The control issue and lack of permanent damage often make this style a wise choice for law enforcement and corrections officers who don't particularly want to spend the rest of their lives handing over their paychecks to the litigious dirtbag whose arm they inconsiderately broke while getting in the way of said dirtbag's living by preventing them from daily tasks such as robbing, kidnapping, or murdering unarmed citizens.
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We find that the combination of all of these arts have a welcome place in our curriculum, and most interested in becoming martial artists or even broadening their horizons will find something new, even if it is an unexpected enlightenment of how two completely different methods of approach can be melded together to produce effective results.
As far as rank goes, we do not have a set schedule for testing. Students will test for their next rank when they are ready for their next rank and not before. If it takes two weeks, fine. If it takes six months, also fine. We are more interested in producing a select few elite practitioners than mass producing countless drones who have learned to mimic enough moves to think they are the next big thing.