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Lester Goodwine Sensei began  martial arts as an imitator. Imitating people, voices,and things he saw on television, came too easily for him so a more constructive direction was considered and Lester was enrolled in a Taekwondo class. Being only 3 years old at the time, Lester was accepted for training by Master D.W. Kang (WTF Affiliation). Instructors rarely accepted students that young, but during their initial meeting, Lester imitated many of Sabumnim Kang's movements without being told and those he couldn't do, he tried. Twenty years later, Master Kang’s training had impacted him so deeply that when Lester achieved his rank of 4th degree (Sabumnim) Black belt, along with the proper traditional inscriptions for the rank,  he asked that his Instructor's name be clearly inscribed on his belt as a reminder of his mentor & teacher. Testing for 7th Dan in 1987 with Master Kang , Lester continued his practice and teaching as part of his 40 year "time-in" requirements for the rank. Sabumnim Kang sponsored Lester's 7th Dan full promotion which he recently received in May 2004. He became one of the few Non Korean 7th Dans and also one of the youngest.

Along the way Lester trained with Moo Duk Kwan TaeKwonDo Master Instructor, Richard Chun in preparation for the 1988 Seoul Olympics where he participated as an alternate and trainer in the at that time trial sport, TaeKwonDo. He also fought in partial contact tournaments and full contact PKA contests to get a sample of competitive martial arts. Retiring from the fighting circuit undefeated, Lester found what his teachers had said all along. Fighting is a last resort, and one fights for life, choosing their battles drawing from beliefs, circumstances, and experience. He recently retired his TaeKwonDo belt, (almost white again from the years of training & teaching) to a place of honor in his home.  His promotion to Founder / Creator / Sensei of Hapchidado is a continuation of a lifelong journey for him and he hopes to live up to Sabumnim's name for him,"Yon" which in Korean means "flow".

Acknowledging that no one art is the “end all, see all”, Sensei, (Japanese translated as 'Teacher or 'Born before' as he's called now) was encouraged to study additional arts to round out his skills and started training in his Sabumnim's suggestions, Hung-gar Kung-fu and Aikido. During those early training years Sensei also trained in wrestling and martial art weapons while pursuing another of his loves, music. Where'd  he find the time for all of these things? Early mornings and into the night! The studies definitely didn't stop here as training in Ninjustu with Rumiko Urata Heyes Sensei during Summer month training camp sessions helped pave a "path to enlightenment" that continues to this day. After studying 10 years of Hung-gar KungFu with Sifu John Leong  and 15 years and continuing study of ASU  Aikido, with  William Gleason Sensei, and Yoshokai Aikido, with students of Takashi Kushida Sensei, Goodwine Sensei received his Black belts in both arts (Black sash and Shodan Rank). While training in Aikido, he saw elements that could work well together from the different systems of study and incorporated several of the techniques, feelings, and experiences into Hapchida-do.

Sensei's studies don't end here as he attends seminars with World re-known Master instructor Tony Annesi Shihan of Bushido Kai Budoya, as well as training and teaching in seminars in the New England Area. Additional Budo Training comes in the form of  studies in AikiBudokai with Shidoin Jigme Chobang Daniels. Even as we speak Goodwine Sensei is living in Oslo, Norway working on his Doctorate, continuing his Aikido studies and preparing for his next Aikido Dan  and Hapchidado title tests of Shihan and Soke. These high honors are reserved for the head of a system/family and bestowed upon that person by his peers in the martial arts. For context one could consider it the ultimate black Belt Test. Continuing to blend and "flow", Goodwine Sensei has merged customs from the various cultures where his base arts have come from. Japanese Rei or bowing, a kamiza or "place of honor" in the dojo with images of the founders main influences and mentors, Korean standing bow and terminology for Korean techniques, Chinese terms and philosophy for GungFu components and so on...