Martial Art of The Month: Hwarangdo

The martial arts of Korea are as numerous as they are varied, so it should come as no surprise that some would seek to combine elements of them into a hybridized system of martial combat.

Case in point – Hwarangdo. While a product of the 20^th century, Hwarangdo has its roots in ancient Korea and one highly respected warrior class.

Of course, the history of a martial art like Hwarangdo is a topic that KFK perfectly loves to dive down the rabbit hole to explore. So let’s get down KFK readers, for the subject of our latest Martial Art of the Month, Hwarangdo!

Origins

Hwarangdo was founded in the early 1960s by Joo Bang Lee and Joo Sang Lee, but its historical roots stretch far back into Korean history. In fact, all the way back to the fourth and fifth century A.D., during what is known as the Three Kingdoms period of Korean history.

The land that is now contemporary South Korea was composed of the Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla kingdoms, with the latter being home to a warrior sect known as the Hwarang.

The term Hwarangdo literally translates to “Way of the Flowering Knights”, which is a clear reference to the Hwarang class’s exalted status in the Silla kingdom, serving as both warriors and political leaders.

In formulating Hwarangdo, the Joo brothers drew upon their training in such martial arts as Kumdo, Judo, and Hapkido. Additionally, Hwarangdo is also heavily steeped in the Buddhist tradition of the Hwarang warrior class, and that in turn would form the basis of many of the fighting techniques and other training practices the two Joo brothers used as the basis for Hwarangdo.

Techniques

Owing to its complex and diverse history, Hwarangdo is a highly eclectic Korean martial art. Hwarangdo includes a vast arsenal of takedowns, throws, and grappling techniques, along with powerful punches, palm strikes, and other striking techniques with the hand.

And naturally, being a martial art originating from Korea, Hwarangdo is also full of swift and powerful kicking techniques right out of the Taekwondo playbook.

Additionally, Hwarangdo also incorporates significant weapons training, specifically with sticks and bladed weaponry. Moreover, owing to the Buddhist lineage of the Hwarang class, Hwarangdo also incorporates meditation, designated into two categories of active meditation, or Yang Ki Gong, and passive meditation, or Um Ki Gong.

Practitioners You May Know

While Hwarangdo isn’t as well-known in the mainstream as other Korean martial arts like Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, and Hapkido, martial arts aficionados have seen the power of Hwarangdo put to use by Australian martial arts great Bren Foster.

Well-known for his appearances on the National Geographic Channel documentary series “Fight Science”, Bren is one of the world’s most respected Taekwondo exponents for his role in demonstrating the art on the series, with Bren also holding black belts in Hapkido and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu along with his extensive knowledge of many other martial arts.

However, Bren is also a black belt in Hwarangdo, and has incorporated the art’s kicking, grappling, and weapons skills into his on-screen fighting style in his work in action movies.

Martial arts fans saw that clearer than ever in Bren’s 2024 directorial debut “Life After Fighting”, in which Bren uses his own martial arts school, Elite Martial Arts, as the battleground for the movie’s epic final showdown.

In a 40-minute battle worthy of “The Raid” movies, Bren brings the techniques of Hwarangdo into play in an amazing blend with his skills in Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in one of the most incredible martial arts movie finales of modern times.

With the work of Bren and our dedicated Hwarangdo practitioners around the world, the art surely has a bright future of being passed onto future generations of martial artists ready to do the Hwarang warrior class proud.

That concludes KFK’s Martial Art of the Month column on Hwarangdo. Stay tuned for the next one, but let’s wrap up our coverage of Hwarangdo with one more video showcasing the skills of this incredible Korean hybrid martial art!

And that’s KFK’s breakdown of the Korean martial art of Hwarangdo!

Have you ever studied Hwarangdo? What are some of your favourite Korean martial arts? Let us know in the comments below; Like, share and join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter & Instagram!

WHAT THE HWARANGDO?!? EXPLORE MORE WEIRD and WONDERFUL SOUNDING combat arts in the KINGDOM of FU, along with these Top 10’s, Top 5’s, deep-dive interviews, POWER UP YOUR HWARANGDO FIST in KFK wear, and TAKE IN MORE KOREAN COMBAT on YouTube!