(Kick Illustrated - January, 1984 Issue)
At the World Headquaters of the World Hwa Rang Do Association,
the dojang reverberates with the sounds of thrown bodies striking the mat. Fresh
from classes at the University of Southern California, Henry Lee, the son of
Hwa Rang Do® Founder (DoJooNim) Dr. Joo Bang Lee, is putting the evening
classes through its paces. 
"Step right there," he cautions a very young student. "Remember
to go with me on the throw or you'll hurt yourself." Having given the youngster
some advice on learning backfalls, Lee slides forward and the young student
goes spinning over to land flat on his back. "See, nothing to learning
how to fall-at first," Lee grins.
Henry Lee has been a martial artist for most of his short life. Currently attending
USC, where he's majoring in buisiness, Lee eventually hopes to attend an Ivy
League school. At the moment, his future plans include combining a study of
law with a study of business.
Lee also possesses what he readily admits as "a rather optimistic view
of life." And in the quiet that followed the evening class, he sat down
and began to discuss not martial tecqnique, but the meaning to martial art-and
its ability to alter lives for the better-particularly, as Lee sees it, the
lives of his own generation.
After all, as Lee pointed out, "Hwa Rang Do is an art that is not proud
of its techniques - it's an art thats proud of its discipline and traditionalist
ways. Hwa Rang Do is not a person who brags about how hard he punches or about
how many boards he breaks. No, Hwa Rang Do is a person who is proud of the ways
he conducts his life understanding the nature of human life and humanity in
general. And I'm sure,"Lee adds, "that that's true about all traditional
martial art schools."
To Lee Hwa Rang Do represents not a way of fighting, but a way of living a productive,
disciplined life. And he sees that as the biggest boon martial art-whatever
the style or tradition- has to offer his generation. It's a view that's been
reinforced within the context of his own life.
"For the younger generation especially," he remarks, there is a need
for some type of guidance - they need something they can use to lead their lives.
It's good to talk about freedom and independence, but when you're young it's
very helpful to have someone to tell you, you must do this and that to attain
your goals" - whatever those goals may be. There is a need for structure
and discipline to inform you that you can attain the goals you set.
"A lot of young people today are kind of reluctant to decide on what they
want to do in the future...or they wander aimlessly, drifting into things because
they 'do it for today.' They enjoy the moment. "Well, I believe that what
Hwa Rang Do does is reinforce the idea that there are goals that one seeks to
attain - and it teaches you how to attain that goal, how to have the courage
to pesevere in reaching the goal. It's like the metaphor of life as a road:
It's not always straight; there are detours to take; sometimes life is a rocky
road filled with pain... or adversity. Eventhough those things arise and one
has to confront adversity, Hwa Rang Do teaches you to overcome them, to strive
forward."
Lee pauses a moment, and then reflects, "I know I went
through that awkward adolescent stage. But I grew out of it very quickly. For
me, that change came about when I began teaching my art. I started when I was
fourteen - and the experience matured me rather quickly. In a sense, it helped
me abandon my childhood and become an adult." 
Lee is quick to point out in his view, "age does not matter in a person-if
the person is able to look at life and put it into perspective and see and extract
all the possibilities that exist. To see one facet of one object and say, "that
is that and that's all there is," is to hold a naive or ignorant viewpoint.
But to look at life form all all points of view...that's the hallmark of wise
or mature individual."
Lee observes, "the same is true about arts. Just like Hwa Rang Do: Take
it and examine it from one angle and you have one picture. Take Hwa Rang Do
and turn it, so to speak, and you'll find a new picture - a new side. It's like
a cube - or a gem - turn it in your hands and with every turn you'll find a
new facet.
"I relate that as being true of life," Lee says. "Look at it
from all the angles - not just your own. And I think thats what helped me grow
out of my awkward stage."
The key to Hwa Rang Do's ability to alter one's life for the
better is a key shared by all martial art - a view Lee endorses. "Hwa Rang
Do also teaches one to discipline oneself, to put one's life in order, and not
to allow trite things to defeat oneself or to lure one into self-deciet. And
of course, it bestows confidence and self assurance that one can struggle and
work hard and attain a personal goal."
Hwa Rang Do's philosophical core is embodied in a code of ethics, Lee points
out. "We have five principles in our ethical code: loyalty to one's country;
loyaty to one's parents and teachers; trust and brotherhood amoung friends;
courage - never to retreat in the face of the enemy; and justice - never to
take a life without a cause."
"When you examine these ethics closely," Lee adds, "you see that
they provide one with a definite structure - a way to live life. And it's important
to remember that the ethics go beyond a literal meaning. Take the forth ethic.
"Courage - never to retreat in the face of the enemy." You can say
it pertains to fighting. But it pertains to homework, or ones job, or ones way
of conducting any relationship - personal or professional. That ethic is describing
the will persevere, to overcome the difficulties confronting you and not to
retreat into self-defeat."
Lee also credits the very atmosphere of a martial arts school as being a primary
cause in restructoring one's life and attitudes. "The atmosphere in our
class is warm and friendly - but discipline and respect are there at the same
time. I'm sure that's true about most studios."
As he points out: "I think as you age, life can teach
you that you need to be stern and hard and not trusting of other people. But
when you enter the studio, all those outsid influences are gone. You do trust
the individual next to you - eventhough you may have not trusted him outside.
