What We Teach

Welcome to the Martial Arts United Family!

At Martial Arts United in Brookfield, WI, we offer a truly unique experience in Korean Martial Arts including Taekwondo, Hapkido and Self-Defense. Our primary mission is dedication to health, strength and longevity. By choosing to become a member of our family, you will have taken the first step towards altering the course of your life forever.

At MAU, our students come first. Our goals are to help all students achieve the many benefits that our system has to offer. At MAU, we are not only interested in self-defense and martial skills, but in the development of each person as a whole. As a famous teacher once said, "These are the tools of everyday life...what you learn [in the classroom] you can apply elsewhere." We stress this principle in our classrooms, and strive to teach important lessons that you seek to install in your, and your children's lives.

The ambition of our MAU Masters and Instructors is not to train fighters. Any student can walk into a boxing gym or disreputable martial arts school and learn how to beat somebody up; that is simply a matter of size and strength. The MAU system emphasizes the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of martial arts. Discipline, integrity, self-respect and respect for others are instilled in our students. At the same time, our students are taught the same Taekwondo-style kicks and strikes that are both feared and respected in the world. With these tools in hand, our students develop a powerful arsenal of techniques, but with the necessary mental discipline to use them only when necessary and with the utmost control.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo (Tae = to kick, Kwon = fist, Do = discipline or art) is "the art of unarmed combat". Taekwondo is a uique martial art incorporating both the quick, straight-line movements of various Japanese systems and the flowing circular morements of most Chinese styles. But what truely distinguishes Taekwondo are its varied and uniquely powerful kicking techniques. Taekwondo students around the world train to master a myriad of kicking, blocking and striking techniques, each executed with devastating speed and power. These techniques can be directed at an opponent's vital areas and, as the techniques become more advanced, students may learn more complicated maneuvers that allow complete domination of any opponent.

Hapkido

Hapkido (Hap = Harmony, Ki = Power, Do = Way or Path) is a Korean martial art of self-defense. Hapkido uses similar joint locks, grappling and throwing techniques to other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and striking attacks, but emphasizes on deflecting an opponent’s attacks instead of using force. There is also the use of traditional weapons, including knife, sword, rope, cane and staff.

Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, redirection of force, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to incorporate the use of leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.

Self-Defense

Theory of Self-defense
The goal of any curriculum that truly emphasizes self-defense should not be to fight an attacker. Anyone caught in a self-defense situation should work to ESCAPE the danger and get help. Self-defense is not about winning a fight but about surviving a hostile situation. Regardless of what level self-defense techniques may be used, the goal of a self-defense situation should always remain the same: avoid confrontation, defend yourself when absolutely necessary, and work to escape the situation.

Self-defense and Street Fighting
The main rule to remember about self-defense and street fighting is that there are no rules! It’s not a game: it’s survival. In the beginning, you will learn practical self-defense techniques comprised of simple direct movements aimed at the opponent’s weak areas. As you advance, you will learn more complicated maneuvers that will allow you to be less damaging to your attacker. At an advanced state, you will learn how to control an attacker to the point where you won’t have to injure him at all to subdue. Naturally, the best defense is to avoid confrontation. Remember, that the true spirit of Taekwondo and Hapkido is to “be strong enough to be gentle”