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Fairview karate gurus keep traditional spirit ofmartial arts - and their former master — aliveBy Elizabeth Bernard!

MARTIAL ARTS

They're not about the mercilessnhija. And they're not about tele-casts of Olympic judo and taek-wondo beamed around the world.

Indeed, traditional martial artsare about physical ability, butcharacter is just as important.

George Wukovich and WayneHoclgins, however, believe thatmodem martial arts programs arecasting the focus on character bythe waysido.

They're all about changing that.Though some believo that the

prominence of taekwondo as asport is compromising the tradi-tional spir i t of the art form,Wukovich and Hoclgins are help-ing to see to it that the martial artis not lost forever.

With the founding of their ownschool in Fairview Park, Wukovichand Hodghts have- followed in thefootsteps of 1 heir grand master,Myung Hwan Kim. Kim came toAmerica nearly 30 years ago, hop-ing fo instruct students in (lie tra-ditional arts as he .studied them inhis native South Knrrsn.

Since Kim's death in 2000,Wukovich and Hodgins haveworked to preserve his unique pro-gram, which blends three Koreanmartial arts: judo, laekwondo, andhapkido.

Behind this loyalty to the manwho guided them in their studios,Wukovich and Hodgins are alsodeeply loyal to his martial artsphilosophy, under which they, too,were trained.

"In marlial art, the focus is onsucceeding and balance of yourselfand yourself in relationship wilhsociety." explained Wukovich, atrial attorney by profession whonow spends 30 to 40 percent of histime running the All AmericanKarate Studio with Hodgins. "Soit's not about competition withothers. It's really about competi-tion with yourself. And when youcan improve yourself, you canimprove your relationships withsociety."

Wukovich discovered the bene-fits of taekwondo 28 years ago as ahigh school student in NorthOlmsled.

"1 was 15, I was 300 pounds, Ihad a 56-inch waist," he said. "I'dbeen in other high school sports,but I never had the discipline toget my weight under control. Butonce I got into traditional martialarts training, because of the disci-pline that involves, I was able toget control over my weight."

Hodgins, a retired automechanic, entered martial artstraining at age 38. "I found myselfrapidly approaching middle ageout of shape and I couldn't find anathletic endeavor that I was happywilh. They bored me."

Myung Hwan Kim's martial artsschool offered the solut ion. AKorean judo champion, Kim heldadvanced block bells in hapkidoand taekwondo as well."Taekwondo is kicking and punch-ing," explained Wukovich of thedifferences between the threeKorean arts. "Hapkido is basicallya self-defense art with elmuenls ofthe flipping and throwing of judoand also choking, joint twistingand weapons defense."

Kim followed his elder brother.Moo Hwan Kim, to America in1974. Together they organized anew curriculum combining thethree Korean martial arts anddeveloped it under the title UnitedMartial Arts Blaok Belt Association(UMBA). Kim's school focused ontaekwondo, hoping to save in thatart what was being rapidly lost injudo.

When judo was accepted intothn Olympics, Kim noticed signifi-r.nnt changes in the training. The

balanced training he had, whichincluded physical training as wellas character training, was beinglost in favor of a focus on thephysical elements. This training,the goal of which was to developcompetitors, disappointed Kim,who adhered to the traditionalgoals of martial arts.

in the office, and he would explainthings to me and we would talk. Iwould go a few more months, andeventually I got to the point whereI thought, maybe I can actuallymake this, t would think, 'If I canbe 10 percent of what he is, thenit's worth the trip."'

For 26 years, the men trained

Wayne Hodgins (left) and George Wukovich

At Master Kim's school, bothmen found physical training aswell as training to live successful,balanced lives — thanks lo Kim,whose indomitable presence stillamazes them.

"He had a very strong, powerfulpersonality — there was a magnet-ism to him," said Hodgins. "Therewas a physical strength that \ hadnever seen before. He attemptedphysical feats that I've never seena master or student attempt. (Kimwould break objects), but his foolwould be in a pile of brokenglass."

Kim was not only physicallystrong in ways Hodgins andWukovich are sti l l unable to com-prehend. He was also extraordinar-ily tough mentally.

In 1988, Kim was involved in ahead-on collision that doctors saidwould have been fatal to anyoneelse. Every bone in Kim* face wasbroken. He also suffered braindamage and memory loss. Doctorsat Southwest General Hospitalgave him up for dead. But the manwho had been known to controlhis breadline and blood flowpulled through.

Kim's mental strength was alsoevident in his dealings with stu-dents.

