Yesterday we enjoyed our first class back training after our two week holiday in Kassiopi, and I can’t believe just how much I ache! Even bowing was a struggle, mind you, that’s probably because of the pounds I put on stopping me from folding in the middle. This morning I could hardly walk, my legs were like jelly, and standing up was a real problem.

Even so, it was a good class, and after two weeks of doing nothing but walk to a restaurant or bar, it was much needed class. Unfortunately, the aforementioned bar seemed to have had quite a detrimental effect on my memory. I think the over abundance of alcohol has more than likely dissolved my good memory filled brain cells, and left me with empty ones. It’s like an alcohol induced dementia.

I kinda think the next few Kuk Sool classes are going to be a little tough on the old body, but you know what they say, no pain, no gain.

Here’s a couple of videos from the 2011 Kuk Sool Won Masters exhibition and promotions. One is newly promoted Kyo Sa Nim Janet Small and the other is newly promoted Sa Bum Nim Helen Denny.

I hope you enjoy them.

Kyo Sa Nim Janet

Sa Bum Nim Helen escorted by SBN Jon & JIKJN Martin

Helen and I made our way up to Kings Lynn yesterday to watch the Kuk Sool Won promotions and the Masters Exhibition, and it was simply fantastic. The atmosphere was electric, with some stunning displays, especially the acrobatic team and Master Sung Jin Suh demonstrating Crane on a Cloud.

There really is something special watching friends promote and being part of the celebrations. Congratulation to Kyo Sa Nim Janet, Kyo Sa Nim Matt, and Sa Bum Nim Helen on their promotion. I also want to say a huge well done to Jon ‘Frenchee’ Pasquette on his first European tournament where he was awarded a Gold medal for his techniques, Gold medal for his Forms, and a Bronze for his Sparing.

The support team

Kyo Sa Nim Matt and Kyo Sa Nim Janet

Sa Bum Nim Jon and Helen

The new promotions

An estatic Kyo Sa Nim Janet and Jyo Kyo Nim Helen

Kung Fu panda

Master Sung Jin Suh demonstrating Crane on a Cloud

Jyo Kyo Nim Helen and Kyo Sa Nim Janet

Kyo Sa Nim Janet and Sa Bum Nim David

Joo Im Kwahn Jahng Nim Martin and Kyo Sa Nim Janet

Kwahn Jahng Nim Alison and Kyo Sa Nim Janet

Kwahn Jahng Nim Alison, Kyo Sa Nim Janet, and Jyo Kyo Nim Helen

Pu Sa Bum Nim Kevin and Kyo Sa Nim Janet

Kyo Sa Nim Janet and Kyo Sa Nim Lee

Kyo Sa Nim Matt

Congratulations to everybody who took part in the Kuk Sool Won testing at Kings Lynn today, especially Helen, who following weeks of worry and practice performed fantastically. Well done Helen. The weather great, it was a perfect summers day, and most of the grading took place outside on the sports field.

Here’s some of the many pictures I took. Drop me a line if you see anything you like, and I’ll email you a copy.

Janet and Helen

Stretching and warm-up

Adam and Neil totally focused

. . . . and so the testing begins

Mike and Charlotte . . . . . supporting . . . . and eating, lol

half way through the testing and a very happy Helen

What a wonderful place to take a grading

Helen still smiling, and Matty getting some serious airtime in the background

Janet, training hard in the sun

. . . see the fear in my eyes, lol

Helen leading the way

Hmmm . . . what can I say, Adam was having a great day out, lol

Joong Bong Il Hyung – Staff form

Matt and Janet doing techniques

Gemma and Helen, two very happy people

Getting near the end, and Gemma and Helen are still smiling

Adam and Neil doing techniques

. . . and its over. you can see and feel the relief.

A huge well done to everybody

I got my Black belt in June last year, and while other students have gone on to new adventures and challenges, I’ve continued my martial arts journey, and realise that it’s been a year of mixed emotions. Following nearly four years of study, I experienced the euphoria of becoming a Kuk Sool Won Jyo Kyo Nim, this was quickly followed by the huge satisfaction of joining the Black Belt class, which I had previously spent many an hour watching enthusiastically from the sidelines. However, after a few months I started to experience what I can only describe as an anticlimax, training as a Black Belt just wasn’t what I expected it to be.

Martial Arts training as a Black Belt is different, the challenges you confront are more personal. As a student working toward your Black Belt, the instructor trains you to work hard physically, they intentionally push you to your limit, whether it be the number of push-ups you can do, how fast you can kick, or how well you can execute your forms. You’re pushed and pushed, and taught to overcome your self-imposed limitations. Just one more push-up, or kicking a bit higher, or performing a little bit faster. The instructor gets a little bit more effort, and energy out of us. More than you thought you had in you, and that’s how we advance, get better, and improve.

