# The Hunt for the Heir to the Hapkido Empire



## Kittan Bachika

So I have been perusing the internets in search of the heir to the Choi Hapkido empire Master Chin Il  Chang. According to some sites he teaches in NYC at a dance studio. But that studio has changed locations and there has been no response to inquiries regarding Maser Chang

So where is the heir to the Choi Dynasty?

Conspiracy theories are welcome.


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## iron_ox

Hello all,

Well, there is certainly no Empire...Hapkido has been allowed to become disjointed by phony history and rank...but that is another story.

Dojunim Chang Chin Il does (or did) live in New York, and was chosen as Dojunim in part because Choi Dojunim felt New York was the best hub for the world to see his martial art. (Just FYI, from one of the men that was there and helped in the selection process).

Some 7 years ago, I was fortunate to have a very long audience with Dojunim Chang, and will always remember the experience.

Dojunim Chang has not been in the public eye for more than 5 years, and even those that know him well have not heard from him in as long.  This is not unusual for him.

If Dojunim Chang does not designate another successor, there are two men, and only two men, that have been ranked to 9th Dan directly from Choi Dojunim.  Dojunim Chang was the first 9th Dan, Grandmaster Lim Hyun Soo (of the Jungki Kwan) the second, Grandmaster Kim Yun Sang (of the Yong Sul Kwan) was the third and his training partner Grandmaster Lee (deceased) was the fourth.

These are the only men that can rightly claim 9th dan in Hapkido directly under Choi Dojunim, the Founder of the art. 

If you are in New York, I would not suggest "searching out" Chang Dojunim, please respect his privacy.


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## zDom

iron_ox said:


> Hello all,
> 
> Well, there is certainly no Empire...Hapkido has been allowed to become disjointed by phony history and rank...but that is another story.



I'm pretty sure phony history and rank aren't the only contributing factors to hapkido being "disjointed."


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## iron_ox

zDom said:


> I'm pretty sure phony history and rank aren't the only contributing factors to hapkido being "disjointed."




Such as?


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## goingd

iron_ox said:


> Such as?



*steps in* Pride. The earliest of the Hapkido organizations had the opportunity to unite early on, but would not compromise with each other. I think Hapkido has a lot of potential to be an incredibly open style, conforming to the same concepts, but not to a singular system.


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## iron_ox

goingd said:


> *steps in* Pride. The earliest of the Hapkido organizations had the opportunity to unite early on, but would not compromise with each other. I think Hapkido has a lot of potential to be an incredibly open style, conforming to the same concepts, but not to a singular system.



I understand where you are coming from, but the Founder of the Art, Choi Dojunim only died in 1986, so I really don't think it was pride keeping them apart more than, perhaps, arrogance and lack of integrity.

Far too many students of Choi Dojunim, and their students, inflated their rank and tried to add material to a style they had not fully learned...  

This is why there is no single system...the problem is that it can be interpreted in an open fashion - usually incorrectly - even most of the core concepts are misunderstood...

There is, never the less a single current Dojunim, Chang Chin Il.  And more fortunately, many of the "offshoot" styles tack something in front of the word Hapkido, so at least the public can know what they are getting in many cases.


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## zDom

iron_ox said:


> I understand where you are coming from, but the Founder of the Art, Choi Dojunim only died in 1986, so I really don't think it was pride keeping them apart more than, perhaps, arrogance and lack of integrity.
> 
> Far too many students of Choi Dojunim, and their students, inflated their rank and tried to add material to a style they had not fully learned...
> 
> This is why there is no single system...the problem is that it can be interpreted in an open fashion - usually incorrectly - even most of the core concepts are misunderstood...
> 
> There is, never the less a single current Dojunim, Chang Chin Il.  And more fortunately, many of the "offshoot" styles tack something in front of the word Hapkido, so at least the public can know what they are getting in many cases.



I understand that you are proud of your lineage. I am just as proud of mine.

As for inflated rank, I am not aware of any in my lineage (Choi, Suh Bok-Sub/Won Kwang-Wha, Lee H. Park, Mike Morton, me). In any case, I'm sure all of these people have at least as much certification as Choi himself had 

I'm sure our opinions differ, but in mine: Choi didn't know hapkido. He was just the most significant contributor to several sources of technique that, when combined became Hapkido.

