Do Shim Mudo

Grand Master Ik Sung Kim is a dedicated lifetime martial artist who prides himself on the never-ending pursuit of the unification of the mind, body and spirit. His commitment to this perfection of character began at the age of five, when he commenced his training in Tae Kwon Do. He studied Tae Kwon Do diligently before also pursuing the paths of Hapkido and Kumdo. During these early years, you could often find Grand Master Kim leaving his Tae Kwon Do dojang only to walk several miles for classes at his Hapkido school.

In the mid 1980's, Grand Master Kim brought the Korean sword art of Kumdo to NY State. Since that time, he worked tirelessly to introduce the art of Kumdo to the North East before relocating to the Seattle area of Washington. In 2005, Grand Master Kim opened the first Kumdo school in the Pacific Northwest, Baik San Kumdo Academy. Today, in addition to his martial arts practice, Grand Master Kim furthers his pursuit of a healthy balanced lifestyle by studying Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture.

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Grand Master Bong Soo Han was the world's foremost practitioner of Hapkido, and even today, he is referred to as the Father of Hapkido in the Western World. As one of the original senior students to the Founder of Hapkido, Yong Sul Choi, he led a dedicated effort in the development of Hapkido as it is known today. He taught thousands of loyal students throughout his life with many becoming masters themselves. Other masters across all styles have and continue to seek his wisdom and teachings. Grand Master Han studied and refined this powerful Korean martial art for more than 60 years. Up to the time of his death, he held the rank of 9th Dan Black Belt. He founded and presided the International Hapkido Federation.

Grand Master Han first introduced Hapkido into the United States in 1967, although mass exposure did not come until the motion picture "Billy Jack" filled the nation's theaters in 1971. Grand Master Han is best known, however, for his indefatigable dedication to the teaching of Hapkido, sharing with thousands the truth and nature of martial arts, impacting those who commit to embark on this journey of self-development. For 37 years, he operated his martial arts school and IHF Headquarters in Santa Monica, California. Prior to his death on January 8, 2007, Grand Master Han toured the world lecturing on and demonstrating the Art of Coordinated Power in an effort to expand the IHF to include qualified and committed member schools. Grand Master Han will be dearly missed by all those who knew him. His dedication to Hapkido and to the development of his students can never be matched. Thank you, Grand Master Han, for the teachings, training and inspiration.

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Master Danny Cruz began his martial arts career in Hawaii at the age of 12 and has studied the arts of Shotokan, Kajukenbo, Arnis, and Moo Duk Kwan as well as hand combat self-defense while stationed in Vietnam. He began his training in the art of Hapkido under the tutelage of Grand Master Han over 32 years ago and shares the honor of being the first of Grand Master Han's most senior students to be promoted and certified to the level of Master Instructor. As an active member of the International Hapkido Federation and the Korean Hapkido Association since l975, he has participated in the development of the IHF and has trained many students throughout the world at the IHF Headquarters facility. Master Cruz has actively officiated and competed in tournaments for over 20 years and has won numerous major U.S. Regional State Championship and National Grand Championship Karate tournaments. He performed in the 5th World Martial Arts Expo and has conducted many martial art demonstrations, FBI law enforcement training sessions, and Hapkido seminars throughout the country with Grand Master Han. Master Cruz has appeared in several of Grand Master Han's television and movie projects and also participated in the development of Grand Master Han's Hapkido martial arts instructional videotape series. In addition to co-authoring the IHF Student and Black Belt teaching manuals, his article, "Spirit of a Warrior", featuring Grand Master Han, served as the cover story for the September 1997 issue of Inside Karate. Master Cruz co-administers the IHF HQ and continues to write various martial arts articles. He currently co-manages the teaching curriculum at the IHF Headquarters, the instructional development program for teaching all levels of Black Belt and Gup levels and Grand Master Han’s Black Belt program. He also conducts IHF seminars for all IHF-affiliated schools. Master Cruz is the recipient of several awards of appreciation for his contributions to the Bong Soo Han International Hapkido Federation.

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