• Martial Arts Musings – The Last Promotion

    Martial Arts Musings – The Last Promotion

    On April 26, 2014 I received my 9th Dan in Traditional TaeKwon-Do from Grandmaster Robert Dunn among an assembly of other noted grandmasters.  The occasion was attended by martial artists from all over the country, past and present students, instructors, and family members. It was the last promotion I will ever receive in the art…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Don’t Confuse MMA with Traditional Martial Arts

    Martial Arts Musings – Don’t Confuse MMA with Traditional Martial Arts

    by GM Jeff Helaney I admit it; I was a closet Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fan. For years I watched the Ultimate Fighting Competition and PRIDE bouts on television. I enjoyed watching the sport and marveled at the conditioning of the athletes. It was a testosterone kick for the caveman lurking inside of me. It…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Personal Journies

    Martial Arts Musings – Personal Journies

    by GM Jeff Helaney My first introduction to the martial arts came through movies. Iconic stories like “Enter theDragon” and “Billy Jack” had helped bring martial arts into mainstream American culture and fueled my imagination with possibilities. I wanted to learn how to do all the amazing things I saw at the theaters. Unfortunately for…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Light and Dark Side of the Mountain

    Martial Arts Musings – Light and Dark Side of the Mountain

    by GM Jeff Helaney There is no light without darkness. There is no man with out woman. There is no hard without soft. It is a basic philosophical construct that can be traced back thousands of years to ancient China and a book called the Yi Jing or book of changes written in the Zhou…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Breath Easy

    Martial Arts Musings – Breath Easy

    by GM Jeff Helaney The development of Chinese Qigong can be viewed by looking at four different periods. The first period probably started around the time the “Yi Jing” (Book of Changes) was introduced in the area 1122 B.C., and lasted until the Han dynasty (206 B.C.). At this time Qigong practice entered into the…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Ruminations on Life and Success

    Martial Arts Musings – Ruminations on Life and Success

    by GM Jeff Helaney The measure of a man worth isn’t in how he deals with adversity, but how he deals with success. In times of trouble we are often forced to be rise above ourselves. There are few of us who haven’t been touched by tragedy, loss, or hardship. During these times we gather…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – For the Instructor Who Needs to Hear This!

    Martial Arts Musings – For the Instructor Who Needs to Hear This!

    by GM Jeff Helaney For the real instructors out there a bit of hard earned wisdom…(and to the one instructor who needs to hear this today) I know you don’t want to hear another lengthy lecture from me, but I think it helps to put things in context. You are unique and your love of…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Check Your Ego at the Door!

    Martial Arts Musings – Check Your Ego at the Door!

    photo of Ben Thompson USKF member Ohio …teaching a martial arts class by example by GM Jeff Helaney I have known a number of otherwise very good martial artists over the years that have let their egos get in the way of their teaching, their learning, and their personal growth. They become lost in a…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – What is a Black Belt?

    Martial Arts Musings – What is a Black Belt?

    photo of GM Jeff Helaney and Master Mike Munyon by GM Jeff Helaney This summer will mark my forty-fifth year as a martial artist. In that modest amount of time I have been fortunate enough to meet a number of the contemporary legends and leaders of the martial arts world. Great men and women who…

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  • Martial Arts Musings – Aging Well in the Martial Arts

    Martial Arts Musings – Aging Well in the Martial Arts

    photo of Master Jon Fraser and grandchildren – USKF Member New Hampshire by GM Jeff Helaney One of the most important aspects of healthy living is learning to age well. This might sound like an odd piece of advice, but the truth is we all get older and unless we learn to recognize our body’s…

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