Kim Myung Man was born in 1951. He started Martial Arts training at age 8 in Chang Moo Kwan in the south of South Korea. During this time, he was trained carefully and personally by [name???], in both sport and martial techniques. The sport side culminated in a Korean National TKD Title in 1968.
His martial training was accelerated during compulsory military training which saw him in the Navy - to a large extent in the Navy Police, and Navy Demonstration Team. Korean military had organised elite groups, including parts of the military police, into special martial training groups, which received enormous amounts of advanced training in diverse methods - both internal and external, and including weapons and rare and 'secret' (ie, withheld from the public) methods.
This differed markedly from the normal 'basic training' taught to all servicemen, and was essentially a select repository for as much martial knowledge as possible, as well as research to further develop the body which was becoming Korean martial arts.
The origins of many Kwans of Tae Kwon Do was Shotokan Karate, which while quite earnest, represented a dilution of the earlier Okinawan arts (brought to Japan by Funakoshi). These Kwans had a main emphasis on Kick/Punch fighting, with limited development in Ho Sin Sul (ie, self defence).
Other techniques involved throws, locks, falling and some vital point attacks had been developed in Hap Ki Do (a generous mix of Tae Kyon (a loose Korean kicking and 'flailing' art) and the throws and locks of Daito Ryu Jiu Jitsu from Takeda (Aikido evolved, in part from this root)). Hap ki do has been refined and developed over the years with more inclusion of internal methods, breathing and weapons. The amount of variation between various teachers of Hap Ki Do is staggering - ranging from near enlightened Grandmasters, to loosely modified Tae Kwon Do.
Other influences were Yudo (Korean adaptation of Judo), Sado (a form of wrestling), other weapons (eg, 'royal court' weapons), other kinds of Ki development (with a distinctly Northern Chinese flavour), psychological and warrior mental training (self-reliance, 'don't panic under any circumstance', strategy and tactics, mental manipulation of opponents, stamina refinement, and 'stealth').
There is also a some influence from older strongly Korean styles (Shi Palgue, and more unusual internal material).
This material was available for sharing and enhancement within the elite academies and remote training camps.
Kim was brought to Australia in 1975 as a 4th Dan with the WTF, by Master Yun Ku Young (6th Dan ITF - Chun Do Kwan background), with several other Koreans of similar background. Due to management and administrative clashes, all the Koreans eventually left Yun. Kim and Song (who trained together from boyhood) started teaching TKD under the Australian Tae Kwon Do Association in 1977, but eventually, Song retired to a 'normal working life', while Kim decided he wished to teach the much broader range of martial he had been trained in. He established the Australian Hwa Rang Tae Kwon Do Academy and the Australian Hwa Rang Do Academy to cater to both the sporting and martial flavours of his teaching (respectively). [1983, I think, but the material was being taught from 1977].
After twenty years teaching in hired halls and private venues, in 1995, Kim bought a full time gym at 138 Stephen St, Blacktown (Sydney), and teaches there and elsewhere - about 14 classes per week. About eight hundred students currently learn the style along the East coast of Australia.
About 20 of his senior black belts teach classes, but Kim is careful to keep high standard amongst all his teachers (through weekly advanced training and regular training visits to branches). This ensures the integrity of what is taught, but is not compatible with a pyramid selling business plan. In other words, he is motived by a love of the art, and the people, and eschews the motive of blind profit and 'McDonald's martial arts'.
[I will include a listing of classes and venues soon].
Kim trains himself every morning - in addition to his regular classes - and constantly refines his techniques and teaching methods.
Tom Osborn.