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Tournaments make for a very long day… For the judges. As members of a traditional martial art that focuses so heavily on etiquette we should really do our best to thank the judges. Unfortunately, I always hear a lot of complaints. I even remember doing some complaining myself. So, in the spirit of contrition, I am going to thank some judges right now. I’d like to thank Master Seitz, and Master Simms for giving me contact warnings during sparring. I’d like to thank Master Jeff Green for not being fooled by flashy techniques, and I’d like to thank Master Kunz for making me do above the head spin-kicks without jumping. For all of you who are not judges I’d like to give you a peak at the judges world. I’ve heard many different systems by which judges do their judging. But the main thing I see is consistency. Remember, even if you do not understand what they are looking for, the judges are doing their best to be consistent. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my list of the top ten things you can do to impress the judges:
- Etiquette, Every judge I know will give higher points to better ettiquette or down grade you for bad etiquette.
- You Won Hwa - remember that Kuk Sool is a softer style, so if you do everything hard and jerky you will not score as high as someone who flows.
- Do your techniques - The judges are looking at your techniques; a poor technique ending in a magnificent fall reflects more on your partners falling ability then your technique ability
- Do the techniques in the book!
- Ettiquette: Formal bow (unless injury prevents), speak clearly, use a title, smile, do not turn your back on the judges, thank the judges for your score.
- When doing form - look at your target! not your hands and feet.
- Hyung By-Whats?
- Control, Control, Control - I see too many students who want to spar hard at tournaments. Remember, if you want to spar harder, do it at your home school.
- Weapons: If you only practice the form and ignore the basic spinnings and meditations, your forms will show it
- Etiquette: Did I mention etiquette?
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Once again I have gone to St. Louis for the midwest Kuk Sool Won Tournament. I have only missed this tournament once, and I truly enjoy it. KJN and SBN Harvey do an amazing job of organizing, and St. Louis is a great city. Also, this year I got the pleasure of seeing my own instructor promote to Master. Congratulations, KJN Seitz! Of course, for me the capstone is always the Master’s Demonstration. This year, I especially enjoyed watching SBN Ben Mitchell do a cat roll higher than his own head, and then proceed to do a flip over a stack of people. Also of note was Sun Jin Suh Kwan Jahng Nim’s Crane on the Cloud form. He performed it slow and low. It was absolutely gorgeous. So while the St. Louis Demo form is not up yet, I thought you might enjoy an older video of Sun Jin Continue Reading…
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This Monkey has some scary good spin kicks.
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Yes, it’s true. I am moving to Chicago.
I have accepted a job at Leapfrog Online as a Web Producer. My new job is located north of the city in Evanston, IL, but I will be living in the City.
After graduating from Purdue University in December, I retired my instructor position to Brandon JKN and moved back here to Minnesota where I kept this website and blog going. I am happy that PSBN Steffen and DBN Nicki are getting their voices heard by posting on the blog and know they will take care of all of you readers and students from around the world.
I want to say Thank You to all the readers of this blog and I hope that wherever you are, you know someone is practicing Kuk Sool somewhere else in the world. We are all Brothers and Sisters.
I will be training at Sa Bum Nim Hill’s school Continue Reading…
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Every once in a while I see a story about a real-life self-defense incident that just makes me smile. Recently I read a perfect story from Lighthouse Point Florida.
Apparently back belt and marathon runner by the name of Margot Foster, 53, came home and found a man (aged 24) ransacking her house. The surprised thief tried to flee but she tackled him outside her house. The thief was able to free himself and then flee. However, Margot gave chase until the burglar tried to clear a six-foot-high wooden fence. Then, in her own words, she, “grabbed him by the neck, ripped him off the fence, threw him to the ground, and put her knee to his chest.” She then held him until the police arrived.
The image just makes me smile. I can just see this man trying to flee as this woman of twice his age Continue Reading…
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50,000 push ups. 50,000 crunches. 5,000 techniques. 15 minutes of daily meditation. 1,000 acts of kindness. A reading list, wrongs to be righted, relationships to be mended, and writing assignments. Are you exhausted yet? This is the Ultimate Black Belt Test. A program designed by Master Tom Callos, the Ultimate Black Belt Test (UBBT) is a series of physical, written, reading, social, and mental challenges designed to transform those who accept the challenge. I like that word, “transform.” I’m generally pretty pleased with myself as a person (sometimes a little too pleased), but I am intrigued by the idea of transforming myself. So, I’m taking up the gauntlet informally. I’ve modified the list a tad to fit better — I need to practice my techniques more often, so I’ve got a daily technique requirement. But I’m not taking things off just because I don’t like them or think I’ll be able Continue Reading…
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We here at Kuk Sool Won of St Paul are so happy for Chuck Norris the inventor and his Action Jeans. They’re pretty much better than your jeans.
* You can see more detail of the jean in the Second image below.
I don’t think the Action Jeans are still on sale but maybe if you contact Century Martial Arts Supply you may be able to get them back on the Market.
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Kwan Jang Nim Alex has recently had a professional Video made to promote his 2 new schools down in Texas. Fortunately for everyone else he offers the video to help other schools who would like to use it. So all we had to do was put our school Contact Information on the end and drop it on our Homepage. Click the image below to go to our homepage to watch it.
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In interviews and talks with instructors one of the recurring themes that comes up is perseverance. This sequence (done without any computer help) took 600 tries to get just once. Now think about Ki Cho Hyung. We are trying to do about a hundred (depending on how you count it) moves in a precise sequence with our body. In addition, we are trying to learn it to the point where it is reproducible. I’ve heard it said from a number of different masters that it takes 100 times to learn it, 1000 times to be able to do it, and 1,000,000 time to master it. Is it any wonder that almost every school has a sign that says, “we need more practice”?
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Q: What is the Name of your school?
A: Kuk Sool Won of Walzem
Q: Where is your school located?
A: San Antonio , Texas
Q: How long has your school been open?
A: I’ve been teaching in San Antonio since 2002, before that I had a school on McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey for 4 years.
Q: What is your Kuk Sool Rank?
A: Sa Bum Nim (Fourth Degree)
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: A small town named Oldhams , Virginia
Q: What are your hobbies outside of Kuk Sool?
A: Music, Sports, Hanging out with family and friends
Q: Any other basic background info you would like to share?
A: I’m a down to earth, fun loving guy. I love to train hard, but I believe that in all training, there should be some fun.
Q: When did you Start Kuk Sool Won? Why?
A: I started Kuk Sool Won in the early 90’s at Ramstein Air Force Base Continue Reading…
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