* In Hwa Rang Do®: Defend, Take Down, Submit, authors Taejoon Lee (the eldest son of Dr. Joo Bang Lee) and Mark Cheng present a variety of easy-to-understand self-defense combination techniques complete with set-ups and variations for different attack situations.
* This well-rounded collection of strikes, joint-manipulations, throws, grappling and submission techniques fits beautifully into the 3-step Defend-Takedown-Submit formula presented within, helping you develop empty-hand defenses for any position from any angle!
* Each technique at every stage is presented with careful precision, richly illustrated with detailed photographs and highly descriptive instructions.
*This text also presents a comprehensive analysis and detailed history of the art of Hwa Rang Do®, complete with archival photographs and representative artwork. The military, cultural, mythical and philosophical origins of Korea's legendary Hwarang Corps are discussed in unprecedented detail, providing a multi-dimensional history that leads all the way up to Hwa Rang Do® founder and current leader, Dr. Joo Bang Lee.
* Hwa Rang Do®: Defend, Take Down, Submit is the first official publication produced by the World Hwa Rang Do® Association in more than 25 years. Black Belt is proud to present this guide to Hwa Rang Do®s technical and cultural significance for a new generation of historians, instructors and Korean martial art practitioners.



This is what some readers have been saying:

5 out of 5 stars: A great introduction to Hwa Rang Do., May 30, 2006
By S. Richman (Roosevelt, Utah USA)
First off I am not a practitioner of Hwa Rang Do; the book was recommended to me by my uncle who has his fifth degree black belt in the system and who is very involved in the organization. My experience has been in Kenpo, Kung Fu and Brazilian Jujitsu. I found this book very interesting; I have experience with the majority of the techniques or concepts in the book in one form or another. I enjoyed Mr. Lee's presentation of these techniques, he explains them in an easy to understand format. Although it is my understanding that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what is said to be a complete and dynamic system.

The chapters detailing the history of the art are very informative, especially to someone that knows nothing about the system. The book also briefly talked about the philosophical aspects of Hwa Rang Do. The book is a good intro to the style for anyone curious or anyone considering studying it (like me); it could also give the experienced practitioner a deeper understanding of the arts evolution, and a handful of its techniques. Over all, this is book is informative and worth the money.

My only complaint is that the pictures are small; this problem would have been easily fixed by expanding the size of the book. Considering this is my only complaint, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the art, or just expanding your martial arts knowledge.

5.0 out of 5 stars: A must read!, September 7, 2009
By Scott MacKnight (Los Angeles, CA)
As a long-time practitioner of Hwa Rang Do I'd like to say that I still learned quite a lot from all aspects of this very densely packed book (history, philosophy and physical techniques).

The material is very well presented showing logical variations of techniques from different starting points that naturally progress to alternative takedowns and submissions depending upon the opponents reaction -- making it very impressive in terms of both the amount of content and its clarity. As such I'd HIGHLY recommend it to any martial arts practitioner and especially to those looking to improve their self-defense arsenal using quick joint lock submissions.

4.0 out of 5 stars: Some Unique locking, August 24, 2009
By A Reader (BOSTON, Ma United States)
I found some of the locking in this book pretty unique. I have yet seen them elsewhere. They do come on extremely tight. Some of the techniques in this system are a bit too show boating for me, but coming from a Korean art would you expect anything else. A definitely great addition to locksmiths library, It would have been a little better if they made the book in a larger format so that one could better see the locking sequence. I rate this 4 dislocated elbows.

5.0 out of 5 stars: As clear as can be without getting on the mats!, August 17, 2009
By Reynaldo Macias "bluejedi" (Los Angeles, CA)
Hwa Rang Do: Defend, Takedown, Submit goes beyond the "regular" martial arts how-to, placing detailed pictorial and outlined instruction in the context of Hwa Rang Do's millennial history from the Korean peninsula through today. Giving the lay reader and the burgeoning martial artist an idea of why in addition to how makes this a must read for casual fans and practitioners of any art.


Product Model: B-DTS - ID: 1025