Early Years

Hapkido Doju and Grandmaster Chang, Chinil was born on June 11, 1940 in Seoul, South Korea. Being the first male child in a family with 4 girls, he was the source of great pride and joy for his parents. His father, Dr. Ki Won Chang (1903 – 1966), a Mathematician, was the first Dean of the Science and Engineering College of Yonsei University who helped to establish their Science program right after the end of the second World War in 1945. His entire family was raised with a passion for the scholarly pursuit of knowledge and excelled in the fields of Math and Science. One of his uncles, Dr. Kee-ryo Chang ^[1], (1911 – 1995) was a prominent surgeon, educator, and philanthropist in South Korea who was the 1979 recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.

From an early age, Chang developed an interest in athletics; starting with gymnastics then moving on to Judo, Kumdo, Taekwondo, and eventually Hapkido. His approach to study was considered by many to be somewhat extreme. He would spend hours exploring a single area of focus, blocking out the world around him and often neglecting to take time for a break or to eat. The intense nature of his training was a matter of concern for his parents, who did not fully understand or support his pursuit of martial arts.

While graduating from Yonsei University with a degree in Architectural Engineering, his lifelong passion and pursuit was the study of martial arts. When the time came to serve a compulsory term of military service in Korea, he was granted a special sports exemption, which enabled him to dedicate that time training. He didn’t participate in normal social activities like going to parties or dating. He never married and prided himself in the fact that he never consumed a drop of alcohol in his lifetime. He would not even take cough medicine if alcohol was listed as an ingredient. He believed that alcohol and drugs had a destructive impact on the brain, which he considered to be the most vital weapon of a martial artist.

For his martial art pursuits, Chang would always seek out instructors who were at the pinnacle of their field of study. He stressed the importance of learning from individuals who were highly skilled and fully qualified to present the material being instructed.

Hapkido

Chang was a personally trained, closed-door disciple of Hapkido founder Choi, Yong Sul. ^[2] He inherited the title of Doju in Choi's complete system of Hapkido on January 15, 1985, becoming the second direct lineage Grandmaster.

On April 5, 1985 Choi personally awarded Chang the only existing 10th Dan certificate in Hapkido history. Chang also had the privilege and honor of being the first Hapkido master awarded the 9th Dan certificate by Choi in 1980.

An elaborate inauguration ceremony was conducted on April 11, 1985 to commemorate the naming of Chang as the 2nd Doju of Hapkido. This historic event was documented by Korea Sports News and MBC Korean Television. Choi, Yong Sul, Chang, and Choi's son, the late Choi, Bok Yeol, were in attendance along with several other Hapkido instructors. Chang is the only Hapkido master ever awarded the 10th Dan and Doju title directly from Choi. Choi left the full documentation and recordings of the system to Chang, who continued to research and document the full history and development of Hapkido.

The time Chang spent training with Choi was both extensive and intense. In addition to attending the morning and evening open class sessions, Chang received one on one private instruction directly from Choi. This closed-door instruction would commence each morning promptly after lifting of the midnight to 4:00 am curfew, which was imposed on the country after the 1953 Korean War. These lessons would end abruptly the moment the first students arrived for the morning class and would resume in the evening, after the last students departed. Choi did not want to expose his other students to this material and discouraged Chang from sharing it with them; even from long-time, high-ranking members. Choi informed Chang that this method of concealed transmission is how the purity of techniques were preserved and passed down from generation to generation. Grandmaster Chang was a loyal torch bearer of this Hapkido tradition and remained devoted to Grandmaster Choi throughout his life.

Chang’s skill level in the art of Hapkido was unmatched. His approach to learning and teaching the material was quite exceptional. He would endeavor to drill through the layers of each technique and get down to the microscopic level of its construct. No detail was too small to consider. He could detect minute variations in grip or hand position and explain where a technique could be vulnerable, then suggest minor adjustments that would strengthen the position. He had a holistic approach to Hapkido training, studying attacks from every possible angle, from both the attacker and defender perspectives. He was never satisfied with ‘close enough’. He would keep refining the material until reaching the optimal balance between speed, efficiency and power. After a simple invitation to grab Grandmaster Chang by his wrist, the power of his technique would be felt instantaneously. The flowing poetry of his Hapkido movement was an awesome sight to behold.

Taekwondo

Chang studied Taekwondo under Grandmaster Ro, Byung Jick, the founder of Song Moo Kwan. Grandmaster Ro was one of the highest ranking and most respected leaders in Taekwondo. Chang was among the earliest generation to have attained the level of 9th degree black belt and earned an international instructor’s certificate in Taekwondo under Kukkiwon. Ro was known to be a particularly harsh instructor and training in his program was often compared to Gladiator style training. Chang flourished under this system and would often push himself even further than his instructors would.

On one occasion, Chang asked some friends to meet him at a local gymnasium, promising to show them some secret training techniques. Upon their arrival, they found Chang warming up on one side of the gym and the women’s Olympic basketball team training on the other side.

