Now Accepting Enrollment for Ages 10 to Adult!
*Younger than 10 accepted on case-by-case basis :)
The dynamic style of Korean Sword martial arts!
We Are...
Authentic & Quality Asian Martial Arts
Master Wathen lived, worked, trained, and taught in South Korea for many years. He traveled to China, Japan, Thailand and Turkey exploring world martial art learning.
Though it is extremely uncommon for Americans to teach martial arts in Asia, he did in multiple places including the World Haidong Gumdo Federation Headquarters in ROK.
Security & Law Enforcement Cross-Training
Martial Arts cross-training for those who serve and protect offers skill enhancement and efficacy to officer performance in defense tactics, mental focus, and self-control. Adding the FFSD Korean sword training and/or Korean Karate/Hapkido to your department's defense training program will make strong body, mind and will.
Sports & Athletics Cross-Training
Conventional sports training interspersed with a mix of authentic martial arts training provided by an expert instructor boosts athlete performance, increases flexibility, strengthens long muscle fibers, develops greater accuracy, hand-eye coordination and depth perception, enhances locomotion, exactness in footwork, and prevents injury.
Professionals & Elites
Serious martial artists and competitors would do well to seek out Master Wathen as he descends from a strong lineage of great teachers of martial art excellence.
His practice has evolved over 30 years into his own expression, "Muhandae Moosul", a self-styled hybrid system of hard/soft open-hand self-defense.
Family Friendly & Humility
Master Wathen believes that the martial arts are for everybody and are best learned by the individual learner together with the family - and with the greater support from within the martial art family. High-level ability without humility and a servant's heart is absolutely useless. FFSD believes martial arts is a way to serve, give, help, and love.
About
haidong Gumdo
Haidong Gumdo (ํด๋๊ฒ๋, pronounced: "hay dong gum doh") is a fun and healthy martial art exercise for students of every age that challenges the body, sharpens the mind, and develops inner character.
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This traditional Korean sword martial art is fluid, beautiful and dynamic in its movements. In contrast to its distant cousin, Japanese Kendo, which is a one-to-one dueling sport, Haidong Gumdo is a multiple-opponent battlefield style.
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In place of a real sword, HDGD practices with three versions of safe simulation training utensils:
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sponge safety-sword (beginners)
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wooden sword (intermediate)
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metal fake sword (advanced)
Also, there is sometimes used a bamboo jookdo (shinai). Depending on the level of the student, and/or the lesson being taught, determines which training sword will be used.
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Very advanced adult master blackbelt practitioners use the live blade of a real cutting sword for bamboo cuts to train and test their real ability with Asian sword martial arts. However, that is never done in a normal classroom, it is reserved only for the special 'baegi-jang' practice cutting offsite locations.
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Just like in other Karate schools, the Haidong Gumdo program divides its learning levels by a colored belt system that starts from white and progresses to black. Students wear exercise uniforms similar to Karate gi's but with flared pants that are similar to the Japanese hakama - a traditional pant used in Kendo and Aikido useful for deep knee bends and hiding foot positions/movements.
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Gumdo students are trained from the beginning about etiquette and respect. One of the first respects impressed upon the student is the respect for the sword - even though the student will not get the opportunity to touch a real sword for many years, they are taught to treat the practice utensil with as much respect as one would a true sword. This is only one of many aspects of learning respect for others and the tool one is using, and how to be mindful to the task at hand.
EMPTY HAND
Karate (็ฉบๆ/ๅๆ) means "empty hand", or unarmed, hand and foot martial arts. Furious Fox encompasses a blend of Korean Karate (blocking and striking) and Hapkido (small-joint locks, throwing, and energy redirection) self-defense.
Furious Fox Sword & Defense's Empty-hand Martial Arts Program incorporates:
» INTERNATIONAL TAEKWONDO FEDERATION «
» WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION «
» MOO DUK KWON TANGSOODO «
» FEDERATION OF KOREA HAPKIDO «
» UNIVERSAL MARTIAL ARTS SYSTEMS «
Head Instructor
Master Wathen is ranked 7th dan in Korean Karate/Hapkido unarmed open-hand systems and 4th dan in Haidong Gumdo sword martial arts with 30 years experience overall training around the world with quality instructors.
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He spent most of his adult life in Asia but started his training in the martial arts as a young teen in America beginning with traditional combat Taekwondo and Hapkiye under Grandmaster Jung WooJin, branching out to Olympic Taekwondo after college graduation while teaching at Joon Lee's Taekwondo Academy in south Chicago, and then honing in again on Hapkido and breaking into Haidong Gumdo when he moved to South Korea in 2005.
Also an artist/graphic designer, he eventually gained a position at an art college and served as a Professor of Computer Graphic Design at the Chungkang College of Cultural Industries in South Korea where in addition to his art and design lectures he led on-campus Taekwondo clubs for university students.
He met his wife, a Chinese national, in Korea, then got married in China, and moved briefly to the USA where their son was born. Master Wathen was privileged to teach Tangsoodo and Hapkido, as well as sword, during this time.
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Upon returning to Korea, he was invited by 8th dan Headmaster Kim Jeong Woo, to teach and train at the official World Haidong Gumdo Federation Dojang for several years.
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Master Wathen does not chase rank - else, he'd be higher for his hours put in - but has a life mission to serve, encourage and lift others up via sharing and teaching through his various talents and inspirations.
Headquarters gym in Jeongja-dong, 2019. Headmaster Kim Jeong Woo, far left. Master Daniel Wathen at the receiving his 4th dan and martial art Korean teaching license, fourth from the left.
The Way
Haidong Gumdo martial art trains in five main areas:
1) Technique training 2) Forms 3) Defense Drills 4) Skill Challenges 5) Duel Training
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Kibon Donjak
Basic Technique & Movement
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Kumbup
Choreographed Pattern Performance
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Kyukgum
Short Drill Defense Patterns
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Dojeon
Focus / Skill Challenge
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Dae Ryun
Soft or Bamboo Sword Dueling
