Armenian hapkidoist wins championship gold as Catalonian team member

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 12th Hapkido Championship due on Mar 21 in Spain hosted 12 teams from Spain, Korea and Germany. David Matnishyan , Armenian wrestler from Catalan team, greatly contributed to team's victory at 12th Hapkido Championship.



"I took up Hapkido training in 2003 under Maestro Jak Carbonell Vincent, Catalan KIDO Federation President. For 7 years I took masterclasses with famous Hapkido Maestros Choe, Yung and Hapkido University Professor in Korea, Maestro Kim. I spent all of my time training, which gave me a chance to earn Hapkido black belt (Dan 1)," David Matnishyan related.



Being a part of Catalan Team did not make David forget his roots. "I always openly acknowledged my nationality in any International Tournament I participated in. Recently, Maestro Doo Hyung Cho (Korea KIDO Federation) sanctioned opening of Armenian Hapkido Delegation. This is a great opportunity for Armenian wrestlers to integrate in international Hapkido family, participate in international tournaments and receive training in Spain, Korea. International KIDO Federation Membership will bring world recognition to Armenian wrestlers."



Hapkido is a dynamic and eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and other strikes. Hapkido practitioners train to counter the techniques of other martial arts as well as common unskilled attacks. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.