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MIDDLETON — They were menacing in their metal face masks and floor-length, Darth Vader-like black robes. They clashed their bamboo swords and yelled out in Korean. They scored points and officiants raised the winners’ arms in victory.The Hwa Rang Do World Championships were held here over the weekend for the second year in a row. The gatherings are usually held in Los Angeles, since the martial art has its world headquarters in nearby Tustin, California.But Madison has become a strong hub of the discipline and organizers enjoy holding the events in Wisconsin to capitalize on that growth.

All competition stopped and competitors and spectators alike stood when Grandmaster Taejoon Lee entered the conference-room-turned-competition-area Sunday at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton.

His father, the martial art’s founder, Supreme Grandmaster Joo Bang Lee, 77, was also in attendance, and all practitioners bowed as they walked by a table in the lobby where the elder Lee was engaged in conversation.

Like the better known martial art taekwondo, Hwa Rang Do originated in Korea. Hwa Rang Do is more wide-ranging than the more popular taekwondo, with sparring, grappling, open hand forms, weapon forms, stick fighting and sword fighting.

Matches last two minutes, with the first person to three points winning. Specific targets include the top of the head, the sides of the body at the ribs, the wrists, the sides of the legs, and the throat, said local instructor Michael Boggs.

Spinning strikes are worth two points. Everything else is worth one, Boggs said. “Everything has to be delivered clean with good energy and spirit.”

About 140 practitioners competed in eight different events over the weekend. There were men’s and women’s divisions and a variety of age categories. Hwa Rang Do enthusiasts came from Madison and Minneapolis as well as California, Italy and Australia.

Madison has three Hwa Rang Do academies, and there are also Hwa Rang Do clubs in Fitchburg, Stoughton, Mount Horeb, Eau Claire, Appleton and River Falls. Some 400 people practice the martial art in Wisconsin, said Billie Buss, the head instructor and owner of the East Side academy. CONTINUED ARTICLE BELOW