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As usual, this time of year has been full of Kuk Sool Won events and travel for us.
On the last weekend in April, Rachel Jo Kyo Nim and I traveled to St. Louis, MO for the World Kuk Sool Association Midwest Tournament. As instructors often do at tournaments, we participated in an official capacity. I judged several divisions, and Rachel Jo Kyo Nim worked as a scorekeeper/timekeeper.
The day before the Midwest tournament, Rachel Jo Kyo Nim and I were both testing in St. Louis as well. Rachel is just starting her testing for Kyo Sa Nim (2nd degree black belt) and I’m nearing the end of my testing process for Sa Bum Nim (4th degree black belt).
In June, we traveled to Kuk Sool Won of St. Paul for several days of training, another black belt test, and this year’s summer seminar. Our friends Sa Bum Nim Steffen Kellog and Kyo Sa Nim Nicole Jones who run the St. Paul, MN school usually invite some of their fellow instructors to visit for a few days before the annual testing and seminar visit by Kuk Sa Nim and other masters. This is a nice chance for instructors to work on their skills with other instructors, which is something we don’t get to do often enough.
The seminar was, as always, a valuable learning experience. This year’s seminar topics included special self defense techniques taught by Suhn Im Kwahn Jahng Nim (8th degree black belt) Sung Jin Suh as well as Mohk Guhm Dae Ryuhn (wooden sword sparring) taught by Su Suhk Kwahn Jahng Nim (9th degree black belt) Barry Harmon. There was also a special additional three-hour seminar just for black belts where Suhn Im Kwahn Jahng Nim Suh helped us refine out forms.
Finally at the beginning of July we traveled to upstate New York near Rochester for the testing and seminar event for Kuk Sool Won of Greater Rochester. (This is part of the same seminar tour and is of course closer than St. Paul, making it easier for our students to attend.) I’m very pleased to announce that three of our students (Ben, Joe, and Rebecca) passed their test in Rochester and were promoted to Jo Kyo Nim (1st degree black belt):
You can find their names in the official WKSA list of black belt promotions for 2012. Two of our other students (Matt and Sylvester) began their testing process this year, and we look forward to their promotion to black belt.
That’s all the travel for Kuk Sool Won events I have planned until the World Championship tournament in Houston, TX on Saturday, October 6.
See our head instructor practicing sword cutting in this video:
(Keep in mind that this an advanced form of practice for black belts only. Everyone featured in this video is a professional martial artist with many years of experience.)
This Monday I returned from a weekend at the WKSA headquarters outside Houston, TX. Each year, Kuk Sa Nim (the Grandmaster of Kuk Sool Won) invites school owners like myself to attend a multi-day session of instruction and training. As many of us do not have a local instructor, this is an important opportunity for us to improve our skills and acquire new knowledge. It’s hard to explain what an excellent experience this weekend was for me. Though my words seem inadequate, I’ll try to convey a little about it.
The headquarters of the World Kuk Sool Association is just outside Houston, TX. Our Grandmaster lives there, and there are many other Kuk Sool schools in the area. Every fall, they hold a tournament in the Houston area. There are other tournaments in different locations throughout the year, but the Houston tournament tends to be the biggest. Continue reading Houston Tournament Next Month
There’s a great deal of variety in the martial arts you can study and the schools where you can learn them. While many people have experience with comparison shopping at the grocery store or the auto dealership, not so many have experience with choosing between different martial art schools. It can be quite difficult, because: Continue reading Choosing a Martial Arts School
When I began considering opening a Kuk Sool Won school, one thing I thought about carefully was the practice floor. Throwing and falling are important parts of Kuk Sool, and I wanted a quality floor that provided a high level of protection for my students and myself. (As an instructor, I get thrown around often as I help students learn how to better execute their throws.) Continue reading About Our Practice Floor
