The word of Ho Sin Sul refers to a Korean form of unarmed self-defense that combines elements of Tae Kwon Do (the way of the hand and foot), Yudo (way of water or softness), and Hapkido (way of coordinated power). The term "Ho Sin" (sometimes spelled in English as 'Ho Shin'), means to "defend yourself", and "Sul" (sometimes spelled in English as 'Sool') means "techniques of".

In the U.S., Grandmaster Dr. Daeshik Kim is President of the Society of Hosinsul and the United States Martial Arts Institute, Inc. It was Grandmaster Dr. Kim who truly defined Ho Sin Sul here in the United States to be "Conceptual Self-Defense". In fact, hosinsul made its debut mainly at universities across the United States as part of their physical education departments.

Dr. Kim earned a four-year diploma from the Korean Yudo College in Seoul, Korea and came to the United States in December, 1960. He graduated from Georgia Southwestern College and received a B.A. in political science from Georgia State University. From Emory University he earned an M. Ed. and a doctorate in physical education and safety education from the University of Georgia. He engaged in post-doctoral studies at Teachers College of Columbia University and Concordia University in Montreal. Dr. Kim has also received an honorary Doctor of Science and Doctor of Law Degrees from two American institutions of higher learning.

Dr. Kim has been involved in the martial arts since 1948 and now holds an 8th Degree Black Belt in Judo and a 9th DAN Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. He also holds master's ratings and certifications in several other martial arts. Dr. Kim is considered one of three Korean Judo Masters and one of five Tae Kwon Do Masters who have pioneered those martial arts in the United States. He was the first person to introduce martial arts sports into the educational system in Georgia and he contributed greatly to the development of the martial arts in the southeastern United States.

Dr. Kim was recently awarded a National Medal (Kuk Min Hoon Jang) by the Republic of Korea in recognition of his dedicated lifetime service, outstanding contributions and scholastic developments to the field of physical education, sport management and martial arts in Korea and abroad.

Since coming to this country, Dr. Kim has taught the martial arts primarily in physical education departments of colleges and universities. These institutions of higher learning have included: Georgia Southwestern College, Emory University, Georgia State University, City College of New York, and the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Kim is a former president of the National Collegiate Judo Association of the United States. Dr. Kim returned to Korea in 1971 and served as Chairman and Professor of Physical Education at Yonsei University in Seoul. During his three year stay in Korea, he held a number of high offices in physical education and sports organizations. He was instrumental in forming the Korean Collegiate Tae Kwon Do Federation and the Korean Collegiate Judo Federation. He has also served as Director of both the Korean Amateur Sports Association and Korean Judo Association.

Back in the United States, Dr. Kim helped organize the World Tae Kwon Do Championships of the World Taekwondo Federation which were held in Chicago in 1977. He also served as Secretary-General of the Championships. Dr. Kim served as the Senior Vice-President of the Pan American Tae Kwon Do Union and has also served as a consultant to the First, Second, and Third World Open Karate Championships of the Great Master Masutatsu Oyama's (Yong I. Choi) International Kyokushinkai-kan style of Karate in Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Kim has published over 25 books on the martial arts. This vast number includes eight volumes on Tae Kwon Do. He has served as Editor of Martial Arts Sports and Associate Editor of The Judo Times. Presently, Dr. Kim is an executive director of the International Council on Martial Arts Education (ICMAE) and a Professor of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin where he recently retired from teaching the philosophy of sport, comparative physical education, safety education, and martial arts courses. His most recent book release is co-authored with Dr. Allan Back and is titled, "The Way To Go - Philosophy in Martial Arts Practice." This book is available from the Ko Mu Do Kwan. Just write to Master Dr. Ko to order your personal copy. It would be a very good reference to add to your library.

This most prestigious, extensive background, and professional experience of Grandmaster Dr. Kim, was the primary reason of major attraction to Master Dr. Ko from the onset. Master Dr. Ko researched the background and accomplishments of Grandmaster Dr. Daeshik Kim and found that his philosophies paralleled his own. In fact, Master Dr. Ko considers Dr. Daeshik Kim a true Founder and Great Grandmaster of Conceptual Self-Defense: "Ho Sin Sul in America".

On July 10, 1997, Master Dr. Ko's mentor, Grandmaster Dr. Daeshik Kim certified him as Master Instructor of Hosinsul through stringent requirements. Grandmaster Dr. Kim accepted Master Dr. Ko and inducted him into the Society of Hosinsul for life. Master Dr. Ko holding the 5th DAN in Hapkido (Grandmaster Ik-Hwan Kim), the 6th DAN in Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan (Grandmaster Jae-Kyu Chon through Grandmaster Soung-Eui Shin), and the 5th DAN from the Kukkiwon (Dr. Un Yong Kim), pre-qualified him for acceptance by Grandmaster Dr. Daeshik Kim. Master Dr. Ko had to satisfy several requirements under the guidance and tutelage of Grandmaster Dr. Kim including an 8-page thesis carefully researched and constructed over the course of a year on his conceptulization of self-defense.