To use a metaphor, Choi is the beef in a beef stew. But a bowl full of beef is not beef stew. It isn't until you add the potatoes, carrots, etc., and let it simmer that it becomes stew. Ingredients vary slightly and proportions  hence the many varieties of hapkido. 

You think your stew is best because it is full of Choi beef and, if I understand correctly, very little else. That's great.

I think OUR recipe for stew is better. No disrepect intended for Choi  he was a critical and essential ingredient *the catalyst for hapkido becoming hapkido. 

But I think the kicking added by Kim Moo-hyung was a GREAT addition and that those hapkido style that DON'T have the dynamic kicking are missing a great ingredient. I think the full-circle throwing added from the judo backgrounds of many of the key figures in my lineage is also a GREAT addition.

I think the beef we got from Choi is some good stuff. Meaty, very little fat. I'm sure if you spent some time on the mat with Lee H. Park before he passed away, you would have been impressed. Everybody who met him was. Very much.

You can drop words like arrogance and integrity, but I think my instructor and his instructor before him (Park) had none of the former and plenty of the latter.

As for a unified hapkido  I think it's a great idea, but I don't think everybody will drop their curriculum in favor of ours and we surely won't be dropping ours to conform with anyone elses 

It isn't that we are arrogant; we love our stew recipe and think it's the best. Adopting one we don't believe in would show a lack of integrity.

Just remember we ARE part of the hapkido family (and at the senior side of the family tree, fwiw)  and all the redefinitions and wishes won't change that. I hope there is a mutual respect between us.

Wishing your and your branch of hapkido all the best.

Respectfully yours,


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## goingd

I think Hapkido has the potential to unify without conforming to a single system. Hapkido has several variations and they all have their advantages. I think if an organization were to stop using things like membership fees and school charter fees, and they were an open organization, there would be much more incline to join. I think perhaps that is why the Kukkiwon of Taekwondo became so big - they charge certification fees, and testing and seminar fees when you use them. There are no reoccurring memberships and school charters. I've never seen any Hapkido organization like that.


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## Kittan Bachika

iron_ox said:


> Hello all,
> 
> Well, there is certainly no Empire...Hapkido has been allowed to become disjointed by phony history and rank...but that is another story.



The idea of the thread title is from Timothy Zahn's most excellent Star Wars Novel "Heir to the Empire" and information that indicated Chang Chin Il  was selected as Choi's successor. It also has a nice ring to it.




iron_ox said:


> Dojunim Chang Chin Il does (or did) live in New York, and was chosen as Dojunim in part because Choi Dojunim felt New York was the best hub for the world to see his martial art. (Just FYI, from one of the men that was there and helped in the selection process).



Since you had a front row seat to such this particular event, would it be possible for you to share what happened during the selection process? And if New York was considered to be the best hub for Hapkido, why aren't there more Hapkido schools in New York?



iron_ox said:


> Dojunim Chang has not been in the public eye for more than 5 years, and even those that know him well have not heard from him in as long.  This is not unusual for him.





iron_ox said:


> If you are in New York, I would not suggest "searching out" Chang Dojunim, please respect his privacy.



When reading these parts of your response, a joke about leading a secret life fighting crime with Jim Kelly and being hunted down by ninjas if one did not follow your advice came to mind as a response. However, it might come across as obnoxious so it was dropped. 

The original reason for this thread was to see if he still taught in the New York City area and it appears that he does not. Whatever his reasons for leaving are his own. If he wants to share them, great. If not, it his right to keep to himself and it should be respected.


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## blackdiamondcobra

I have known Master Chang personally since 1983 and he has never hidden or tried to play any games hiding. He taught at his school in upper manhattan and in the bronx for a good part of that time.  Easily found throughout that time in the phone book. Many people from several foreign countries and throughout the US easily found him and came to train and meet with him because I was there to personally witness each training and interaction.  Master Chang conducted an open hapkido seminar we did in New Jersey as well I think in 1999 so he conducted several open seminars. He can be found but people respect his privacy and dont just give out his info blindly. He closed his school and decided to conduct more smaller classes which was his choice on how to pass his art.  Each man chooses his own path on how he teaches his art, master Chang is one of the sincerest and true men I have ever met in my martial path which in itself has been long and distinguished. Also I dont believe that master Chang was picked as heir because of his location but because of the man he is and the skill he possesses.


