AIMAA
 SUMMER CAMP 2006

As Grandmaster Hee Il Cho gives the closing speech of the 2006 Action International Martial Arts Association’s Summer Camp, all of the (over) one hundred and fifty students are content from having been part of something truly special. Students devoted their heart and soul to the mental and physical aspects of their training over the course of the intense week, attending classes up to eight hours a day with some of the world’s leading martial arts masters.

This, however, is not the subject that Grandmaster Cho decides to close on. As the students have been anticipating, he urges each and every one to not only concentrate on developing their physical abilities but to concentrate on nurturing the ability to use their Tae Kwon Do train­ing to better their characters and multiply the peace and happiness in their lives. This is what truly makes AIMAA an organization that stands out: faithfully dedicating themselves to inspiring their members to embrace the full richness of the martial arts. It is what inspires those working behind the scenes to make the AIMAA Summer Camp 2006 a tremendous success.

The AIMAA is a family; tight, strong, and innovative. At the same time, the AIMAA is open-minded and welcoming, as all those members attending their first AIMAA event will testify to. The measure of a man such as Grandmaster Hee II Cho is his continuing endeavours to ensure this continues. There are no egos within the AIMAA, and everyone is always avail­able to help. The development of charac­ter is the most valuable quality of Tae Kwon Do training, and the AIMAA is an organization that truly helps to bring this out in every student. Celebrating the diversity of their countries and styles, stu­dents were unified under one harmonious spirit of martial arts training. AIMAA Summer Camp 2006 not only met but exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The 2006 AIMAA Summer Camp was hosted by Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona - a prominent training ground for many Olympians for its high altitude. Students from as far as India, Ireland, and Scotland endured great difficulty reaching the United States in order to participate in what they believed would be one of the most worthwhile weeks of their martial arts careers. The first day of training got off to a great start with AIMAA Technical Director, Master Philip Ameris teaching a class for all those members who had arrived early to the camp. No student would have been able to guess that Master Ameris was nursing a bad foot injury, from the intensity of his skills and remarkable precision. Master Ameris’ coaching talent led to all those in attendance receiving an excellent workout and fitting introduction to the camp.

In the afternoon European Director Master John Darcy taught his first class of the camp and led the students through an excellent variation of footwork drills and AIMAA curriculum. Master Darcy’s contagious passion for the art revived an otherwise familiar curriculum, delivering the most basic techniques in such a way that freshly opened students’ eyes. A very special guest Instructor at the Summer Camp was Champion Sambo fighter, Master Herve Gheldman from Russia. Master Gheldman’s specialized training was definitely a highlight for many of the campers who attended several of the Sambo classes that were held throughout the week (although their aching muscles might say differently). Students were blown away by how easily they could grasp the effective and direct locks that were taught.

A major aspect of Grandmaster Cho’s philosophy over the years has always been to keep your mind open to new ideas and to learn from all aspects of the martial arts. Summer Camp 2006 was again a perfect example of this. Not only were the traditional aspects of Tae Kwon Do taught, but classes varied from Sambo and Tal Chi to the more realistic forms of self-defence. Every member of the AIMAA is blessed by the most innovative martial arts curriculum available today. It has been Grandmaster Cho’s willingness to embrace and introduce new ideas and instruction to his association that has allowed this to happen.

As the week progressed, the classes kept coming and people began to feel the physical strain on their bodies. This, however, was a passing thought to everyone as the atmosphere and camaraderie between the members encouraged and motivated everyone to give every class one hundred percent. Many AIMAA Instructors from different parts of the world contributed their diverse teaching talents to enrich the camp’s curriculum: Will Power, Gerry Long, Declan Dermody, William Hillock and Pat Meagher from Ireland taught much applauded children’s and adult’s classes that reviewed founda­tional techniques and patterns. Doreen Byrne, also from Ireland, diversified the curriculum by adding an intense cardio kickboxing class. AIMAA Ireland’s National Secretary, Quintella Walsh, taught a tough and fun filled class to add to the informative contribution she made to the R.A.P.E Prevention course taught at the camp.

R.A.P.E Prevention

R.A.P.E Prevention is yet another branch of the AIMAA that has grown in recent years and helped communities all over the world. Standing for Real Attack Prevention Effectively, R.A.P.E. is a realistic defence system designed by AIMAA Technical Director, Master Philip Ameris. Many Black Belt instructors took the opportunity to qualify in this field at the Summer Camp and can now return to their respective countries to teach preventive seminars. This is anoth­er example of the AIMAA’s wide and expanding range of possible avenues.

