Tammy Parlour - Featured Instructor - February 2010

This month we caught up with Instructor Tammy Parlour, from Chang’s Hapkido Academy, to learn more about her take on the physical and spiritual sides of the art.

Her own relationship with Hapkido goes way back - in fact she was only 12 when her parents took her to her first lesson with Grandmaster Chang (she grew up in America, where his school is based). While she can’t remember what it was that drew her twelve year old self to the martial arts in the first instance, she certainly knows what made her stick with it: her teacher. “Grandmaster Chang is an incredible teacher,” she enthuses and, even across continents, she admits that he’s still her greatest inspiration.

For the last 16 years Instructor Parlour has been a teacher herself - bringing Grandmaster Chang’s philosophy to a UK audience. Indeed, she firmly believes that the philosophical side of the art is just as important as the physical. “You can know hundreds of techniques and be big and strong,” she explains, “yet you can be defeated in an instant by your own fears.” Her lessons help students to overcome this and rid themselves of these negative factors. So, as well as improving fitness levels, they’ll cope with anxiety and stress to become “more confident, more loving and more authentic.” Her classes also help beginners develop the right attitude towards training, with a great deal of emphasis being placed on proper etiquette and discipline, such as bowing to your instructor and addressing them formally during practice. According to Instructor Parlour, “Through disciplined practice we become strong and calm, and more able to handle any situation we may encounter, be it physical or mental. We learn to be more in the present moment, and to face reality.”

Given the admiration and respect she clearly shows for Grandmaster Chang, it’s hardly surprising that the one piece of advice she has for anyone considering taking up a martial art is “Find the right instructor.” In many ways she sees this as being more important than the choice of art itself as “it’s the instructor who will mould your personality in class.” As such, she recommends looking at a potential instructor from all angles, and not to be so preoccupied with their physical strength or technique that you overlook their ability to communicate with their class. Indeed, if you are observing classes in advance, she explains, “looking at how students interact, their discipline and energy in the room is very important.” All that said, she clearly feels that Hapkido is a great choice, explaining that “it is a complete system that challenges students both physically and mentally”, and one where there’s always something new to learn or a way to improve your technique.

Going forward, this is exactly what she intends to keep doing – “the more I practice Hapkido the more I understand that it has so many deeper levels”, as she admits “there are techniques I use now that I know so much better than I did 10 or 20 years ago.” It’s an approach that’s obviously been working for her, And her vision for the future? “To continue teaching to the best of my ability...I just want to keep getting better at what I’m doing and keep doing everything with authenticity.” An attitude I’m sure that many of us could learn from.

Instructor Parlour teaches morning, afternoon and evening classes to students of all ages and abilities, Monday-Friday at Chang’s Hapkido Academy in London.

 Learn more about joining Instructor Parlour's classes.

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