As a Black belt, I’ve recognised that training is about oneself, and how we push ourselves. The motivation and desire to learn, improve and train comes from within us, and not from our instructor. And it’s taken me a while to identify that needed change in my learning style, and how to apply that change. In fact, before I recognised the problems I was having, I’d become so disappointed with Kuk Sool Won I wanted to take a sabbatical.

However, the Christmas break came at a good time. During the three week break I spent a lot of time thing about the coming year, and what direction my training was going to take. I came to the conclusion that my continued development isn’t going to magically happen for me, and that I’d have to take hold of it, control it, and make it happen . . . . and for the past month that’s just what I have been doing.

So I’m now training four days a week, both in school and out, for about 6 hours, sometimes more, and I’m feeling great. I can’t remember feeling this motivated, energised, and having a passion to train and learn for a long time. It’s a fantastic feeling, I’m glad has returned. My home gym/dojang hasn’t seen much use over the previous six months, and it’s had a much deserved thrashing this past month. My private workout and training routines are demanding, physically challenging, and mentally tough. Ok, it’s only been three weeks, but I’m already feeling the benefits. My mind and body feel stronger and fitter, I’m more focused and committed, and most importantly, my enthusiasm for the Martial Arts has returned.

Learning a martial art is about personal success and achievement. It’s all about going as far as you’re able, then, when you think you can’t do any more or any better, find that place deep down inside yourself where you make yourself go just a little bit further, do a little bit better, succeed a little bit more.

Time is the one battle it’s impossible to win. If you’re like me, it’s always a struggle to find time to practice – the world keeps throwing up distractions. Worse yet, time faithfully set aside is assaulted from all sides by other commitments such as work, loved ones, emergencies, even mundane essentials like washing and ironing. Practice time becomes eroded to the point where you wonder if it’s even worth practicing for such a short period.

I now employ three methods to reclaim some of my precious time. The first may seem obvious, but is definitely worth mentioning, the second is something that’s a great habit to develop and the third is something I’ve touched on before but you’ve probably never tried. Here they are:

1. Practice better time management skills

Sounds simple, and straight out of my business ethos. But how do you go about putting this into practice? There are two ways that I use that should hopefully go some way to making you more organised.

Scheduling / Timetabling
Preparing and sticking to a schedule is one classic method that’s stood the test of time. Simply organise your tasks and do them at specific times. The idea behind it is that it’ll stop you procrastinating and staring at the TV, or endlessly surfing the web. If done properly, you’ll always know you’ll have time to practice. You can also flip this around, and schedule sacred ‘training time’. Make sure immediate friends and family know that this is non-negotiable time that you’re going to spend training, no matter what. Any chores that don’t get done outside that time – tough. You don’t do them. Draw a line in the sand. No ifs, buts or maybes, that time is yours, defend it with your life.

Combining jobs
Another method to complement scheduling is to combining jobs together to save time. If you’ve got to iron shirts for work, iron all of them for the whole week, not every day before work. If you’re cooking, cook a massive stew that’ll last for three days and you can simply reheat, or make a massive box of salad you can keep in the fridge and add things too (i.e. tuna salad one day, egg salad the next and so on). Emailing – only check emails once a day at home and limit the amount of computer time you have. The trick is to have a think about your regular everyday jobs, and come up with new ways to make them more efficient. Use your imagination and creativity! With only a little bit of thinking you the time you save can quickly add up, freeing hours of time a week.

2. Practice constant awareness and improvement

This is more a mindset to be in than specific improvement advice. The theory is simple, take every opportunity to practice outside of class that you can. Waiting for the kettle to boil? Throw out a couple of shadow boxing moves. Doing the ironing? Stick your leg up on the windowsill and do some stretching. Keep looking around you and improvising. Use anything and everything you can to help you improve. Live your martial art, and squeeze it into every crack in the day you can find.

3. Practice your visualisation skills

This method is a fantastic way to reclaim a great deal of time each week and supplement your training in a very interesting way. It can be used whenever you get the chance to relax your mental muscle for a while. For example, when you can do something without thinking about it, you can use that time to practice your martial art in your head. I’m talking about a very specific and vivid form of visualisation. Perhaps the best way is for me to give you an example. Yesterday as I was clearing leaves and detritus from a large garden I manage, so I used the time to run through my forms a few times and my techniques.