"You would have failures inyour life and Master Kim wasenough in touch with you that hewould draw you in and give yousome perspective to get over it,"recalled Wukovich, "It's reallyabout a four letter word: L-O-V-E.He was so in touch with himself,he could be in touch wilh others.There were no walls. He wentright to the heart of the matter. Hewouldn't let you avoid it, and thattakes courage."

Hodgins recalled Ihe intimida-tion he felt when he arrived atKim's studio for his first class 28years ago. "That first day hewalked in, he was huge, and helooked over nin nnd said, 'Yns?' Ialmost ran out Ihe door. Wilh hissize and his opposing figure, heliterally took your breath away."

But Hodgins decided to stay,recognizing that Master Kim's stu-dio was something special. Andeven Ihrough Ihe difficultiesHodgins faced as he trained along-side sludents 20 years youngerthan he, Kim knew how lo keephim motivated.

"In my first year, there wasmore than once that I thought seri-ously about backing out, and as arule, he would recognize that I wasstarling to have problems,"Hodgins said. "He would call me

under Master Kim's program —which combined the three Koreanarts — as his most senior students.Together they tested under him fortheir first dan, or black belt, in1975, and together they tested fortheir fifth-degree belt in 1994,awarding them the status of seniorassistant master. A six-year wailwould be required before the twocould test for their sixth-degreebelts and full master status.

In 1998, Kim decided thatHodgins and Wukovich won If i betested when they were eligible inDecember 2000. His excitementwas evident as he publiclyannounced that the two would bethe first of his students to earnsixth dan. At the beginning of theyear 2000, Kim began to trainthem in preparation for the exam.

But in May, he suddenly diedof a cardiac condition the daybefore his 56th birthday. Hodginsand Wukovich were left withouttheir kwaii Jang nim, or master, inthe middle of preparations for atest he had been eagerly anticipat-ing.

As the shock of Kim's suddendeath began to wear off, his eldestsludents recognized a need to keepKim's training system alive.

"We began our school becauseit was right for us to maintainwhat he was trying to do as hisoldest students, to preserve it andkeep it going and develop some ofthat," said Wukovich.. Wukovich already had someexperience in organizing martialarts programs. While he was a stu-dent at Miami University, Kimencouraged him to start a programthere. The Korean Martial ArtsSociety (KMAS) was founded, and23 years later, the MiamiUniversity Red Dragons continueto train under Kim's plan, and stu-dents who joined that programhave gone on to found othersaround the stale, most recently atthn Universi ty of CincinnatiMedical School.

Looking back, Wukovich knowsthat Kim's idea for this programwas a test of the endurance ofKim's own philosophy.

"I was the first one of his stu-dents to go off and found a pro-grain outside of his control andrealm. He was very intrigued bythat because he knew that he wasa mortal, he was going to die.What was going to happen whenhe was gone? He wanted to see ifhis program could exist outside ofhis realm."

See MARTIAL ARTS p. 6B

PAG I « 8 W I S T L I f I - - J U L Y 31,

MARTIAL ARTS, from p.2

What Kim understood in 1979 was aproblem that the other grand mastersnave only recently begun working tosolve. The nature of martial arts instruc-tion in America, explained Wukovich,has been similar to a medieval fiefdom.Korean grand masters immigrated to theUnited States, staked out their territoriesaround the country and led their stu-dents, each with their own individualstyles. But when those masters die, theirschools are left leaderless. And as thebalanced approach to martial arts givesway to the demand for an athletic focus,the role of those promoting the tradition-

•' al way is crucial to its preservation.What Kim observed when I he art of

judo took on an athletic, competitivefocus repeated itself with taekwondo.

;':.. The United States Taekwondo Uniont" (USTU) has overseen the athletic side of

taekwondo since its integration into theOlympics. But there was never a govern-

,'; ing body preserving the martial arts spir-^ .it and ensuring that those who run mar-!;;.-; jial arts schools have the proper qualifi-?":'cations, • rather than receiving what'."TWukovich described as "mail order

rj "Because of the commercial pressure*~*}n the industry of martial .arts, there's a

-.tendency to ' do 'fast food'," said.Wukovich of the difference between the

direction martial arts have taken and thetraditional Korean approach. "Here,profit isn't really the motive. It's dlsci-

; pline, dedication and determination —not profit, prestige, and position."Just months before Kim died, the grand

masters formed the United StatesTaekwondo Won (USTW), signifying amajor step in the preservation of tradi-tional martial arts.