Even though Grandmaster Dr. Kim is retired from teaching and is enjoying his retirement in southern California, Master Dr. Ko has committed himself and the Ko Mu Do Kwan in perpetuating the Society of Hosinsul and its conceptualizations of "real" self-defense techniques and strategies.

During the same year that Korea hosted the 24th Olympiad in Seoul, 1988, Grandmaster Dr. Daeshik Kim and Master Jung Nam Lee, (deceased) co-authored a book, entitled, HOSINSUL; Conceptual Self Defense. This most helpful and informative "textbook" is still available from Nanam Publications, Seoul, Korea, and TKD Enterprises in Iowa.

It is Master Dr. Ko's intention to not only perpetuate the Society of Hosinsul, here in this Internet Web Page, but to create a MEMORIAL here to forever honor Master Jung Nam Lee for his enormous contribution and dedicated service to the development of the martial arts and hosinsul, worldwide. To commemorate Master Jung Nam Lee's contributions to the development of the martial arts in Korea and the United States, a biography of him is available in the textbook mentioned in the preceding paragraph, HOSINSUL: Conceptual Self Defense, co-authored by him and Grandmaster Dr. DaeShik Kim. Why not order a copy TODAY!

Ho Sin Sul is a selective combination of several martial systems. From Tae Kwon Do, it derives power; from Judo and Hapkido, smooth leverage, joint locks and chokes; from all martial arts, the concept of Ki, or spiritual energy. It must not be confused with Japanese Aikido for it makes use of kicking and striking techniques along with the joint locks, joint imobilizations, smooth - small circle - leverage, and controlled applications of pain to overcome an aggressor. The follow-up techniques that finish the technique in a continuous, rapid and flowing manner is expressive of 'true' Hapkido. It is the form of self-defense (Hosinsul) that is included in both Tae Kwon Do programs and the single Hapkido program taught at the Ko Mu Do Kwan. Many books offered today on Taekwondo include a section on self-defense or Hosinsul that is essentially a chapter of Hapkido techniques. There have also been some books written that are entirely devoted to the illustration of self-defense techniques or Hosinsul.

The most impressive part of Grandmaster Dr. DaeShik Kim's approach to Ho Sin Sul is the conceptulization.

Many students of self-defense are only taught the techniques and not the concept. If a student has only been taught self-defense from a technique-by-techniques approach, that student's understanding will be very limited. Also limited will be that student's ability to successfully counter various attacks initiated by an aggressor. This limitation can be overcome if the student is able to generalize and conceptualize to the point that they are able to improvise when faced with an unfamiliar self-defense situation. By way of illustration, if a student has only learned a number of defenses against a wrist grab, he or she may become momentarily confused if he or she is grabbed on the wrist in a way slightly different from the way in which he or she learned the technique. Worse, the student may be grabbed by the lapel of his or her coat instead of by the wrist, and may not yet have a "defense against a lapel grab" in his or her collection of 'limited' techniques. Experienced students are able to generalize techniques and realize that a defense against a wrist grab may also work against a grab to the clothing or to some other part of their person. Such students understand concepts of Ho Sin Sul and are not restricted to only a certain small number of techniques. Many sport taekwondo schools suffer from this very description.

Master Dr. Ko is proud to teach ALL aspects of Ho Sin Sul. Both sides of the body are taught when grabbed by either the left or right hand. Defense strategies are taught from both left and right punch entries as well as both left and right kick entries. One-step and three-step techniques are taught from both sides of an attack.

Finally, Master Dr. Ko teaches that there are 5 distinct ranges of combat: 1) Kicking range utilizing the full length of the leg and foot, 2) Punching range utilizing the full length of the arm and hand, 3) Trapping range utilizing the natural folds of the legs and arms or the knees and elbows, the head, shoulders, hips, etc., 4) Stand-up Grappling range which includes grabs to the body, limbs, clothing, etc., and 5) Ground fighting range to include all of the preceding ranges but on the surface of the ground.

Master Dr. Ko humbly feels that if any person, martial artist or not, does not train diligently in each of these ranges, then they (male or female) will have a rude awakening in the 'reality of the street' in a REAL self-defense situation or confrontation.

Long Live Ho Sin Sul!

Master Dr. Gar Won Ko
Headmaster,
Ko Mu Do Kwan
2819 E. Central
Wichita, Kansas 67214

Phone: (316) 651-5050

Send E-mail to: komudokwan@southwind.net