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## blackdiamondcobra

I just want to add a bit more to my original post since I posted it really late last night and it wasnt as helpful as I thought it could be:

Master Chang taught openly in a commercial school for close to 28 years plus. Anyone could have looked him up, came in and joined. Whether you stayed because of the rigors of the classes was up to you.  He also during that period taught classes at the United Nations and we participated in his yearly hapkido demonstrations for UN Day. Master Chang taught for six days a week ceaselessly and like clockwork whether there was one student or twenty.

Most importantly, I witnessed Master Chang always being the gracious host to those equally who often came to challenge him as well as those who came to truly learn and understand.  He is humble and sincere.  He is a master as Doju Choi cultivated him to be. A man of integrity and purpose.

He decided the wear and tear of running a school was too much as many people do and down geared his classes to manhattan instead of upper manhattan and the bronx where the original 3 schools were. He wanted to do that so everyone could easily travel in to train with him.  He did the classes in small studios for that reason. 

Many people in manhattan do that because of the skyrocketing costs of running schools in NY. There are many martial arts classes run out of these type of studios.  Many of my friends do the same thing with great success.

Master Chang still lives and teaches in New York. Its his lifeblood and his purpose in life.  I will see him soon and I will ask about his classes.  

He is a perpetual student even at his age. Constantly improving, constantly researching, constantly evolving. 

I have read in the past alot of nonsense about him not teaching, not doing this, not coming forward or hiding. But its all conjecture on the part of people who really know nothing about him and generally very little about hapkido.  Secondly, without a doubt, his skills especially are exceptional and singular.  If you want to understand hapkido, every increment inch by inch, understand the evolution of the art, talk to him about his trainings with Doju Choi, look at the tons of photos and documentation of his evolution as a student to a master, you will not only be stunned but equally amazed. 

I'm not involved in hapkido or hapkido politics, I will leave that for you guys to bat around. But i wanted to offer my own first hand knowledge and experience free of any conjecture or hearsay. You can take it for what it is worth just as anything you read. Discard it if it doesnt interest you.  Look into it if it does.


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## Kittan Bachika

I truly appreciate your response. All I know about Master Chang is what I have read and honestly, all of it has been good. 

As I stated before, I just wanted to know if he still taught in New York City. From iron_ox's response, it appeared that Master Chang wanted to be left alone which is his right and should be respected.


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## rd8256

iron_ox said:


> Hello all
> 
> 
> Well, there is certainly no Empire...Hapkido has been allowed to become disjointed by phony history and rank...but that is another story.
> 
> Dojunim Chang Chin Il does (or did) live in New York, and was chosen as Dojunim in part because Choi Dojunim felt New York was the best hub for the world to see his martial art. (Just FYI, from one of the men that was there and helped in the selection process).
> 
> Some 7 years ago, I was fortunate to have a very long audience with Dojunim Chang, and will always remember the experience.
> 
> Dojunim Chang has not been in the public eye for more than 5 years, and even those that know him well have not heard from him in as long.  This is not unusual for him.
> 
> If Dojunim Chang does not designate another successor, there are two men, and only two men, that have been ranked to 9th Dan directly from Choi Dojunim.  Dojunim Chang was the first 9th Dan, Grandmaster Lim Hyun Soo (of the Jungki Kwan) the second, Grandmaster Kim Yun Sang (of the Yong Sul Kwan) was the third and his training partner Grandmaster Lee (deceased) was the fourth.
> 
> These are the only men that can rightly claim 9th dan in Hapkido directly under Choi Dojunim, the Founder of the art.
> 
> If you are in New York, I would not suggest "searching out" Chang Dojunim, please respect his privacy.


Hi I'm from new york! I was able to meet Chang, he showed me his certificates of inheritor of hapkido by choi, he's gonna come out of hiding soon he told me and take his rightful place, this meeting took place in 2010, he teaches privately in an undisclosed location and only takes students by private interviews only. Be wishes to start a hapkido franchise he told me, there's only one all curriculum hapkido school in new York and its on 6 th ave and 14th street.


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## rd8256

Hi, thanks for taking the time to post about Chang. We would love to do research and learn about this amazing martial artist, can you give us some web links to him ? There doesn't seem to be many of them, or there very hard to find, thank you


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## blackdiamondcobra

Hi, Not much out there. I have been working with him over the last several months to assemble all his material for some articles and other very interesting releases hopefully that will come out next year.  He has droves and droves of stuff in his apartment.  Its a large task. First up was to get all his certificates in order especially the 10th dan one and all the specific doju appointments and paperwork because its all there and in order with full documentation.  I am proud of him for taking this important step.  I have done research, writing and training throughout the world and always put the same hard light and questioning to anyone in front of me whoever and whatever they are and Master Chang as always produced above and beyond anything I asked of him.