At 7:00 am sharp, Chang began to perform side kick techniques; 50 repetitions on each leg. After completing the first set, Chang repeated the routine, kicking without break. His friends waited anxiously for him to finish so he could begin to teach them the secret techniques. After the first hour passed, some began to catch on. That day, Chang continued to perform side kick technique, at the same pace without break, for 7 hours straight.

About halfway through the demonstration, the women’s basketball team stopped practicing and turned to watch Chang. Their coach, who was also known to be a particularly harsh instructor, yelled at his team as they watched on. “Look at him!” he shouted. “He is not training for the honor of our country. He is not carrying the Korean flag into the Olympics. He is doing that for himself…to make himself better!”

Shortly after 2:00 pm when the demo was over, Chang turned to his friends and said “Now you know the secret to my training techniques.”

Chang would perform a number of these extreme endurance types of demonstrations through the years, including 3 hours of rapid punching techniques, while standing in horse riding stance and 5 hours of roundhouse kicks. He used to run up and down a mountainside while wearing homemade ankle weights, with the goal of pushing himself to the point of physically passing out from the stress. It was one of the few training goals that he was unable to achieve.

Weapons

Chang was a master swordsman. He was personally trained by Grandmaster Choi, Yong Sul who did not offer this curriculum to all of his students. Chang would perform numerous sword skills demonstrations over the course of his lifetime. He would cut objects being held in a person’s mouth; 5 cuts on celery, 3 cuts on an apple; all while he was completely blindfolded. The precision of his cuts was nothing short of phenomenal. He is said to have been able to cut into the fabric of a T-Shirt, while not cutting into the skin.

Chang was a master in the art of the dagger. He studied the anatomy and the various locations of vital parts on the human body. He perfected the assorted grips utilized to hold the dagger and would customize his weapons for varied purposes. He frequented knife shows and evaluated the size, design, and balance of each blade; dreaming of one day having a machine shop to forge his own weapons. Included under the umbrella of dagger arts are spikes, which are often used for throwing. Chang was able to strike a target the size of a thumbnail from 25 feet out.

Chang was also a master of the cane, short stick, staff, spear, archery, slingshot, rope, stick combined with rope and the simple use of rocks and other natural elements. He designed and crafted his own small weapons, especially useful in his women’s self defense program. In Chang’s hands, almost anything could be used as a weapon. He performed demonstrations wherein he would utilize various household items and turn them into projectile weapons; from scissors to forks and screwdrivers, each could be weaponized and delivered to a target with great precision.

Ki Energy / Alternative Studies

He was trained in how to defend against animal attack. In addition to studying animal anatomy and the location of their vital organs, he contrasted their various attack styles. The way a mountain lion would launch an attack differed from how a wolf or a bear would approach a target.

When asked why he sought out this unusual curriculum, he stated “What’s the point of life-long dedication to learning how to defend yourself against a human attack, only to be mauled to death by an animal one day while traveling to the dojang.”

With the mind being a critical factor in the study and mastery of Hapkido, Chang also studied mind phenomenon and devised programs to instill confidence, overcome fear and develop positive habitual patterns.

Physiological Studies

When Choi, Yong Sul was in failing health, close family members and friends traveled some distance to assemble at his home and say their farewells. His voice was very faint, his skin was pale and eyes were glossed over. By all accounts, he appeared to have only hours to live. Upon his arrival, Chang asked permission of the family to offer some treatment to his ailing teacher. After a combination of acupressure and spinal column manipulation, the color came back into Choi’s skin and the tone of his voice improved almost instantly. His friends and family returned to their homes and Choi, Yong Sul would live another several months after that treatment.

Other Activities

Chang trained competitively in boxing and wrestling and was skilled as a speed skater. He planned to compete at the Olympics in those 3 sports but was unable to secure the required funds to support the level of training and preparation needed to compete at that scale. He was an avid mountain biker and motorcyclist. He held an amateur pilot’s license and was able to perform stunt maneuvers in small planes. Among the list of his accomplishments in life, Chang obtained an amateur ranking of 6th Dan in the strategy game Go (Paduk). He was particularly proud of this achievement given that he started this activity later in life.

Chang studied ancient texts about historical leaders and epic battles as well as philosophy and Confucianism. He formed opinions about how societies should be run and what qualities great leaders should possess. Chang found a good deal of wisdom in these historical writings and was able to relate much of the lessons to contemporary situations. With all the time dedicated to training in classical martial arts and studying ancient philosophy, Chang felt somewhat out of place in the modern world. He would often say that he felt as though he did not belong in this era.

Religion

Chang believed that in addition to physical self defense, one should practice spiritual self defense. He walked the planet with a humble heart, never looking down on anyone or aggrandizing himself or his stature. He cared little for worldly possessions or accumulating wealth. In fact, over the course his lifetime his teaching business generated little to no profit.

