Chief-Master
Mateo Lopez
6th Dan
World Han Mu Do Association
HAN for Kids !!
HAN for Teens & Adults
Han Mu Do Traditional Martial Arts
Free Community Event or Private Lessons for Individuals or Groups
Master Mateo Lopez
Master Mateo Lopez was born September 21st 1956 in Mexico City to Alfonso Lopez and Margarita Mondragon. He was the 3rd of six children and became involved in sports from an early age. When he was 6 years old his father enrolled him in track and field where his favorite event was the 100 meter dash. When he was 16 he became interested in Martial Arts and began studying Okinawa Karate Do under Professor Antonio Marquez.
In 1976 Master Lopez was introduced to Master He-Young Kimm, an established martial artist who was an eighth degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won as well as holding various black belt degrees in other Korean Martial Art styles. He was given an opportunity to study under Master Kimm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and eagerly made the move to the United States in order to pursue his dream to become a professional Martial Artist. After several years of training under the tutelage of Master Kimm, Master Lopez decided it was time to further his development as a Martial Artist by striking out on his own.
In 1982 Master Lopez returned home to Mexico to help with his family’s business and to open his own school teaching Kuk Sool Won under the guidance of Master Kimm. He opened his school in Mexico City with 20 students and it soon grew to over 100 students. Master Lopez put together a Demonstration Team and his students often participated in martial arts demonstrations throughout Mexico in order to promote interest and unity in the Martial Arts. Influenced by Master Kimm, Master Lopez believed Martial Artists should accept each other’s differences and work together to improve styles and techniques rather than fight among each other. He was distressed by the animosity between schools often seen in Martial Arts, and, as a result, he encouraged an acceptance of diversity by opening up participation in his Demo Team to any eligible Martial Artist, regardless of the school they attended. The name he chose for his diverse team was CONIDARMA, an acronym standing for Consejo National para Desarollar Investigacion de las Artes Marciales. Translated this means National advisory board for the investigation and development of the Martial Arts.
While building his school and working toward unity in the Martial Arts community, Master Lopez was also competing in tournaments in the United States and Korea, writing a book titled Self Defense for Special Forces, and running a magazine in Mexico City titled “Martial Arts, A Place for the Warrior”. Master Lopez had the opportunity to travel to Korea in 1981 with Master Kimm for the Kuk Sool Won World Championship where he won in the category of Sparring. From 1983-1985 he participated in tournaments held in Baton Rouge, LA where he won in the categories of Weapons, Forms and Sparring and achieved the award for Grand Champion for those three consecutive years. Between 1984 and 1988 he worked with the Federal Police in Mexico City developing a tactical program in self defense for the Special Forces. It was at this time that his book, Self Defense for Special Forces, was published. From 1982-1992 he became the publisher and writer for “Martial Arts, A Place for the Warrior”. Seeing an opportunity to further his ambition to bring the martial arts community together he encouraged those individuals on his Demo Team to work side by side and contribute to his new magazine. This allowed for many different Martial Arts views and styles to be presented in a positive and open manner.
In 1998 Master Lopez returned to the United States to further his training as a Master Instructor with Grand Master Dr. He-Young Kimm in Baton Rouge, LA. Dr. Kimm, after years of research and practice, had created his own style of Martial Arts called Han Mu Do. Master Lopez currently holds the rank of 6th degree black belt in this style and is a member of the World Han Mu Do Association.
In 2001 Master Lopez accepted an opportunity to teach Martial Arts in Texarkana, TX. He currently teaches adult and children’s classes in Han Mu Do at the Legendary Academy of Martial Arts. His focus over the last few years has been the development of his children’s program. He concentrates on bringing out the best in the kids through encouragement, high expectations and consistency. His classes consist of many high energy activities designed to teach the kids focus, concentration, and coordination. In addition they are also taught the importance of a great attitude, having a leadership mentality, and achieving goals while learning Matial Arts techniques and self defense skills.