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## Doomx2001

blackdiamondcobra said:


> Hi, Not much out there. I have been working with him over the last several months to assemble all his material for some articles and other very interesting releases hopefully that will come out next year.  He has droves and droves of stuff in his apartment.  Its a large task. First up was to get all his certificates in order especially the 10th dan one and all the specific doju appointments and paperwork because its all there and in order with full documentation.  I am proud of him for taking this important step.  I have done research, writing and training throughout the world and always put the same hard light and questioning to anyone in front of me whoever and whatever they are and Master Chang as always produced above and beyond anything I asked of him.



Take as much pictures and video of him doing techniques as you can! Document everything!! This man is so important to Hapkido history. There are so many questions that we have, and now we have the opportunity to get answered. Keep up the good work, and let us know about your progress. 

 - Brian


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## iron_ox

blackdiamondcobra said:


> Hi, Not much out there. I have been working with him over the last several months to assemble all his material for some articles and other very interesting releases hopefully that will come out next year.  He has droves and droves of stuff in his apartment.  Its a large task. First up was to get all his certificates in order especially the 10th dan one and all the specific doju appointments and paperwork because its all there and in order with full documentation.  I am proud of him for taking this important step.  I have done research, writing and training throughout the world and always put the same hard light and questioning to anyone in front of me whoever and whatever they are and Master Chang as always produced above and beyond anything I asked of him.



Yea, you said the same thing three years ago, and still I don't believe he has had any contact with those that have known him for decades.  Is there a reason for that?

Additionally, not that you have any reason to lie, but it is all to convenient to make such statements and provide no information about who you are.


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## blackdiamondcobra

I havent been out of the country for good deal of that time and I have been working on my completing my other documentaries and writings so its been hard for me to sit down with him and help out as much as I can when I can.  I'm there to try to help the process as much as I can--nothing more.  I've been on this forum enough if you read my posts and my contacts are there. I do what I can to help when I can. You can take it or leave it question or knock it, its all fair and good.


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## iron_ox

blackdiamondcobra said:


> I havent been out of the country for good deal of that time and I have been working on my completing my other documentaries and writings so its been hard for me to sit down with him and help out as much as I can when I can.  I'm there to try to help the process as much as I can--nothing more.  I've been on this forum enough if you read my posts and my contacts are there. I do what I can to help when I can. You can take it or leave it question or knock it, its all fair and good.



I, like many will look with great curiosity at what is produced.  You seem to be accomplished in writing and producing martial arts documentaries, so this should be a pretty easy one.  Can you please also include information about any students of record and standing of Chang Dojunim since he has been teaching non-stop for 3 decades, there should be some, this would be very helpful in establishing a training timeline in New York.

And understand, while I do not doubt your veracity, the tale of so many people he knows that have not heard from him in almost a decade does speak for itself.


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## iron_ox

rd8256 said:


> Hi I'm from new york! I was able to meet Chang, he showed me his certificates of inheritor of hapkido by choi, he's gonna come out of hiding soon he told me and take his rightful place, this meeting took place in 2010, he teaches privately in an undisclosed location and only takes students by private interviews only. Be wishes to start a hapkido franchise he told me, there's only one all curriculum hapkido school in new York and its on 6 th ave and 14th street.



Yeah, this sounded reasonable until the bit at the end for a school with virtually no standing in Hapkido at all...:BSmeter:


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## blackdiamondcobra

There is no hapkido documentary in the works at the moment. Most of my docs took time, the shortest one for me took two full years of work and most take much, much longer.  They seem easy but never are.  Right now, with the limited time i have to be with him, I am helping him create a working grid and getting materials together for some possible articles written by an outside or third party.  Nothing in the end is up to me as I stated and I try to help and nudge it along as much as I can because there is interesting information there to be shared and many questions as highlighted here to be answered.  I just shared what I could as I do on the forum when i have time, the rest is up to him.  A good part of 2013 I am on some of my professional non martial arts projects that will keep me very busy.  The martial arts stuff writing and filming are labors of love I pay for myself, so again thats another reason they take time that even for me are often horribly frustrating.  Thanks again to everyone for sharing your thoughts and I hope some positive things will come of it.


