Our instructors include Master Greg Walters (8th Dan), Scott Walters (6th Dan) and Chung Yew Wai (1st Dan Hapkido & Muay Thai Practitioner) boasting over 70 years of martial arts experience combined.

The head of the Australian branch of Global Hapkido Association (GHA) is Master Greg Walters, 8th dan, who started studying Hapkido under Master Bermas Kim for over 25 years. Other instructors include Scott Walters, a 6th dan instructor having studied Hapkido for over 20 years and Chung Yew Wai, our resident striking instructor who holds a 1st dan in Hapkido and over 10 years training and competing in Muay Thai.

We aim to bring Hapkido to as many people as possible across Victoria with the goal of training this traditional art in a way that teaches self defence through training in strikes, kicks, locks, throws and sparring without losing the traditional focus on respect and mental discipline.

At our club we focus on self defence, teaching manner/respect, fitness and becoming better people through hard training. We do of course also practice our skills through sparring as well as individual techniques. The goal of our sparring however is to improve ourselves, not simply defeat the person we’re sparring against. Training/sparring partners at our club help each other learn and become more effect at self defence through Hapkido.

The instructors at our club strive to help students achieve their full potential. This does not simply mean students are taught to kick, punch, throw and lock etc. but instead they are driven to understand that no matter how hard an instructor pushes a student to learn, the student must also push themselves. Once a student realises this, and continues to receive good instruction, their potential is limitless.

Aims of a Hapkido Practitioner

The aims of the Hapkido practitioner are threefold:

  1. To obtain healthy mind and body, (mental and physical strength), from positive thought and physical training.
  2. To develop good manners in all our dealings and general daily life.
  3. To develop the ability and willingness to contribute to the happiness and well being of:
    1. One’s family
    2. One’s friends and neighbours
    3. One’s Country

While learning Hapkido the student acquires numerous skills such as hand, foot and weapons techniques together with personal improvements such as positive thinking and self-control. Hapkido is not limited to punching and kicking like many martial arts. It is a complete means of self-defence and incorporates many techniques that allow self-defence with minimum violence and complete control of the opponent. These techniques include joint locks, pressure points, takedowns and restraints as well as the punching and kicking.

From the point of view of the ordinary person Hapkido may appear to be only self-defence, however the art consists of procedures for both attack and defence. Hapkido is a suitable means of fitness and self defence for men & women of all ages, from the young child to a retiree. If the student of Hapkido chooses to use the attack skills he/she will quickly overwhelm their opponent.