The following are actual testimonials from students and their families who have experienced our Jin Joong Kwan Hapkido training.

Top notch instructors
My son had an excellent experience at JJK Hapkido and was there for almost three years. The teaching and training is excellent and could not be any better. It is a very regimented program which is so important to teach character skills such as respect for others, discipline, and the importance of sticking with something and not giving up when it gets difficult. Every instructor is top notch and they have the student’s best interest in mind as they work with them in the program through the different belt levels. I would recommend JJK Hapkido to anyone, children or adults, as it is a very powerful and positive program. – Mr. Jeff Kubik

Devotion to students
I can’t believe it’s been 18 years since we first sent Alex Cassmeyer to your school!  He has been a 3rd degree black belt for a few years now and his father and I are very blessed to look back on these last 18 years.  Sending our son (Mr. Cassmeyer) to you when he was 9 was one of the best parenting decisions we ever made.  Talk about priceless!! We brought him to you for physical training, discipline and self-defense, and you gave him, and all of your students, your whole self!  I have never met a more devoted teacher and practitioner in ANY art.  It is obvious that you see this as a vocation, not just a career or business.  The role-model you have been to him and others continues to multiply itself past our ability to even see! Thanks be to God and to your willingness to partner with me and my husband, our son has become a noble young man who puts his whole heart into his pursuits.  He has learned to never give up; to pursue his dreams and to devote his God given talents to the benefit of others, regardless of the obstacles before him.  He continues to focus on the tenets of Hap Ki Do as he works through medical school to become what God created him to be. You saw and nurtured his best traits for years, alongside my husband and myself.  You saw character strengths in our son that we may not have seen had you not made us aware.  God truly brought you into our lives and we are blessed and humbled to be part of the family that you grew.  As Grandmaster Kim modeled to you, and you modeled to our son, we pray that future generations will take heed of this depth of commitment and character that becomes more rare every day. Thank you, Sir.  We love you! – Sandy Cassmeyer

The only school for true self-defense
We have been attending Hapkido-USA for the past 3 years. All of our 4 children are active in classes now. What drew us to Hapkido-USA was the commitment to learning. It is not the goal of the school to rush families through the belts in order to achieve black belt status. Our kids know and understand the techniques and lessons taught during Hapkido plus are able to apply them to their everyday life. Another aspect Hapkido offers is the embracing of the Eastern culture without imposing on our Christian values. Some of our children are of Asian descent and we feel that Hapkido shows respect to their birth country as well as to their faith. Our family felt that Hapkido-USA was the only school in the region that encompasses true self-defense.  We think of Hapkido as just an extended part of our family. – The McAtee Family

Teaching critical life skills
My son started Hapkido training at age 5. When I enrolled him, I knew I must decide whether he could commit to it or not. We observed some training classes as well as interactions with other parents and children and were very pleased as we witnessed respect, compassion, dedication and a family atmosphere.  Today, my son is 9 and I am so grateful to Hapkido plus all the employees. It has positively influenced his life in many aspects, such as socialization, critical thinking skills, confidence, patience/control, how to stick with commitment, and of course all the great techniques for self-defense.  Thank you for being part of our lives. Your passion for Hapkido plus your dedication to the community is “one of a kind”. – Susan McClenahan

Empowering women
I love Hapkido! I would have never thought that this old body of mine could keep up, but when you don’t stop to ask “if I can”, you already are! Talk about Empowerment! – Ms. Paula

Building strength and confidence
Empower Class for Women has the perfect name because it does empower women to stand TOGETHER and be strong TOGETHER! There is no one to compete against except yourself to become a more confident, stronger, more empowered woman. Become aware of real world situations and know that you have the strength and willpower to handle them. The greatest gift to yourself is Empowerment! Good training, good fun, great friends! – Mindy Collings

Martial Arts Plus
JJK Combatives Class has opened my eyes to the world of possibilities when defending yourself and your family. I feel that even though Combatives is only one night per week, you truly gain more awareness of your surroundings, knowledge and skill level than traditional martial arts training.   Please don’t misunderstand me – I absolutely love Hapkido training at the Jin Joong Kwan national headquarters school, but there is only so much that can be taught when wearing a dobak. Taking two classes together makes a great combination! – Mr. Matt Hays (Black Belt 1st degree, April 2012)

