Austria/Czech Republic Seminar

On September 21st through September 23rd, Grand Master Shipp and Supreme Master Kim traveled to Austria and the Czech Republic on behalf of the World Chun Kuhn Taekwondo Federation to host a Weapons and Self-Defense Seminar.  Below is an article written by the host of the seminar, Milan Prokeš.

Source: http://taekwondo.cz/clanky/seminar-s-legendou-taekwonda-supreme-mastrem-kim-bok-manem

Translated from Czech to English:

When I first met Mr. Bockman (11th dan) at a seminar in the Netherlands for the first time with Martin Zamečník, I did not really know how this supreme master and legend of the world’s taekwondo would take me.

He was 81 at the time, his system of seminars and self-defense lessons attracted me so much that I was more interested in his life. Here are some attractions.

At the age of sixteen, he entered the Korean army, and in 1955 he first met General Choi, whom he captured with his techniques. From 1963 to 1964, he co-authored 15 technical assemblies, participated in the other four and had the greatest influence on the symmetry of the assemblies. In 2002, he founded the world-wide organization Chun Kuhn Do, starring in two Hong Kong films, and in 2007, he was awarded in the Hall of Fame for a lifetime benefit for taekwon-do. This is just a brief list of events from his undoubtedly rich life.

This master, along with his offspring Grandmaster Brad Shipp (8th dan) and secretary Jenny, landed on Thursday September 13, 2018 with a stroke of eleven hours at Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague to travel to Bad Leonfelden, Austria, where he had a three-day seminar. I will try to express his presence in the feelings of a man who has 16 English lessons and is therefore only relied on to mimic the face and interpret others. I left the seminar statistics …

At the airport, he welcomed the American expedition, Mr. Kim Bokman lives permanently in the USA, Master Martin Zámečník and after a short lunch on his way to Velešín everyone was satisfied to sleep. They had nearly 24 hours of travel. My task was then to bring Mr Kim to nearby Bad Leonfelden in Austria, to take care of his regeneration so that he could hold a seminar on Friday morning.

Fatigue was known to everyone, so we just tossed the luggage from the car to the car with the decision to go immediately to the trip to Austria. The third person of the escort, charming Jenny, apparently won curiosity and showed the wish to see how she lives in the Czech Republic, specifically in the Prokešovice family.

Immediately after her, Mr. Kim entered the garden and his eyes fell on my modest gym. Immediately the first photo took place, and Mr. Kim Bok-man studied my tax certificates. From his face expression, I thought he was most respectful of those signed by General Choi, which was one.

The tired expression of the master began to lose somewhere, and at the time I did not know that a two-hour discussion of taekwondo would take place at our small table. Several times, my master fist just hit my face, explaining that we are losing three or four seconds in a sine wave.

I again opposed that the tulle serves for the perfect demonstration of the basic technique. It seems that Grandmaster Brad understood this, supreme master not. However, the discussion ended in a friendly spirit and without injury, and we went to the Sommerhaus Hotel in Austria.

After a short stay, we went to the picturesque Leonfeld square for dinner, where Zdeněk Rubeš, Milan Rouha and organizers Wolfgang Bräuer joined us. In addition to a few examples of the Ougi Master Apache, there was nothing extraordinary in the Evening Bad.

Every day the seminar began at nine o’clock with an intense warm-up, combinations of hands and feet, explanation of the importance of self-defense attitudes, self-defense and knife, stick and sword . Afternoon work was also three hours.

Friday morning was a sign of arrival, accommodation and habituation to the warm up, the content of the seminar as well as the championship punishments in the form of kicks. I was lucky. In Austria, I did not pick up one, in the Netherlands one.

Already after the first day of the seminar there was a feeling of fatigue, for the Master did not forgive us anything and kept track of all forty trainees. Friday night we spent in the debates about the seminar, what’s new in our homes and I think the blow of one, was quiet in every room.

But he disappeared with Saturday practice. Strikes, blocks, two, three and four techniques, the same in kicks and self-defense, knife combat. In the afternoon, Mr Kim apparently decided that we were already well prepared for a stick set. That was my end.

The right-handed forearm, which Rosta Kaňka cared for me, was reported to be calm and I was forced to swing in rotation with a stick, and I doubt even that it would go with a healthy wrist. We spent the break after lunch for a visit to the Vyšší Brod monastery (only Brad and Jenny, the master was resting), and we had a trip from the USA to look at the Závišův Cross.

It’s hard to say if that was the intention, because it was clear to us all that Brad, Jenny and Martin could not get the start of the afternoon training. We were secretly hoping the master would not deal with the bundle and wait for Brad. The opposite was true. The warm-up warm-up was even faster and with even shorter breaks.

We had a banquet from 7:00 pm and the Swedish tables began with the handing over of certificates, gifts, wishes and speeches. I was instructed how a proper sitting order should look like (the master said, not that he would complain, but when some high representative will say we will not look like fools).

After we all moved to the bar, we made the sessions exactly as per the instructions. The Master was staring, but we all wanted to have fun, so the sitting order lasted for a moment, and the company was divided into debating circles.

At midnight Terezka Měřínská came and we could give Midnight Juche. “Are you crazy? Do you want Mr. Kim to kill you all? Take Brad and take Kodang with him “was my answer.

As it turns out, everybody thinks. We practiced quite a bit and twice, because Master Kim was returning to the bar and therefore for the second time. We ended and the first words were: “Too many mistakes.”

And there was an hour-long discussion of the techniques where the master showed off near my torso. Someone from the interpreters said, “Do not worry about Milano, the master said that only one in ten would not control him.” According to this statement, Mr. Kim made at least twenty, because I felt my left cheek from the elbow and the same thing on my ribs … and on my death, Terezka’s sentence would sound like “Milana, please do not ask anything”

Bar closed at half past three, as Wolfgang celebrated his birthday and fatigue had already eradicated all energy. Still survive Sunday morning.

Not everybody, however, had the luck at Sunday’s exercise. They were also Mr. Kima’s favorites, who had almost a private lesson, which also involved the passing of a few wounds on his back, kicks in his thighs and hundreds of crannies. And the final slogan, how do they all work well and only you two stupid?

But in the end, everything ended well and the final half an hour left the Master on the debate and evaluation of the seminar. What was it? As our friends from Austria say: “Halb und halb”. We had a lot of mistakes, but we got better. And Mr Kim was also satisfied. As our girls (spies) learned from Jenny’s interview, she did not know the master of such a cheerful, relaxed and aggressive energy.

This was confirmed by Martin as well, when the master showed interest in three of our T-shirts, adding: “I did not want a T-shirt in my life.”

Everything ends once the seminar ends. Latest handwriting with friends and co-workers, wishes for a good way home and looking forward to another joint event.

We are accompanied by a foreign visit to Hluboká, connected with the tour of the castle, and there is also good-bye. I dare to say that Brad had tears in his eyes. Martin is pushing gas, and the whole of the US moves to Prague and takes the power to return to Prague.

So again, supreme master Bok Man Kim, Master Brad and Jenny. Thank you all for you, Wolfgang, Martin, interpreters and translators, and all of you who have arrived!

Milan Prokeš
Head of School Taekwon-do ITF Velešín

Statement by the President of the Union: We immediately agreed with Grand Master Brad Shippe that we will try to organize a similar seminar next year in the Czech Republic and make it available to all our masters, instructors, instructors and other interested parties. All of this year’s participants will surely confirm that attending this workshop is definitely worth it and will bring everyone significant bonuses in the next martial arts exercise.