Korean Martial Arts Summer Camp

June 15–17, 2012 • Wyoming

Remember the summer camp that MSMAP hosted with UC Berkeley in 2006? Well, our friends in Wyoming, led by Master Chris Ivanhoff, are hosting the next summer camp in June 2012. Join many dedicated martial arts participants from around the country and around the world for an incredible and rewarding training experience under the tutelage of master instructors and Olympic gold medalists.

• What is it?
• Where is it?
• Benefits
• A Typical Day at Camp
• Instructors
• History
• More Information

The purpose of summer camp is to refresh the physical and mental condition through training in natural surroundings away from home. It is an excellent opportunity for participants from beginning to advanced ranks to train with experts in a variety of martial arts in a beautiful outdoor setting.

Instruction is provided in the martial arts of taekwondo, yongmudo, judo, kumdo (Korean swordsmanship), and tsirum (traditional Korean wrestling).

The camp will be held at the A.L. Mickelson Field Camp in Sunlight Basin near Yellowstone National Park and Cody, Wyoming. The camp facility “is a comfortable and attractive mountain retreat on approximately 36 acres of wilderness and surrounded by Shoshone National Forest.” It is 55 miles from the northeast entrance to Yellowstone and 30 miles from Cody, WY.

When removed from a comfortable, indoor environment and replacing the familiar four walls of the dojang with the more expansive boundaries of nature, martial artists are forced to reevaluate the current status of their skills. By incorporating different drills and exercises that utilize the natural surroundings of camp, martial artists can then refocus and energize their training in the fresh air of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho.

The format of the camp makes it easy for attendees to try a martial art other than their specialty and greatly exhance their martial arts experience.

Plus, instructors and attendees not only train together but also dine together, and thoughtful conversations are encouraged for added opportunities to learn in a less formal environment outside the training sessions.

A daily regimen of physical, intellectual, and spiritual is provided throughout the camp, starting with a 6 a.m. morning run, extensive warm-up, stretching sessions, and intensive instruction of various techniques in martial arts.

A typical day may encompass something like the following schedule:

Early Morning: Participants rise early, before sunrise, to begin their training in kumdo, Korean swordsmanship. Participants learn the basics of this martial art and perform drills to develop skills. After an hour and a half, participants are dismissed, clean-up, and enjoy a delicious breakfast prepared by camp volunteers.

Morning: Following breakfast, participants begin the morning training session choosing taekwondo, yongmudo, or judo. Master instructors will lead the participants through drills and techniques. Participants are encouraged to try other martial arts than those they are familiar.

Afternoon: Lunch and a rest period follows the morning session before the afternoon session begins. Again, participants have a choice of martial arts to select. Another rest period and dinner follows the afternoon training.

Evening: The evening program is filled with lectures or another, lighter training session focusing upon skill development.

The instructional staff will be exceptional with master instructors and Olympic medalists in taekwondo and judo.

At the 2006 summer camp in McCloud, esteemed instructors included:

• Two-time heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist (1992, 2000) and three-time Heavyweight World Champion (1993, ’96, ’97) Master Je Gyoung, a 7th degree black belt;
• Two-time Olympic medalist (1996 bronze; 2000 silver), two-time World Champion (1997, 2001 includes MVP), three-time World University medalist (1995 and ’96, gold, ’99 bronze) Professor Inchul Cho, a 5th degree black belt; and
• Two-time Korean National Champion (1999, 2000), Olympic Games (2000, 7th place) Master Ji Whan Han, a 5th degree black belt.

Additional instructors included Dr. Edward Lee (grandmaster in both judo, yongmudo, and taekwondo), Dr. Norman Link (7th degree black belt in yongmudo and Assistant Director of UCMAP), and Dr. Russell Ahn (7th degree black belt in taekwondo and Director of UCMAP).

The group from Korea included several instructors and students from Yongin University. These students major in yongmudo and are exceptional martial artists. Their skill and enthusiasm are wonderful contributions to the overall focus of the camp.

This combination of instructional staff ensured that participants received a great deal of personal attention in addition to lots of training.

Dr. Ken Min led the first Korean Martial Arts Summer Camp in 1975 in Montana. It was an annual summertime event in either the Rockie or Sawtooth mountains that brought together many martial artists from California, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Korea for several days of training in fresh mountain air beneath bright blue skies.

Participants experienced the sweet scent of pine intermingled with that of hard-earned sweat under the tutelage of national taekwondo team members and accomplished master instructors. The overall combination of instructors, attendees, activities, and location always made for a memorable event.

Go to: 2006 Korean Martial Arts Summer Camp (MS Area Newspapers)
Go to: A.L. Mickelson Field Camp in Sunlight Basin
Go to: UCMAP Web Site