Teaching Career

Shortly after arriving in America in 1972, Chang began to teach martial arts. He started mainly with Taekwondo and eventually began offering a distinct Hapkido curriculum. Over the decades of maintaining commercial schools, Chang turned away more student applicants than he accepted. Some who were enrolled in his program were asked not to return based on their behavior. Chang taught the way he was trained and did not believe that technique transmission should be conducted in a transactional fashion. His teaching style was considered to be harsh by some and his classes were not designed to gently encourage you to return the next evening. If you wanted to learn his techniques, you had to persevere and earn his respect. He was looking for a certain mental posture in his students. He genuinely cared for their well being both inside and out of the dojang and built relationships that spanned decades; often long after students stopped attending class.

He was Chief Instructor at the United Nations Hapkido and Taekwondo club and offered instruction to numerous dignitaries from across the globe. He performed several demonstrations over the years and inspired countless individuals through his performances and instruction. He was offered teaching positions at various institutions including the prestigious West Point military academy. But he was extremely protective of his Hapkido material and would often turn these offers down. He believed that part of his obligation to preserve Hapkido required him to strictly evaluate how and to whom the material would be transmitted.

Later Years

Chang lived every day with the awareness of his role within the Hapkido community and his obligation to bring the many fractured organizations under one banner; despite this being a virtually impossible task and something not even his formidable teacher could achieve in his lifetime. He knew which instructors would be completely supportive of him, his leadership role in Hapkido and his mission. He also knew that he would face resistance from some instructors who would be reluctant to subject themselves to his authority for fear of their own stature being diminished.

He was fully aware of those who inflated their ranks, made false claims about studying under the founder Choi, Yong Sul, and those who invented their own ‘unique’ art forms with borrowed Hapkido material. When asked if he knew who these instructors were or if he was aware of the claims that they were making, Chang would smile, nod and simply say “I can tell you how many worms they have in their intestines.”

Chang was aware of rumors being spread about him from dojangs in Korea to chat rooms on the internet. He realized that some people believed that he was no longer active in the Hapkido community, that he was running a candy store or that he was in frail health. He allowed all of these rumors to go unchecked and never publicly rebutted them. This was all part of his master plan.

Chang believed that important things in life should be undertaken with a marathon approach rather than that of a sprint. While others raced to publicize themselves and build large, profitable Hapkido organizations, Chang quietly continued to study and train and to perfect the techniques that he was given. His first mandate under Choi, Yong Sul was to preserve the martial art of Hapkido. In Chang’s opinion, much of the material being taught by popular instructors, who were out there promoting themselves and the martial art of Hapkido, was not based on sound technical principles and unrecognizable to him as the Hapkido that he knew. These instructors did not align themselves with Chang, Choi or the martial spirit and were primarily focused on maximizing profits.

In order to preserve Hapkido and protect it from those who would denigrate the art form into a watered down mockery of its true form, Chang purposefully did not publish any Hapkido textbooks. He did not release Hapkido instructional videos. Since many of these so-called instructors did not know the true Hapkido curriculum or even the contents of its major subject areas, Chang did not want to put that information out there for them to crudely mimic and try to incorporate into their programs. He allowed them to run their course and to empty their baskets. All the while, Chang continued to study and refine the Hapkido material.

As he was making his final preparations to step out into the public and assume his leadership role in the Hapkido community, Chang began an extreme weightlifting regimen. For those who speculated about his health or his strength, he wanted to send a clear message. In his late 60’s and into his early 70’s, Chang was lifting weights that men half of his age would not attempt. He had unconventional weight training methods and would often add additional weight to machines that were already fully racked. For shoulder press, he was able to lift 500lbs over his head. He suffered numerous injuries as a result of this training but due to his unwavering spirit, he would always find a way to keep bouncing back.

Sadly, this same propensity towards extreme training, which helped propel Chang to the peaks of the martial arts world in his earlier life, was the inevitable source of his downfall. After years of pressing such heavy weights, the compression impact on his spine caused back injuries from which he could never fully recover. Chang passed away peacefully in his sleep on Feb. 23, 2018, at the age of 77 as a result of Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease. He left no named successor to the art of Hapkido.

Epilogue

While stepping out into the public and establishing governance over the art of Hapkido was always part of his plans, he simply ran out of time. If nothing else, the way Grandmaster Chang lived his life as a consummate student of the arts, his passion, his dedication and singular focus, command respect and serve as an inspiration to all.

The material that Grandmaster Chang assembled into his Hapkido archive includes historical photos, videos, along with insights into the origins of much of the Hapkido material. As we browse the contents of this archive it is important to take note and pay tribute to the man who took care to preserve this valuable information for us and for future generations to come, Grandmaster Chang, Chinil the 2nd Doju of Hapkido.

^[1] Citation from Wikipedia article Chang_Kee-ryo