1. I have studied Chon-Tu Kwan Hapkido (Combat Hapkido) over the past 4+ years, and have had the good fortune of having Mr. Basiaga as one of my instructors during this time.  There are 5 different, highly ranked instructors at the school where I have been training, each with their own set of strengths.  In my experience, Mr. Basiaga’s qualifications and ability both as practitioner and teacher are unparalleled.  In almost any area of life, there are many great practitioners, but far fewer great teachers.  Mr. Basiaga is one of the rare individuals possessing great strength in both realms.  One of the things I most appreciate about his teaching style is his ability to explain the details / minutia of techniques and tactics in such a way as to make the light bulb go off ….  everything click …. and to suddenly “just get it”. While a very high level practitioner and teacher, Mr. Basiaga remains grounded, down to earth, and is in no way driven by ego.  An intelligent, articulate, friendly, and good-natured person at heart, one cannot help but enjoy his classes!

I cannot say enough good about the style of Combat Hapkido for practical, real world self-defense, or about Brian Basiaga as in instructor.  I highly recommend them both!

~ D. Gregory

2. I am not terribly coordinated, nor was I very talented in gym class. So when I started to take Hapkido lessons, I was more than a bit intimidated. Instructor Brian Basiaga has a great way of explaining and showing techniques so that not only do you pick up the technique correctly, but do it with confidence. As a student with non-traditional work hours that made regular class attendance difficult at times, I can say for sure that without his instruction and help, I would not be the Black Belt I am today.

   Sincerely, Laurie Reynolds

3. I have only known Brian for a short time, about 2 years. In this short time I have become very impressed with Brian not only as a person and a fellow Hapkido student, but mostly as a Hapkido Instructor. On a personal note, as my many years have passed I have either been pushed into or gravitated toward training people. I have trained people on many different levels, anywhere from how to perform specific jobs in a packing house to military training to electrical/mechanical training in the civilian world. On top of that I have taken literally hundreds of hours of college classes. With that being said, Mr. Brian Basiaga is a top notch instructor.
   

   I had been taking Hapkido for about three years, and have worked with Brian a few times in class as a fellow student. He was always very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The more I trained with Brian the more I wanted to see how he was at teaching a class. The first time I experienced a Hapkido class, with Mr. Brian Basiaga as an instructor, I was fascinated that he could fit so much information and training into one class. Mr. Basiaga knows how to get the most out of every minute he has, and he does it in such a way that it never seems rushed or diluted. Taking one of Mr. Basiaga’s classes is like taking a mini seminar. Master Basiaga starts his classes with a distinct purpose, and he keeps everyone on track to accomplish his class objective before class is over. Mr. Basiaga takes command of his class in such a way that everyone knows he is in charge but he never puts himself above his students on a human level.  Mr. Basiaga expects a lot out of his students but it never seems overwhelming or impossible to accomplish. Mr. Basiaga can take his overall goal for the class and break it down so students of all levels will have something challenging to work with. Another fine point about Mr. Basiaga is that his classes never seem boring or stale. When training in the same art for many years it is difficult to keep things interesting. Master Basiaga often relates self-defense techniques to current topics or news happening.

   
   When it comes to being an instructor Mr. Brian Basiaga is as close to the total package as I have ever experienced. Mr. Basiaga combines vast knowledge, physical skill and interpersonal skills to possibly be one of the best Hapkido instructors in the country. To top that off Brian Basiaga is just a really nice and friendly guy who is great to be around.

   Sincerely

   David Houser