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Master Choon-Ok Harmon is the highest-ranking female martial artist in the World Kuk Sool Association and author of the memoir, The Iron Butterfly: The True Story of a Mermaid’s Daughter. Kuk Sool Won of St. Paul is thrilled to announce a special evening event with Master Harmon on Wednesday, September 28 at 7pm. Master Harmon will be presenting stories and lessons from her life at St. Catherine University’s Jeanne d’Arc Auditorium. The event will also include Korean dance and drumming demonstrations by Mu Gung Hwa Dance Academy and the demonstration team of Kuk Sool Won of St. Paul. Tickets are $5 each — please call 612-578-5797 for more information.
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Everyone is invited and welcome to join us for our annual Open House on Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. We will have games, mini-classes, and demonstrations by our Demo Team. If you’re a student, bring a friend and come and enjoy the show. Curious about martial arts in the Twin Cities? Feel free to come by and see what we do.
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Congratulations to our students who competed at the 2010 Midwest Tournament in St. Louis, MO! Everyone did extraordinarily well, and we are very, very proud of you all: Brian Berg (white belt, 40+), one gold medal, one bronze medal; Andrew Wyman (brown belt adult), one gold medal, two silver medals, and one bronze medal; Will Schuerger (Dahn Bo Nim adult), three silver medals and one bronze medal; Nicki Jones (First Dahn adult women) three gold medals, two silver medals, one bronze medal, and the Grand Champion winner in her division. Also, we congratulate Mel Martin Jo Kyo Nim and Will Schuerger Dahn Bo Nim on excellent black belt testing!
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We’ve opened a new class day and time for our youngest (and cutest) students. Our Pre-Martial Arts class is specifically designed for children ages 4-6 years — those who are curious and enthusiastic about martial arts but too young for the Kuk Sool white belt (beginning) curriculum. We’ve been offering a class on Fridays at 5pm for nearly 2 years now, and that class stays consistently full. So, we’ve opened a second class time on Tuesdays at 5pm. Class will last anywhere from 30-50 minutes, depending upon the age and experience level of your child. Please call 612-578-5797 if you have questions, or feel free to just show up with your child, ready to try our Pre-Martial Arts class.
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Our third annual Kuk Sool Olympics (the event formally known as “In-School Tournament”) is coming up. Students, please turn in your registration forms and fees as soon as possible. Parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors — you’re all invited to come and see our students, youngest to oldest, beginners to experienced, enjoy a day of friendly competition, great community, and outstanding martial arts. Please join us Saturday, February 27 from 11 AM to about 5 PM.
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Kuk Sool Won of St. Paul is hosting its annual Open House this Saturday, September 26 from 11am to 3pm. We’ll be offering free mini-classes, playing games, and showing off some of the best martial arts in the Twin Cities. Come meet our instructors and current students, try out some new moves, and get your questions answered about our school and the martial arts system of Kuk Sool Won.
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I love open houses. I love the idea that we open our homes (or businesses) to the public, invite folks in, let them look around, share a snack or a meal together, and share a little bit about who we are and what we do.Here at Kuk Sool Won of St. Paul, we’re having an open house on Saturday, September 26 from 11am to 3pm. Yes, anyone is welcome. Yes, you can look around, yes, there will be treats and snacks. And the best part is you can come in and not just see what we do, but try it out yourself. Already a student? Come in and play a game with us, maybe try a mini-class and review an old skill or learn a new one. And watch a demonstration by our most advanced students and instructors and get an idea of the amazing things that can be done by any student who puts in the time and training. Not yet a student? Come and tour our school, meet our instructors and current students, learn a little bit, play a little bit, and get all your questions answered in person about our school and the system of martial arts called Kuk Sool Won. Everyone is welcome. Our “house” will be open, so come see for yourself some of the best martial arts in the Twin Cities.
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Have you noticed a young woman in classes taking pictures recently? Julia has been visiting Kuk Sool Won of St. Paul taking pictures for the University Avenue Project. Photographer Wing Young Huie, in collaboration with Public Art St. Paul and with funding from the Joyce Foundation, is creating a six-mile gallery of 360 photographs in 2010 along University Ave. The photographs, including those taken at our dojang of our students and facility, will be projected on store windows and building surfaces along University Ave. at night, and large photographs will be displayed on building and windows that can be seen by day.
If you’re curious about the project, check out Wing Young Huie’s website at http://www.wingyounghuie.com/. Or check out a Minnesota Public Radio article on the project here.
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* The Video includes all quotes, but we also typed them out below because they scroll a little fast. Enjoy the great advice from Sun Im Kwan Jang Nim.
Kuk Sool Won Practice Basics:
- Memory
- Strength
- Stretch
- Center Balance
- Stamina
- Power
- Connection
- Meditation
- Speed
Kuk Sool Won Practice Principles:
- Stop Leads the Hyung
- Low Stance
- Power Hands
- Look Straight Ahead or At Your Hands
- No Emotion
- No Expectation
Punch is always lower than shoulder. Thumb stays on the outside. Stance is always 90 degrees. Balance is always center. Eye contact is always straight ahead or at your hands.Keep your head level when you connect stance to stance. Your head should remain at the same height, or level.One who connects the stance fast without power looks sloppy, and will have poor results.Practicing with stops refines your power. One who goes fast, and the form still looks good, has been practicing correctly.Without thinking about the principles and technical details during practice, you may have a fun and a good workout, but you will never understand martial art.Stop longer is correct practice. Concentrate on every basic principle and technique and eventually get there fast.Trying not to waste time is trying hard. Concentrate hard so people can feel the beauty. Concentrate on your hands and absorb yourself in your art. Artist concentrate on giving their soul into their art.After your strikes and between each stance, let the connecting movement go. Like dropping a coin from your hand.Do not practice with emotion. People feel your emotion. Lead your hyung technically, following basic principles.Save your emotion for self-defense.Your opponents should feel your stance hard like a rock, and they should be afraid from your force.Because attacking offense has emotion and powerful preperation, if you wait until someone attacks you, you will be in trouble from the force against you. So if you want to defend yourself against that kind of power, you should prepare twice that strength against your opponent.Self-practice and self-motivation is difficult. Think light and try to begin easily without pressure. Then you can practice continuously and consistently. Begin lightly and get going as you sweat. Starting your practice is everything. Without starting, you go nowhere.Before practice, do not make too many plans. If you have too many expectations, you will burn out before you even start. Just think about every stop. Think about principles and techniques. Then you will enjoy practice and time goes fast.Everyone should practice a lot. It is difficult to learn correctly as a white belt because there is not enough muscle memory and mental experience. If you have been practicing for a while in regular class, then Kwan Jang Nim can correct easily.Once you practice over and over again you will feel the difference. Even if you do not have abilities at first, you will find out you do have confidence. As long as you practice with proper techniques and quality principles, you will reach your goals. Everybody has the same chance. As long as you practice correctly, you could be the best.Hard practice surpasses the need to work on patience. You pass patience and are able to forgive anything. You can pass through anything that stresses you. Because you can taste dying, you can forgive anything.With hard practice, you will have a positive, kind mind. You can solve problems. If you have negative mind, practice harder. Practice for dying.
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