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## Doomx2001

I for one wish, that those that are close to GM Chang would take the time to take pictures of him doing techniques and video. If we sit around waiting for professional quality material to be produced, it will never happen. Human nature is to take the lazy route. Besides, most people take professional looking pictures and videos with cell phones than they do with professional equipment now-a-days. And, no one can tell me that none of his students have a cell phone handy, especially in New York. 

I don't think some people actually know just how important GM Chang is to Hapkido, Korea, and America. From my understanding he is supposed to be THE Grandmaster/Successor of Choi Yong Sul's Hapkido or at least in North America. He would have knowledge about the development of Hapkido, probably some stories of GM Choi's time in Japan, some stories about famous Hapkido practitioners, the documents in his possession, as well as his martial knowledge. 
He is an important part of Korea's martial art history, America's martial art history, and of course, Hapkido.

And please forgive my next statement, but if everyone keeps pussyfootin' around with documenting what we can of GM Chang, then he is going to 'passaway' taking everything with him. Then what? We are gonna be left with 50 or 60 self-appointed 9th Dan's in Hapkido continuing to tell their skewed view of Hapkido history for personal gains. And GM Chang? Well, he will be forgotten by many. There isn't even one picture that I can find of him online, anywhere, and he has been teaching for decades!

If someone has the means and access to GM Chang, they better take advantage of it while they can. 
Anyway, I hope GM Chang is doing well, and I hope for the best. 

 - Brian


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## Dwi Chugi

Doomx2001 said:


> I for one wish, that those that are close to GM Chang would take the time to take pictures of him doing techniques and video. If we sit around waiting for professional quality material to be produced, it will never happen. Human nature is to take the lazy route. Besides, most people take professional looking pictures and videos with cell phones than they do with professional equipment now-a-days. And, no one can tell me that none of his students have a cell phone handy, especially in New York.
> 
> I don't think some people actually know just how important GM Chang is to Hapkido, Korea, and America. From my understanding he is supposed to be THE Grandmaster/Successor of Choi Yong Sul's Hapkido or at least in North America. He would have knowledge about the development of Hapkido, probably some stories of GM Choi's time in Japan, some stories about famous Hapkido practitioners, the documents in his possession, as well as his martial knowledge.
> He is an important part of Korea's martial art history, America's martial art history, and of course, Hapkido.
> 
> And please forgive my next statement, but if everyone keeps pussyfootin' around with documenting what we can of GM Chang, then he is going to 'passaway' taking everything with him. Then what? We are gonna be left with 50 or 60 self-appointed 9th Dan's in Hapkido continuing to tell their skewed view of Hapkido history for personal gains. And GM Chang? Well, he will be forgotten by many. There isn't even one picture that I can find of him online, anywhere, and he has been teaching for decades!
> 
> If someone has the means and access to GM Chang, they better take advantage of it while they can.
> Anyway, I hope GM Chang is doing well, and I hope for the best.
> 
> - Brian



I for one would love to see him host a large seminar in NYC. I know I for one would be there. 

Not to sound too cheesy but, "he could bring balance to the force". Sorry, I'm a Star Wars fan. But he could set the record straight on the questions so many of us have.


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## rd8256

iron_ox said:


> Yeah, this sounded reasonable until the bit at the end for a school with virtually no standing in Hapkido at all...:BSmeter:


Hi, thanks for replying, gm changs very history and training alone qualify his standing and the world of hapkido knows it, that's why there looking for him till this day. I'm just letting you know what he told me about starting a franchise , wether you believe it or not is up to you. - rd8256 red belt hapkido


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## iron_ox

rd8256 said:


> Hi, thanks for replying, gm changs very history and training alone qualify his standing and the world of hapkido knows it, that's why there looking for him till this day. I'm just letting you know what he told me about starting a franchise , wether you believe it or not is up to you. - rd8256 red belt hapkido


I was referring to the school you mentioned more than anything else.


