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From guest blogger, Mel JKN:
There are times in Kuk Sool when we’re not part of what’s going on. We may be waiting for the class before ours to finish, we may be waiting while our instructor teaches a technique to our partner, we may be watching a tournament, or we may be sidelined due to an injury. What do we do with that downtime? Turn our brains off and drift into La La Land? Of course not. All of those scenarios are important learning opportunities. We can learn a great deal from actively watching our fellow students. Things that my instructor has told me time after time suddenly become clear when I see someone else making the same mistake. When I listen to him explain a technique, I always hear something new that I missed when I learned it the first time around. Every time I watch my peers Continue Reading…
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At our school, Steffen PSBN, our head instructor, uses both the Korean and English names of kicks, hand strikes, forms, etc. in nearly every class. Yes, if there is a preponderance of white belts, he will certainly use much more English than Korean. But at some point every student (whether he noticed or not) has been exposed to the Korean names for nearly everything we do.
We also provide an extensive Korean vocabulary list in our Introductory Packet. And, now, I am slowly getting everything on the blog, so that when that day comes, our students are ready.
What do I mean by tbat day? I mean that day when you, flush with your shiny new red belt, stare at PSBN’s smiling face as he asks you to show him Ba Kkat Da Ri Cha Gi, and you have absolutely no idea what on earth he is talking about. And then Continue Reading…
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Posted by Steffen Pu Sa Bum NimCommand on November-4-2008 |
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get out and vote. Or there will be push-ups.
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In continuing adventures of Not A Linguist Or Korean Expert, I’m going to keep heading down the road of getting all the Korean that is contained within our Introductory Packet (remember that folder I gave you your first day of class?) up on the blog. Today’s lesson, boys and girls, is the name of your rank and your form.
Just starting out? You probably have a white belt. Been here a while? Check the color of that purty sash-thingie at your waist. It’s your belt, and it’s not just flair. Your belt represents how long you’ve been training and corresponds to a rank. What’s your rank in Korean? Read on:
White belt – Hin dee
Yellow belt - Noh rahng dee
Blue belt – Chohng dee
Red belt – Hohng dee
Brown belt – Jah dee
Brown/Black belt – Dahn bo nim
If you have a black belt, well, I expect you know your rank in Korean Continue Reading…
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I’m lying. You can’t learn Korean in 5 easy steps, unless being born in Korea is the first step. But I do want to help everyone get past that blank, deer-in-headlights look when your instructor asks you to do “bahl koom chi cha ki” (all right, commentators — tell me what it is!).
We’ll start simple. How to count to 10 in Korean:
1 han nah
2 dul
3 set
4 net
5 dah set
6 yah set
7 il gohp
8 yuh duhl
9 ah hohp
10 yuhl
Okay, start saying that over and over. My kids learned it over lunch in one day, just counting again and again. Come back when you’ve got that, and we’ll talk about forms.
(Special thanks to Ken Pu Sa Bum Nim for promoting my screen name!)
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My ex asked me the other day how we were faring in the face of the “mini-Depression.” It’s a small business, he figured, and we don’t exactly offer what most people consider a necessary commodity. And the bleak economy is affecting almost everyone at some level. I told him the truth: we’re growing steadily, retaining students, and continuing to invest in the business. Yep, I’m definitely paying more for gas and groceries, but so far the effects of the pinch on most folks’ pocketbooks aren’t translating into a loss of students. But it got me thinking. I know I cringed when I paid for my kids’ activities this fall, not because those prices had gone up, but because the price of so many other things has gone up, and I feel less and less like we can afford “extras.” So, why have so many parents (and other adults) continued or Continue Reading…
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Steffen PSBN and I were talking business the other day — an activity that we call a “meeting” and that usually involves large quantities of bubble tea. We were talking about demographics: who is our market? what are they like? what DO they like? how do we reach them most efficiently? And we stumbled upon a great truth: martial artists read. Looking at our current student population, former students and instructors, we determined that Kuk Sool apparently appeals to bookish word nerds, ourselves included. (Yes. It’s a fact. Any conclusion reached under the influence of a strawberry kumquat black tea with pearls is an idea of great wisdom and undoubtedly true.) So we decided to make our upcoming Open House that much more fun by sharing some of our favorite martial arts books with our students and guests. We’re going through the bookshelves and hauling out, among others, The Art of Continue Reading…
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Thanks to Scott Wood Hohng Di for forwarding a link to this site. Here are some fun facts about Mr. Norris.
When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.
Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.
When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
Oh, there’s more. Go to Continue Reading…
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Once again, our guest blogger, Mel Martin Jo Kyo Nim:
Two weeks after surgery I finally returned to Kuk Sool classes. It was great to be back in the dojang and to see everyone, but at the same time it was very frustrating. For the next five months I am prohibited from running, jumping, bending, or twisting. So I took a deep breath and told myself that this is the perfect time to work on my weapons skills. When I got home I started doing the math and I figured out that I only have to worry about being benched for about 50-60 classes, and really that’s not that bad. I smiled and thought to myself, “Now that’s the right attitude to have.” And that phrase, right attitude, brought me up short. I thought about it for a moment and I realized that I am back on the path that Continue Reading…
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A very special welcome to a guest blogger, Mel Martin Jo Kyo Nim. Some of you may remember Mel JKN as the woman who beat the snot out of her would-be mugger a couple of Thanksgivings ago. Well, she is currently recovering from knee surgery, and, given her history, my money is on Mel JKN — that gimpy knee doesn’t stand a chance. Take it away, ma’am!
Mel JKN writes: On Tuesday I had knee surgery to repair my left ACL which I completely blew out a couple of weeks ago doing an off-the-wall jump roundhouse. And while I intend to write more later about having a major injury and staying with Kuk Sool, I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Kuk Sool and all it has given me to help me get through this time in my life.
Dear Kuk Sool,
I am lying on my couch as Continue Reading…
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