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Kuk Sool Won
Intro
The history of Korean martial arts is as old as the history of Korea and can
be traced as far back as to the prehistoric Korea, where primitive weapons made
of wood and stone were used for hunting and fighting. As early as 2707 BC, the
Korean warlord Chi-Woo also known as Jaoji, reigned as the "god of war" in what
is now Mainland China. Since the majority of Koreans migrated and settled in the
Korean Peninsula, there have been more than a thousand recorded instances of foreign
invasions. Consequently, the Koreans have developed unique martial arts and military
strategies in order to defend themselves. Most of these Korean martial arts fall
into three branches; namely, tribal, Buddhist, and royal court martial arts. The
development of each of the three branches of martial arts is briefly described
below.
Tribal martial arts (SahDoh MuSool)
The earliest martial arts developed in Korea are called SahDoh MuSool; tribal,
clan or family martial arts. SahDoh MuSool was popular among the ancient Korean
tribes, city-states and kingdoms formed in the Korean Peninsula and parts of what
is now China. This was well before the first unified Korean kingdom of Ko-Cho
Sun was founded in 2333 BC by the legendary king, DahnGoon WahngGuhm. SahDoh MuSool
was mainly passed down from one generation to the next by family lines. Later,
SahDoh MuSool has been further developed and made widespread by militias voluntarily
formed by the common people who often fought in battles to defend their villages.
Popular traditional sports activities such as Taekkyon, and Ssireum are considered
to have originated from SahDoh MuSool. Many techniques found in the popular Olympic
sport of TaeKwonDo can also be traced back to SahDoh MuSool.
Buddhist martial arts (BoolKyo MuSool)
Since Buddhism was first introduced to the kingdom of Koguryo in the year 347,
unique martial arts have been developed by both Buddhist monks and martial artists,
known as BoolKyo MuSool. Buddhist monks developed and practiced BoolKyo MuSool
to improve their health while meditating and defend themselves while traveling.
As a result, Buddhist martial arts include internal training with emphasis on
special breathing and meditation methods, as well as external training with emphasis
on effective self-defense techniques. Many Buddhist monks were so accomplished
as martial artists that they were occasionally called upon during national emergencies
to fight in battles by forming unprecedented armies of warrior monks. To this
day, BoolKyo MuSool plays a significant role for Korean martial artists by providing
them with philosophies of non-violence and compassion as well as spiritual codes
of conduct such as the famous Five Commandments of the HwaRang warriors.
Royal court martial arts (KoongJoong MuSool)
Kings, royal families and government officials had private armies and bodyguards
who practiced martial arts known as KoongJoong MuSool. These royal court martial
arts gave rise to esoteric techniques of portable weapons such as fans and short
swords. Also developed were unique empty-handed techniques of joint-locking and
pressure point striking. Existing records in Japan suggest that many KoongJoong
MuSool techniques found their way to Japan and gave birth to the Japanese art
of Jujitsu. King JinHung of the Kingdom of Shilla encouraged the HwaRang warriors
to practice KoongJoong MuSool and other martial arts. During the Koryo Dynasty
and Chosun Dynasty, Korean kings enforced policies to discourage practice of martial
arts and forbid possession of weapons, in order to protect themselves from any
rebellion against them. However, Korean martial arts have continued to develop
both within and without royal courts thanks to the efforts to practice, record
and compile martial arts techniques by many dedicated Korean martial artists.
Traditional Korean martial arts (Kuk Sool)
The three branches of traditional Korean martial arts of SahDoh MuSool, BoolKyo
MuSool, and KoongJoong MuSool are systemized as Kuk Sool in 1958 by Grandmaster
In Hyuk Suh, the founder of Kuk Sool Won. Kuk Sool consists of 270 categories
and more than 3600 techniques from the three branches of traditional Korean martial
arts. Kuk Sool has been actively promoted worldwide by the World Kuk Sool Association,
and recognized in the martial arts community as one of the most effective and
comprehensive systems of traditional Korean martial arts.
Kuk Sool Won's Modern History
Kuk Sool Won's history begins in 1910 with the dissolution of the Korean Royal
Court and the Japanese occupation. Many leading martial arts instructors were
forced into hiding. Among them was Myung Duk Suh, In Hyuk Suh's grandfather. Before
Japan took over, the elder Suh taught three types of Korean martial arts; kwan
sool, a kicking and hard punching style, yu sool, a soft style with emphasis on
locking and throwing techniques and yu-kwan, a combination which could be either
hard or soft, but never used force against force.
During this period of Japanese rule (lasting from 1910 until the eventual defeat
of the Japanese forces at the end of World war II), the Japanese occupying forces
attempted to suppress virtually every aspect of the Korean cultural heritage and
replace it with their own. They even suppressed the Korean language (Hangul) in
favor of their own Japanese language. Needless to say, the traditional martial
arts of Korea were banned as well.
The practice of any sort of Korean martial arts had been strictly forbidden.
Any Korean caught practicing them (or even worse, teaching them) would be severely
punished under a legal system particularly harsh on the native Korean population.
Because of the severity of this repression, the clandestine manner under which
the native Korean martial arts were practiced (which had always been in evidence
because so many of the techniques were jealously guarded secrets) was greatly
intensified. Only a very small number actually participated in the training for
fear of reprisal.
Master Instructor Suh Myung Duk, who returned to his family home in the Taegu
area, and then set about the task of preserving his vast martial art knowledge.