Good luck to all of you trying to lead busy lives and still train. Practive makes perfect

Helen endured her first testing for Kyo Sa Nim, a Kuk Sool Won 2nd degree black belt this weekend, and she was awesome. Her 3 hour test was outside in freezing temperatures, and despite all her worries over the preceding weeks, she passed, and is one step closer to her goal. Well done Helen, I’m really proud of you. Xx

Well I’ve finally made it back to Kuk Sool Won Training after an extended absence due to my neck injury. It’s been nearly a month without a good workout, and I have to say even though I had to take it easy, It was good to be back.

I’ve not been able to train for a while because I injured my neck doing flips onto the crash mat, and is pissing me off to put it mildly. I’ve trained hard for 4 years to become a black belt, and when I finally achieve my goal, I can’t take part in the classes!! I’ve damaged my neck (C4/C5) and I have radiating pain into the arm, neck, shoulders. Quite often, my fingers and right hand goes numb, and I suffer muscle weakness in my arm. So even if I want to have a drink to drown my sorrows, I’d probably just drop it!

And the prognosis is, that I need to rest, and take loads of painkillers until the swelling subsides and stops putting pressure on the nerves. The Solpadol tablets I’m taking are very good, but they knock you senseless, and I’ll be glad to get off them.

Kuk Sool Won Black Belt Extravaganza on Saturday 3rd July 7:30pm – 9:30pm at the Waveney Sports & Leisure Centre in Lowestoft. Tickets £5 Adults, £2.50 Children (13 and under) The Beach Radio will be in attendance, as is the Lord Mayor of Lowestoft, our new MP Peter Aldous and the Beach Bunny!! There will be over 100 students taking part in the demonstration.

Raising money for local children’s charity “Help an East Coast Child”.

Whilst browsing the Internet I came across a website with awesome pictures from the Kuk Sool Won European Tournament 2010. The website is called “AnEyeForDigital” (www.aneyefordigital.com) and its well worth a visit. Gavin the photographer, has set up a highlights blog, where you can view stunning high quality Kuk Sool Won photos.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Gavin for allowing me to post these pictures, as these are some of my favorites:

JKN Janet Small and KJN Darren Brown

SBN Matt Goldspinks

SBN Kris french

PSBN Chloe Marks and PSBN Helen Denny

Sung Jin Suh

The above images are protected by copyright. AnEyeForDigital.com (c)

Please contact Gavin at www.aneyefordigital.com if you would like to use them.

I had my first official Kuk Sool Won Black Belt class this week and it was awesome. I’m so looking forward to the coming years and all the new stuff I am going to learn. As a Jyo Kyo Nim, I will learn five new forms, 143 new techniques as well as specialty kicking.

These are my new my new forms:
Joong Bong Il Hyung
Juhng Geum Hyung
Dahn Bong Ship Pahl Dong Jaht
Ki Cho Dahn
Bong Dae Ryuhn
Baek Pahl Ki Hyung

I’m particularly looking forward to learning Juhng Guhm Hyung, the sword form. I’ve watched this hyung being performed by the senior grades for nearly three years and it’s awesome. I’m also looking forward to the challenge of adding 143 new advanced techniques to the 226 I’ve already learnt (and yet to master) during my journey to Jyo Kyo Nim.

This is my technique syllabus
Ki Bohn Bohn: (10) Advanced Fundamental Techniques
Gahk Doh Bub: (10) Principles of Angles
Juhn Hwan Bub: (10) Spinning Principles
Goh Geup Sohn Mohk Soo: (15) Advanced-Intermediate Wrist-Grab Defences
Goh Geup Eue Bohk Soo: (15) Advanced-Intermediate Clothing-Grab Defences
Jwah Ki: (15) Defences From A Seated Position
Wah Ki: (15) Defences From A Prone Position
Jarp Ki: (20) Wrestling Techniques
Ee In Jee Ahp Sool: (10) Defences Against 2 Attackers
Johk Bahng Uh Sool: (10) Defences Against Kicking
Keun Dae Ryuhn: (8) Close-Range Sparring Techniques
Johk Sool Kyuhk Pah: Breaking Techniques By Kicking

I also had my photo taken which should be going into this weeks local newspaper, the Lowestoft Journal.

Getting ready for my first Black Belt Class

Bowing to my previous class

SBN Jon, JKN, Laura, PSBN Harriette, JKN Laura, JKN Andy (me) and SBN Matt

SBN Jon and SBN Matt

SungWoo Alex Suh and Sung Jin Suh performing various techniques as part of the Kuk Sool Won Masters Exhibition 2010 in Kings Lynn

A video of the Masters and Sa Ba Nim’s performing techniques at the Kuk Sool Won Masters Exhibition 2010 in Kings Lynn.