"It's a quality control mechanism forthe general public," said Wukovich."Tho USTW is interested in promotinglaekwondo as a m a r t i a l art, black belt

Eromotion standards at the nationalivel, adequate and uniform standards

for instructors, and finally, uniformdojong [martial arts schools) develop-ment."

The USTW has recognized the needfor instructor training and certification,something Kim was already doing beforehis death. Kim never had I ho opportuni-ty to join the USTW, but Wukovich andHodgins have picked up where he leftoff.

In October of 2000, they got the keysto the space they rent on Lorain Road,and four months later they were open.Among their top priorities was complet-ing what Wukovich called the "unfin-ished business" of training for the sixth-degree dan. Wukovich accomplishedthat at a special examination on April 26.

Their All American Karate Studio isthe first school in Northern Ohio to becertified by the USTW, and Wukovich'ssixth-degree black belt certificate is onlythe second in the nation to be awardedby the organization. Hodgins has nottested for his sixth-degree dan yet, but,as Wukovich snid, "the door is s t i l lopen".

Joining the USTW has only been onestep in Wukovich and Hodgins' efforts to

preserve the legacy of Master Kim.Wukovich holds ownership rights toboth the UMBA name created by theKims for their blended system, andKMAS, used by Wukovich at MiamiUniversity and that program's offshoots.He has begun integrating the two acrossthe state, unit ing the various KMAS pro-grams under UMBA, and outlining arevised program of training and testingrequirements.

"KMAS is going to be a program oftraining — the locations, the schools thaiare actually training people," saidWukovich. "UMBA is a general organiza-tional system — all the senior rankingmembers doing the programming, mak-ing decisions about programming andprotocol and doing the testing at thesenior level. It is also responsible fortraining instructors."

With seven members training regular-ly at the school in Fairview Park andupwards of 200 around the state,Wukovich said the fledgling program, iswell on its way. In the two years sinceMaster Kim's death, there have been 25black belts awarded and 33 instructorscertified.

And in keeping Kim's system andphilosophy alive, Wukovich andHodgins are honoring both the martialarts spirit and the spirit of Master Kim.

"The Korean masters want to get tothe values of traditional martial arts andmnko it a bettor society," said Wukovich."My master always said, 'I'm going to boburied here, and I want this to be a betterplace to be buried in.'"

The following corrections,retraction and addendashould be noted with respectto certain facts originallyreported in an article entitled"Fairview karate gurus keeptraditional spirit of martialarts - and their former master- alive" as published in theJuly 31 edition of West Life:

On page 2B, West Lifeshould have reported thatattorney George N. Wukovichin Fairview Park founded theKorean Martial Aits Society(KMAS) program, which isco-directed by Wayne C.Hodgins, as the headquarterschapter of the United MartialArts Black Belt Association(UMBA). The KMAS programoffers morning and eveningtraditional UMBA martial artsclasses, which teach auniquely blended system ofKorean martial arts styles(taekwondo, judo and hapki-do). The KMAS/UMBA pro-gram conducts classes in, andsublets space from, the All

CORRECTION-American Karate School atthe Fairview Centre shoppingplaza in the lower level(21929 Lorain Road, FairviewPark). Also, Hodgins andWukovich tested together fortheir first dan, or black belt,in 1976.

The All American Karate(AAK) School is independ-ently owned and operated bythe All American KarateStudio LLC, which is man-aged by Donald J. DeVries.The All American KarateSchool is affiliated with theProfessional KarateCommission (PKC) and offerstraining in kempo karate,kickboxing and self-defense.For further AAK School infor-mation, please contactDeVries at 440-331-0010 or440-979-1019.

On page 6B, West Lifeshould have reported that theKMAS/UMBA program.estab-lished by Wukovich andHodgins was the first innorthern Ohio to be recog-

nized by the United States.Taekwondo Won (USTW), anational Taekwondo rankingorganization founded to pro-mote traditional martial artsvalues and training systems.Since December 2000, theyhave awarded 23KMAS/UMBA black belts. AllKMAS/UMBA black belts,certified by Master Wukovich,are eligible to receive nationalranking and recognitionthrough the USTW organiza-tion (see www.ustw.org). Forfurther information, or forfree KMAS/UMBA introduc-tory classes, please contactGeorge Wukovich at 440-331-7206 or Wayne Hodgins . at440-734-0568.

The All American KarateSchool (AAK) is not affiliatedwith the USTW, or with theKMAS/UMBA program. Anyconfusion regarding this fact,or any suggestion that suchan affiliation' existed, wasunintentional and inadver-tent.