From Scotland was John Kirkwood who shared his vast knowledge in the field of competition and showed all of his expe­rience in passing on some excellent tips on point sparring. This was the first time that many of the American students had experienced this sort of sparring and everyone was delighted at the chance of trying something new. Weapons classes were also available at Summer Camp 2006 and these were taught by Sean and Denise Farrell, who have experience in the art of Wu Shu. Many students took the opportunity to add this exciting discipline to their training. Those who took this class were led through a weapons form using the boa staff and were shown the correct way of handling the weapon and how to execute each manoeuvre.

Another AIMAA Instructor from the United States was Mark Corupe, represent­ing Phoenix Cho’s Tae Kwon Do, who taught a dynamic kicking class on the final day of the camp. Students were taught the essentials of jumping kicks and Mr. Corupe also spent time demonstrating specific strength building exercises for the development of jumping skills. Michael Tippet, also an AIMAA Instructor from Arizona, added two new dimensions to the AIMAA experience this year: Extreme Martial Arts (XMA) and a Business Strategies seminar. The fundamentals of acrobatics and gymnastics movements unique to the XMA were introduced as well as applicable flexibility techniques. Both children and adults found the XMA classes to be a fresh addition to this year’s AIMAA event. In view of the evolution of the martial arts community becoming an industry where many enthusiasts are pursuing their teaching careers full-time, Mr. Tippet’s Business Strategies seminar proved to be an insightful eye-opener with up-to-date ideas on how to utilize sales and marketing techniques to perpetuate a rich tradition of art to future generations.

Grandmaster Cho’s seminar

A surprise inclusion to the event was Grandmaster Cho’s nephew Jason Cho, who taught an amazing kicking class after flying in from Houston, Texas. Mr. Cho’s young age is surpassed by his extensive knowledge and experience of Tae Kwon Do training, and his charismatic coaching skills allowed members of all ability to easily grasp how to produce the most effectiveness and power for their kicks. All students had been looking forward to Thursday morning, which was to be Grandmaster Cho’s seminar. Reaching his mid­60s, Grandmaster Hee II Cho has not slowed down and still trains as hard as anyone, still kicks better than anyone, and still punches with devastating force. This was proved time and time again as he led all the campers through a two hour seminar (no one was going to miss this one!).

The seminar started with stretching exercises and a cardio warm-up before Grandmaster Cho demonstrated and taught the students how to achieve an excellent Tae Kwon Do class in confined space. Once again a message, perhaps, that we must not let any obstacles stand in our way.  All the basic blocks and stances were covered with Grandmaster Cho demonstrating every last technique.  Grandmaster Cho truly leads by example in every aspect of his teaching. There are no gimmicks here. The seminar then transitioned into kicks and combinations with the participants stopping to applaud at one stage as Grandmaster Cho delivered a row of mul­tiple spinning kicks with lightning speed.

At the conclusion of the seminar, Grandmaster Cho spoke of the need for all the students to realize that the Tae Kwon Do journey is as much a personal journey as anything else. He spoke of his dedica­tion over the last fifty years and how this had taught him to appreciate all he had achieved and all that Tae Kwon Do had given him. The message was clear: the martial arts is not simply about achieving your physical peak but also learning how to reach your mental and spiritual happiness. A journey he concluded that takes a life­time. We must always strive. As the Masters say, ‘Keep on pushing’.

It is very difficult to describe through words how an AIMAA event like Summer Camp 2006 affects the people who take part. Over the years much has been written about the AIMAA, Grandmaster Cho, Master Ameris and Master Darcy, but nothing really quite hits the mark. You must experience firsthand what this special association and its Masters have to offer. AIMAA Summer things, the amazing physical training, the friendly atmosphere that grew between the members from the four corners of the Globe and the experience and honour of training alongside the world’s greatest living Martial Arts teacher - Grandmaster Hee II Cho.

What I will remember most is the feeling of sadness that I felt as Grandmaster Cho wrapped up his closing speech and then the overwhelming feeling of happiness and reward for making the many new friends that sat around me. The AIMAA will go from strength to strength and members are already anticipating the next worldwide event. AIMAA Summer Camp inspired all the participants to not only train hard but to con­stantly strive to reach for their dreams. This was truly an event beyond words that will be remembered fondly for many years to come.

As Grandmaster Cho so notably said, ‘The rewards are limitless, more than you can really imagine. For those who persevered to make the trip, I am sure their rewards will reach no limit.