Self-defense for real life situations
Jin Joong Kwan Hapkido will provide the structure and consistency that many kids need as well as the opportunity to work with students of all levels, which in turn strengthen their skills and confidence. This is not a “push your child into it” program. This is true life skills that your child will want to learn, strengthen and be committed to. He(she) will gain a sense of who he is and what he is capable of. He will make good friends who make like-minded choices and be led by a stellar group of men and women of all ages who have the students’ well-being at heart.  Each martial art is different and many schools give belts like the bank gives lollipops. This often makes children over-confident. Too much confidence is not a good thing in a true defense situation and most kids will wind up getting hurt this way… in more ways than one. Also, many other martial arts teach a sequence. Real life is not a sequence, nor is real danger.  Life does not always go as planned (believe me, I know this all too well) and at JJK Hapkido our children are learning this will they are learning the necessary skills to protect themselves. Critical thinking is a big deal and not taught very well, if at all, in our schools. Whether they know it our not, our children are learning critical thinking during Jin Joong Kwan training. Hapkido is an investment in your child and it is worth every penny!  Jin Joong Kwan Hapkido is truly an incredible art that combines faith, family and real life skills that can be used at any age. I would never settle for anything less for my son or myself.  – Ms. Suzie Hunt

Get mind plus body in shape
I started Hapkido in July of 2008. After years of not taking care of myself, I was up to 323 pounds.  My knees were shot and the extra weight was taking its toll on the rest of me. After talking with Grandmaster Rhoades, I thought I would work out in a class and see how I liked it. It is March now and I’m very happy I joined.  Everyone at Hapkido-USA is very knowledgeable and helpful. With new motivation and a change in mindset, I am down to 257 and feel much better.  If you want to get your mind and body in shape plus learn real self-defense, please give Hapkido a chance.  – Mr. Larry Holmes (Black Belt 1st degree, April 2012)

Empowering for my son plus encouraging for mom!
I brought my oldest son to Hapkido when he was 5 years old. He arrived excited and timid and not knowing exactly what to expect; to be honest I didn’t know what to expect either. I just knew that, after interviewing Grandmaster Rhoades, we seemed to have the same feelings on what was important and needed for a young child growing up: discipline, self-control, confidence, and respect to name a few. I watched my son struggle for almost 6 months and then something AWESOME happened, he grew! He was confident and had gained more self-control through Hapkido plus he had learned discipline and respect; he earned his first belt. He then had new techniques to learn and his confidence was again tested and over time he earned his next belt. During the time we were there, which was about 4 years, he earned 4 belts. Due to personal life changes I have had to take my son out of Hapkido; which is just a sacrifice we have to make for the time being. I know that Hapkido will still be there when we can join again and we will be back. My younger son was so disappointed that he would not be able to go, he has grown up watching his brother and was so excited to start himself. Hapkido has instilled wonderful building blocks of what I believe make someone of great character. My son has learned Respect, Self-Control and Discipline, all of which have made him a more confident person… It also taught him to be humble because earning your belt is humbling, it takes a lot of hard work and sometimes being knocked down. Once you’ve experienced that, you understand and have compassion when you see someone else get knocked down. Bottom line: my son is a better person for having experienced and lived Hapkido. I also enrolled in a class at Hapkido. I was a part of the women’s empowerment class. What they don’t know is how much I needed that class for the 2 years I was there. As I struggled with things in my personal life I looked so forward to spending time with this group of women at least once a week and twice if I could make it. Not only did it improve my physical well-being but it helped to keep me from slipping into a depression as well as boosting my confidence plus teaching me that I could and can protect myself. I practiced some of the techniques at home with my then husband and he told me that some of what I had done was/would be fatal if I had actually done it to him. He is a police officer, and when he told me that I actually felt, for the first time, that I had a decent chance of protecting myself if anything were to ever happen. Talk about EMPOWERING someone! I love and miss the women’s class and I could go on and on about how great it is, but you really have to live it to appreciate it and make it your own. There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of; you’ll be tested, tried and encouraged to reach beyond your comfort zone and you’ll come out stronger and better then when you started and you’ll be embraced by women you can call friends at the end of the day. Thank you so much, Jin Joong Kwan Hapkido-USA, for everything. You have all had a HUGE impact on myself and my son. God bless you and thank you for bringing us into the Hapkido family.
– Joy Coleman

VIDEO TESTIMONIES