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## rick526

Gentlemen, I have been following your threads & understand your dilema regarding Hapkido.  I am not a Hapkido BB, nor do I take Hapkido.  I have been associated with it going back to the late 80's so take my view as you wish.
1st I think you need to establish who the founder of Hapkido really is, *Grandmaster Choi, Yong Sul* seems to be the choice.  My connection with Hapkido comes from a long time friendship with Grand Master Michael Wollmershauser who studied in Korea directly under GM Choi & with GM Lim Hyun-Soo.  My understanding is that GM Lim, 9th degree, ranked #1 in the world in HKD, GM Chang, 9th degree, ranked # 2 in the world in HKD, & GM Wollmershauser, 8th degree, ranked # 3 in the world in HKD.  GM Mike passed away about 7 years ago.  I was fortunate to meet GM Lim numerous times at Master Mikes DoJo & his home.  My sons last BB test was in front of GM Lim, GM Parks, & GM Wollmershauser.  GM Lim is currently working in Daegu City, Korea as an attorney & running his school in Daegu City.  It seems to me that he should be the individual to unite & set the ground rules for HKD.  He is also probably one of a few that can get through to GM Chang.  I may be full of s___, but I have had the honor of seeing & holding Master Choi's Short Sword.  Hope I haven't stepped on any toes!

Sincerely,

rick526


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## rd8256

rd8256 said:


> Hi, thanks for taking the time to post about Chang. We would love to do research and learn about this amazing martial artist, can you give us some web links to him ? There doesn't seem to be many of them, or there very hard to find, thank you



my experience meeting the true heir of hapkido, i was contacted by one of his students after finding a link on the internet, i recieved a call to meet grand master chang at a mcdonalds in manhattan. i arrived early since ive already been training in manhattan in the world martial arts academy under david herbert. when he arrived he brought with him a briefcase full of documentations and photos of him in korea. he showed me his certificate given to him by founder choi appointing him as the sucessor to hapkido and i saw his certificate to 10th degree with founder chois signature. i was astounded by his wisdom because he read me like a book without even knowing me. he told me i needed to stop smoking first of all, i was amazed that he would percieve that , then he told me hapkido would help me with my mental quirk of my eye contact shyness. he then proceeded to throw a couple of quick punches at meet that where lighnting fast , so much so that i couldnt even see them coming. he showed me proof from the korean newspapers of the era declaring that founder choi named him the sucessor of hapkido, i asked him why is he not in the open and he told me that there where to many masters fighting for the crumbs of titles and that he didnt want any part of it. he said his dream is to start a franchise before he comes back out and present himself to the world. -r.d., red belt, hapkido


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## Doomx2001

Well, a website with photos, videos, bios...etc would be a great start. 
Right now everything comes across as hearsay, which isn't too reliable when presenting any type of information. Thank you for sharing your stories though, I hope you continue to do so. But please work to get some concrete stuff on the net, like photos of the GM or his documents, video would be awesome. 

The only other thing I got to add, is if GM Chang takes too long, he is going to pass away before he accomplishes anything. And that won't do anybody any good, especially Hapkido.  If he is going to do something, he needs to do it now.


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## PT2014

Hello everyone. I don't know if this tread is still working, but just to let you know I've read all the stuff written here about Mr Chang. I trained under him in the Bronx in the mid 90's for two years and got to know him fairly well in that time. While I no longer practise hapkido, I would hope I could help answer some questions about Mr Chang as I've personally witnessed a lot of his private photo albums and certificates and records set while he was in korea. looking forward to your response.
Paul


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## rd8256

member: 25648"doesn't want or one wish, that those that are close to GM Chang would take the time to take pictures of him doing techniques and video. If we sit around waiting for professional quality material to be produced, it will never happen. Human nature is to take the lazy route. Besides, most people take professional looking pictures and videos with cell phones than they do with professional equipment now-a-days. And, no one can tell me that none of his students have a cell phone handy, especially in New York.


PT2014 said:


> Hello everyone. I don't know if this tread is still working, but just to let you know I've read all the stuff written here about Mr Chang. I trained under him in the Bronx in the mid 90's for two years and got to know him fairly well in that time. While I no longer practise hapkido, I would hope I could help answer some questions about Mr Chang as I've personally witnessed a lot of his private photo albums and certificates and records set while he was in korea. looking forward to your response.
> Paul


 Dojunim chang does
I don't think some people actually know just how important GM Chang is to Hapkido, Korea, and America. From my understanding he is supposed to be THE Grandmaster/Successor of Choi Yong Sul's Hapkido or at least in North America. He would have knowledge about the development of Hapkido, probably some stories of GM Choi's time in Japan, some stories about famous Hapkido practitioners, the documents in his possession, as well as his martial knowledge.
He is an important part of Korea's martial art history, America's martial art history, and of course, Hapkido.

