Our Philosophy  

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Our Philosophy in Hamilton | The School of Martial Arts

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​Our philosophy at The School of Martial Arts comes from our martial arts style, Incorporated Martial Arts. At the core of our system is the Korean word Heonsin (헌신), meaning "Total Commitment, Total Dedication." It represents the standard we train to: full commitment, consistent effort, and the discipline to improve over time. This is what is written on all our uniforms in the club and is worn on the left, over the heart. This is the guiding principle we apply to all aspects of our training at The School of Martial Arts. It is a philosophy that one learns in the dojo, but can then apply to their everyday life. Its meaning is up to each student to discover for themselves as they train in martial arts.

Instructor Ravi on Heonsin 헌신

"For me, when I was going through the coloured belts, Heonsin meant pushing yourself as hard as you could mentally and physically in order to train at high intensity and reach your goals. To be honest, I only really thought of it as a way of being in my martial arts training and a way of setting goals and approaching them to ensure they were met. Then, in time, I began to see how the mindset could be applied outside of martial arts, with the main application being in academic pursuits in NCEA and then university studies. These applications of the philosophy were strong, but not in an entirely consistent or daily manner.

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Now, being a club owner and having found my passions in life, I apply the mindset almost every day. This is one of the main reasons why I started The School of Martial Arts, as I realised just how invaluable the philosophy has been to all aspects of my life. I would say the main way to apply it is to first set a goal, then to make sure each day or each time you have to work towards it, you give it all you can for that time. So, for instance, for me, I am continually pushing myself to give better classes to students and to help them improve as much as possible. I set aside time to plan lessons methodically, receive critique, and push myself to deliver the best experience I can for students. The same goes for other goals I have in life as well. I pursue my passion for art and music with the same formula of setting a goal and then consistently giving all I have on any given day with the time I have.

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An example of applying the mindset was over the break. I had three weeks of free time, so I decided to apply the Heonsin (헌신), "Total Commitment, Total Dedication" mindset to myself as a test. I applied it to my passion for music, in which I have a problem with my pitch not being great and, as a result, I dislike working on it. So I set myself a goal to do eight-hour days working on pitch and piano for three weeks. Some days I exceeded the eight hours and some days I fell short. But overall, I did the best I could on any given day and pushed through even when I felt like giving up. It is easy to commit when we enjoy something. It is far more difficult when we don't enjoy it. I have seen this in many students at The School of Martial Arts. We had one adult stuck on a red belt kick height requirement for four years. They kept persevering and passed the requirement and grading. It was awesome to see them applying Heonsin (헌신), "Total Commitment, Total Dedication" and achieving their goals." – Instructor

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This is why our grading standards at The School of Martial Arts are high. Students are not simply passed through, and standards are not watered down like so many other martial arts clubs or "McDojos" have done. Our requirements are high. They are not unattainable, they may just take extra commitment to reach for most students. Typically, it is only in the higher ranks that students really have to start pushing themselves to meet the level required. ​​​​​​

"Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw