Club Values

In 2018, Danyel Degenhardt was fortunate to take over the largest Haidong Gumdo Club in New Zealand as Head Instructor. In order to understand the roots of the club, as well as prepare for the future, he took the club through a values exercise.

Each member looked at a list of values, and then chose their top three values of what Haidong Gumdo means to them. Together as a club, they developed the following  Whakatane Haidong Gumdo Club Values.

1. Whanau

Words of community, comraderie, family, team and whanau were at the top of everyone’s list of values. Our club already has many families coming in and learning the martial together as parent and child or with their partners. The individuals coming into the club have quickly been invited to join the whanau of Whakatane Haidong Gumdo.

Whether it’s the Tuesday night training, heading to the beach for a workout, or just sitting around a campfire on the weekend, our club is dedicated to creating a safe and connected environment to grow as an individual within our whanau.

2. Challenge

Words of achievement, success, discipline, and challenge are values that are easily understood to be associated with a Korean Swordfighting martial art. I’m sure there are not many of us who wake up and think, “I can get a Black Belt in a Korean Sword martial art.”

However, the Whakatane Haidong Gumdo Club understands that if you accept the challenge, anything is possible.

You may join Haidong Gumdo for the physical challenge each the trainings can offer in order to lose weight, build muscle and become the healthiest version of yourself. Or perhaps you may want to challenge your own beliefs in what you are capable of. Either way, prepare to be pushed in a safe but challenging way.

3. Fun

Everyone in the club recognised how important the values of happiness, creativity and fun are.

A question that Danyel often asks himself when developing lesson plans for training is “How can I teach this skill, and have a great time doing it?”

There have been many smiles and  laughs in our club over the years, and we plan to have many more. Like many kiwis we love our potlucks, outings, and a great pun.

Moving Forward

Our Whakatane Haidong Gumdo Club values of whanau, challenge and fun are brought into each of our trainings. When you join our club, you will be encouraged to bring these values into your trainings as well.