He continued secretly practicing martial arts, teaching his techniques in the
strictest privacy to immediate family members.
The Suh family had practiced martial arts for-the past 16 generations and it
was time to pass on the previous generation's knowledge. From his children and
grandchildren, Suh carefully selected one child to whom he would give the entire
scope of his knowledge. That child was In Hyuk Suh, his grandson, whose serious
martial arts education began when he was only five years old.
Suh's training continued uninterrupted until the middle of the Korean conflict,
when his grandfather was fatally wounded. It then continued through arrangements
made by his grandfather's foresight.
Letters of introduction, plus his grandfather's reputation as a master instructor,
opened many doors to In Hyuk Suh. Now young Suh began to visit, and to learn from
many teachers.
By the time he was 20 years old he had traveled to hundreds of Buddhist temples
and private martial arts teachers, studying many aspects of Korean martial arts.
The Buddhist temples themselves were not martial training grounds, Suh, instead,
searched for and found many ancient training books, hidden away from the Japanese
in the neutral holy temples. Sometimes he went to a teacher to learn only one
technique. For instance, Suh learned an important joint locking angle from an
old man who was the last descendant of a famous martial arts family. This old
man was reputed to break steel smoking pipes with just his thumb but he refused
to teach this technique, preferring to take it with him to the grave. Suh had
talked to him for over an hour before realizing the old man had been holding a
long Korean pipe in one position, with his elbow at a certain angle for the entire
time. Suddenly Suh became aware that the secret technique was the elbow angle
itself
During this intensive training-period Suh met an old Buddhist monk named Hai
Dong Seu Nim (Great Monk of the Eastern Sunrise). He became Suh's second most
influential teacher, passing on special breathing skills, mediation techniques
and internal power (ki) knowledge.
In the late 1950's In Hyuk Suh began to organize and systemize the many scattered
martial art techniques of Korea into a single martial art, Kuk Sool Won , now
Korea's largest organized martial art. (Tae Kwon Do, while larger, is considered
by the Korean Government and the World Tae Kwon Do Federation to be a martial
sport).
Suh officially founded Kuk Sool Won in 1961. When he opened his first do-jangs
(schools) it was a difficult time. Those were the rough days following the Korean
conflict, when martial art schools had to prove themselves physically to stay
in business.
Kuk Sool grew to monumental proportions, even though it took the public some time
to adjust to its radically different spinning techniques and low stances. Then,
in 1974, when Kuk Sool Won in Korea was reaching a popularity peak with the public,
In Hyuk Suh brought his martial art to the United States.
Training
Kuk Sool Won is a systematic study of all of the traditional fighting arts,
which together comprise martial arts history of the Korean nation. As such Kuk
Sool Won is an extremely well-organized system of martial arts which seeks to
integrate and explore all aspects of the traditional Korean martial arts.
As a martial arts system, Kuk Sool Won covers the entire spectrum of the traditional
Asian fighting arts and techniques of body conditioning, as well as mental development
and traditional weapons training. These include (but are not limited to):
- Hand Striking: closed and open hand striking methods, palm, wrist,
and finger striking, blocking and parrying, animal- techniques, pressure point
striking, striking with arm and shoulder, specialized palm training, arm striking,
shoulder technique, etc.
- Leg Techniques: foundation kicking, front leg kicking, spinning kicks,
jumping kicks, combination kicking, jump spinning kicks, double leg kicking,
kicking defense, pressure point kicking, specialty kicking, etc.
- Throwing and Grappling: body throws, projection throws, wrestling
techniques, leg throws, ground fighting, pressure point grappling, grappling
defense, etc.
- Joint-Locking Techniques: pain throws, arresting and "come along" techniques,
restraining methods, joint breaking techniques, control and re-direction techniques,
combination joint locking, etc.
- Falling Techniques and Acrobatics: body protection techniques, throwing
defense, acrobatics for body conditioning and agility, acrobatics for defense
and offense, etc.
- Body Conditioning: stretching and flexibility training, cardiovascular conditioning,
muscle training, joint flexibility and bone conditioning. Animal-Style Techniques:
techniques based on the movements and/or characteristics of certain "martial"
animals such as Tiger, Praying Mantis, Crane, Dragon, Bear, etc.
- Traditional Korean Weapons: straight sword, inverted sword, double
sword, double short sword, pole, jool bong (nunchaku), short stick, double short
stick, spear, cane, belt, folding, fan, etc. (There are 24 different traditional
Korean Royal Court weapons in the curriculum of Kuk Sool Won) plus Buddhist-
and family weaponry.
- Martial Art Healing Methods: (beginning at Instructor Level) acupressure,
acupuncture, internal energy systems, herbal medicine, etc.
As you can see, Kuk Sool Won covers an extensive variety of techniques and
martial art methods, but it is not merely concerned with the physical methods
of attack and defense: Kuk Sool Won includes the study of healing techniques,
the development of internal power, and physical conditioning. Training in Kuk
Sool Won also helps to instill self-confidence and self-discipline, a calm self-assurance,
and the psychological and spiritual values, which are traditionally associated
with the martial character. Mental and physical well-being are of primary importance
in Kuk Sool.
Although Kuk Sool as it is practiced today is relatively new, its roots stretch
far and deep to the very beginnings of the history of Korea. As students of Kuk
Sool, this early history and the ancient traditions upon which our art is founded
should be as important to us as the physical techniques themselves, for it is
only from our understanding and appreciation of these classical roots that we
are able to grow as students of the martial arts.
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A - C