Haidong Gumdo is a Korean sword art which draws from battlefield tactics and
techniques to build a curriculum for mental, physical and spiritual
development. Students learn forms, step drills, sitting and moving
meditation, sparring as well as bamboo and straw cutting. Unlike Kendo and
its Korean equivalent, Kumdo, the focus in Haidong Gumdo is not duelling but
on the tactics of outdoor, pitched battles. Powerful, complex and beautiful,
Haidong Gumdo is a wonderful style which can be pursued throughout your
life.
Practitioners of Haidong Gumdo engage in the practice of basic techniques
(kibon), forms (geompeob or pumsae), step sparring (yaksuk daeryun),
sparring (hada), energy building exercises (qi gong) and cutting practice
(begi).
Basic practice is done with the mokgum (wooden sword).
Sparring practice begins with the bamboo sword (chukdo) but now due to new
laws passed down from the Haidong Gumdo federation a plastic/rubber sword
must be used in competitions, advances to mokgum, and depending on the
school, may advance to weighted training weapons with protective padding or
armor.