And please forgive my next statement, but if everyone keeps pussyfootin' around with documenting what we can of GM Chang, then he is going to 'passaway' taking everything with him. Then what? We are gonna be left with 50 or 60 self-appointed 9th Dan's in Hapkido continuing to tell their skewed view of Hapkido history for personal gains. And GM Chang? Well, he will be forgotten by many. There isn't even one picture that I can find of him online, anywhere, and he has been teaching for decades!

If someone has the means and access to GM Chang, they better take advantage of it while they can.
Anyway, I hope GM Chang is doing well, and I hope for the best.

- Brian[/QUOTE]
Hi, dojunim chang is a very reser


blackdiamondcobra said:


> There is no hapkido documentary in the works at the moment. Most of my docs took time, the shortest one for me took two full years of work and most take much, much longer.  They seem easy but never are.  Right now, with the limited time i have to be with him, I am helping him create a working grid and getting materials together for some possible articles written by an outside or third party.  Nothing in the end is up to me as I stated and I try to help and nudge it along as much as I can because there is interesting information there to be shared and many questions as highlighted here to be answered.  I just shared what I could as I do on the forum when i have time, the rest is up to him.  A good part of 2013 I am on some of my professional non martial arts projects that will keep me very busy.  The martial arts stuff writing and filming are labors of love I pay for myself, so again thats another reason they take time that even for me are often horribly frustrating.  Thanks again to everyone for sharing your thoughts and I hope some positive things will come of it.





Doomx2001 said:


> Well, a website with photos, videos, bios...etc would be a great start.
> Right now everything comes across as hearsay, which isn't too reliable when presenting any type of information. Thank you for sharing your stories though, I hope you continue to do so. But please work to get some concrete stuff on the net, like photos of the GM or his documents, video would be awesome.
> 
> The only other thing I got to add, is if GM Chang takes too long, he is going to pass away before he accomplishes anything. And that won't do anybody any good, especially Hapkido.  If he is going to do something, he needs to do it now.





PT2014 said:


> Hello everyone. I don't know if this tread is still working, but just to let you know I've read all the stuff written here about Mr Chang. I trained under him in the Bronx in the mid 90's for two years and got to know him fairly well in that time. While I no longer practise hapkido, I would hope I could help answer some questions about Mr Chang as I've personally witnessed a lot of his private photo albums and certificates and records set while he was in korea. looking forward to your response.
> Paul


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## rd8256

Being the only dojunim of hapkido, chang is not willing to fight for the scraps on the table,  he is the only hapkido black belt awarded the 10th degree by gm choi himself, period


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## rd8256

rd8256 said:


> Being the only dojunim of hapkido, chang is not willing to fight for the scraps on the table,  he is the only hapkido black belt awarded the 10th degree by gm choi himself, period


Ive met him p


Doomx2001 said:


> Well, a website with photos, videos, bios...etc would be a great start.
> Right now everything comes across as hearsay, which isn't too reliable when presenting any type of information. Thank you for sharing your stories though, I hope you continue to do so. But please work to get some concrete stuff on the net, like photos of the GM or his documents, video would be awesome.
> 
> The only other thing I got to add, is if GM Chang takes too long, he is going to pass away before he accomplishes anything. And that won't do anybody any good, especially Hapkido.  If he is going to do something, he needs to do it now.


He is the most incre


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## PT2014

rd8256 said:


> Ive met him p
> 
> He is the most incre


Hello again, sorry I haven't been on in a while, rd8256, I can understand your concerns about Mr Chang, but the Mr Chang I knew was always very private. But the more I got to know him the more he opened up. I spent many evenings after class was over sitting talking with him about hapkido and his life. He was always very interested in my life too. He showed me his private catalogue of photos of his time as a young man in Korea and of different records he broke. There was never any question from him as to who was the true heir of hapkido. HIM! After all he is the only 10th dan black belt in hapkido in the world. I have seen the photos of grand master Choi making him a 10th dan. I could go on for hours about him. If you want to know anything more specific let me know if i can help i will. I no longer live in america though. If you are looking for a picture of him google Chinil Chang. The first small picture on the images is him.
Paul


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