When you first meet a person, you don't automatically extend your trust or your
care. But when you enter the studio and meet a person, those qualities come
out very very quickly. Because in the studio you know your not going to try
to hurt one another - your there to learn, and learn together."
Lee returned to his point on the benefits of martial art for the younger generation.
"The present generation was once young - they have tasted adversity, they
have struggled and attained success - failure in some cases. To build a better
future, it is necessary to raise and nurture the young generation - to teach
it that it can succeed in the future. I think Hwa Rang Do, and martial arts
in general, teaches youths how to channel their energy into attaining a better
future."
Lee reminisces for a moment. "I had a student who was in
my class - he was an 'f' student in school. But after studying for a few month's,
you could see his whole attitude changing. He was no longer satisfied with failure.
And now he's going to college - to Cal Tech. I had another student who was being
held back a grade. Studying Hwa Rang Do changed his attitude too - and he's
not being held back anymore.
"Those are the satifying moments - that's what makes me proud as a teacher
and a practitioner of my art."
Lee's conversation raises an interesting point - one that's been mentioned by
other practitioners in the past - how becoming an instrctor leads to improvement
and change in one's own art. "Most deinitely," Lee nods. "You
certainly do grow. I look back and see an evolution from year to year.
"You know, it's often - stated bit of philosophy that the only thing in
the universe that is permanent is change. I look back over four years, and I
wonder if I should have done things a little differently. But I try to be always
open-minded about change. I'm sure in 10 or 20 years, certain ideas of mine
will have changed - but I think the fundamental ideas will remain the same.
And that's Hwa Rang Do."
Lee repeats his earlier point: "Hwa Rang Do is understanding
natural laws and living with a deep understanding and apprecition of humanity.
That is more important than any tecqnique - and we have over 4,000. And that's
the point that gets across to students, whether young or old - it's the one
aspect they preceive quickly."
But what about the young student who walks in, his mind filled with pics of
his physical ability and fighting? Not everyone responds to the philosophy and
ethics of martial art - or to discipline and respect.
Lee acknowledges the point with a laugh. It's a situation that he not unfamiliar
with. "At that point, anything you tell the student about mental and spritual
aspects of martial art will pass right over his head. He dosen't want to listen
to that. But after he's in the class for about three weeks, he'll start to notice
the difference in his attitude and and the attitude of the other student. He
will change himself automatically. You don't need to lecture."
The same thing is true of resect. It's hard to say to a new student: "You
respect me" - and have that student respect you. So I let that point pass.
As they watch me in class - and the other students senior to them - and see
what we can do - respect comes then. It's a natural process."
Attitude, Technique, and Multiple Assailants
Lee's evening class had concluded with a demonstration of techniques against
multiple attackers. The conversation then turned to technical aspects - most
directly to confronting multiple attackers. 
Lee's answer harked back to points of his earlier conversation. "It's a
question of attitude and awareness and self-confidence - not technique. After
all, by the time you even begin to spar for developing a sense of distance and
timing, you already have your fundamental techniques.
"Confronting multiple attackers," Lee observes, "is a question
of strategy. There's an underlying principle - eight directions of attack. Those
are the only points of attack - or evation. Once you learn that basic principle,
it's all a question of strategic ability." 
"There is no set technique or techniques. Take, for example, a situation
where you're confronting four people. The possible combinations to use are endless.
And there is attidute - every person is different. You may move against this
opponent first because you sense he's weak - or move against another because
you can feel he's the strongest threat. You must begin by understanding the
basic principle of angles of attack."
Lee continued on "Positioning yourself is the greatest factor - not the
technique per se - you already are aware of technique. It's the stragedy in
applying them that counts. In a multiple opponent situation, if you position
yourself in a certain way - you could conceivably end up confronting two or
more opponents all at once. That's situation to be avoided, and that's why in
fighting multiple opponents it's a question of strategy and positioning.
"It's a difficult situation to explain. There are many variables to any
fighting situation. But fundamentally, it all comes down to having a sense of
strategy, of positioning the body for maximum effectiveness, and being familiar
with fighting ranges and how they relate to technique - legs at long range,
for example, punches at medium range, and joint locks and throws at short range.
But there are always so many variables.
Lee touches on the other traditional value of martial art aside from discipline
and mutual respect - developing a "sixth sense" of awareness,"Lee
emphasizes. "It's a sense of feeling. When you practice an art for years
- an art that teaches you how to protect yourself, how to develop combative
techniques - how to injure or cripple someone - if you make that a way of life
, the "sixth sense" just develops naturally at one stage. And that
type of sense is invaluable when confronting multiple attackers. You're aware
of everything - not just one or two opponents. You begin to naturally and subconsciously
position yourself - and you react naturally. You don't think. And it's a sense
that comes from hard work. And dedication and perseverance. It relates to what
we talked about earlier - attitude, and perseverance - courage in a word. Knowing
there are goals you want to attain - and dedicating yourself to attaining the
goal, you discover along the way that the goal is not only in reach, but you
now have self-confidence and self-awareness. You don't brag or insist proving
strenghth - you live your life according to the ethics you've learned - and
you live with quiet pride in yourself."
