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The joy of teaching children martial arts

18/9/2018

Teaching children the traditional Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won™ is a great joy for me. Sure, it can be a bit like herding feral kittens at times, especially when they are tired near the end of the school term. It can also be frustrating when they can’t remember what you have taught them or when siblings fight in class. But these are minor irritations when compared with the overall joy teaching this age group brings.

So why do I enjoy teaching martial arts to children so much?

It is fun: Kids like to have fun. It is the main reason they participate in any activity. Martial arts training must be a fun-filled experience for children, otherwise they will quit. In many ways it is structured play, especially for the younger age groups. As adults, we have usually forgotten the joy that comes from play. Our lives become structured and serious. Our martial art becomes about constantly striving to achieve a never-ending series of goals that we set ourselves. We often forget that it can also be a really fun experience. When I am teaching our kids class, I make sure to mix structured training with fun games and activities. These also have hidden benefits, as they emphasise elements like fitness, teamwork, coordination, balance, and speed. But mostly they are focused on the kids having fun and when they are enjoying themselves, teaching is fun for me as well. Smiles are contagious!
It is rewarding: If martial arts are fun, kids will often commit for a long period of time. As an instructor, I get to teach them once or twice a week for years. I get to see them grow; physically, emotionally and psychologically. They develop physical self-defence skills and become fitter, stronger, more flexible and coordinated. A martial arts though, doed not just develop a child’s physical skills. Kids grow in confidence, which is especially important for those who are shy or being bullied. They also learn boundaries, interpersonal skills, effective communication, good manners, leadership skills, focus, and respect It is hugely rewarding to know that I am, in some small way, positively influencing the development of so many children who come through our school.
It fits with my values: I am motivated by a desire to make a difference. Teaching kids, and especially young girls, the skills to defend themselves and to grow into strong and confident people fits with this value. When we work in an area which is consistent with our values, it is a joy. This doesn’t mean that it will always be enjoyable. Working with children can be challenging, tiring and frustrating. But given that it fits with my value of making a difference to their lives, I find it a deeply satisfying experience, despite the challenges.

Teaching martial arts to kids is not easy and does not come naturally to everyone. While there are many factors that make a good teacher, fundamentally an instructor must have a passion for teaching children. If this exists, the kids will be “smiling, sweating and learning” (using the words of Master Martin Ducker of Kuk Sool Won™ of Lowestoft and Halesworth). This makes for a great environment for everyone.

JKN Jane Hurst
First degree black belt and school owner
Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero

Copyright © 2018. Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.

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Memory enhancing tips for the recreational martial artist

12/9/2018

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DBN Garth (right) of Kuk Sool Won™ of Pukekohe enjoying his training with fellow students

For SBN Caroline and I, our martial art of Kuk Sool Won™ is more than a hobby. It is our job, our passion and central to the way we live our lives. However, for most people, martial arts are a recreational activity. In our experience, students participate to get fit, learn some self-defense skills, build their confidence, and to enjoy the companionship of their fellow students. They set goals around achieving a certain rank and are motivated by the new material they learn at each new belt level. While the practice of martial arts is important, as with any recreational activity, it must fit in around many other life commitments.

A recreational martial art usually involves around 2 to 4 hours of structured training a week in a class environment. While this is enough time to learn the basic skills, in our martial art of Kuk Sool Won™ there is a lot of material to learn and perfect, especially as a student progresses towards black belt (and beyond). This invariably means our students need to practice their material outside of class time. This can be challenging, particularly for those students who are time poor or do not have someone they can practice with outside of classes. As well, students may not always have a training partner at the same belt level in their school. For example, my training partner left when I was a yellow belt (after six months of training). As ours was a small school, I never had another regular training partner at my belt level. Having a fellow student of the same rank as a training partner makes training much more enjoyable, helps with motivation, and aids the learning process, as you help each other to practice and remember your material. I know from experience that it definitely makes training more difficult when you no longer have another student at your level to train with.

While participating in martial arts as a recreational activity is enjoyable and rewarding, there are definitely some training challenges to be overcome. We have come up with some tips to make your training and practice more enjoyable and effective.

Take notes to aid your memory: When I learn a new set of techniques, I always write them down in my Kuk Sool notebook. I have done this since early in my training. I have often had to train with someone at a lower rank than myself, so I cannot rely on my training partner being able to remind me of my techniques. I also use the official Kuk Sool Won™ textbook as a memory prompt once I have been taught material by my instructor. My notes jog my memory, as does the textbook. They are an excellent aide memoire for use at home. I also add training tips to my notes as I refine my techniques after further instruction. Even if your memory is excellent, it is a good idea to have a backup, especially as you advance through the ranks. This is particularly true in Kuk Sool, where there are a large number of techniques to learn for each degree of black belt.
Walk through your forms and techniques at home: It is important to practice your material outside class. This is hard though, if you don’t have a lot of space and no one else in your household is practicing martial arts with you. There are ways around this. For forms, you don’t need a lot of room as you can practice doing them “on the spot”. Your instructor can teach you how to do this. The idea is to walk through your forms, so the moves become second nature. You can work on your stances for example and finesse the details of the form in class. For techniques, you can walk them through with an imaginary partner. I have been practicing my techniques on my imaginary friend “George” for several years now! Sure, it’s not as good as practicing with a real person, but it is better than not practicing your techniques at all.
Go through your forms and techniques in your head every day: I systematically work through my forms and techniques in my head every day. It is a form of meditation for me. It not only keeps my techniques fresh in my memory, but also is a form of relaxation. I use my notebook if I find myself forgetting any particular technique. I am currently training for second degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won™ and I have well over 300 techniques to remember, as well as a number of open hand and weapons forms. I largely focus on the material that I don’t get to teach students on a regular basis, as that material has become very much second nature. We need to work on our memory. It is not just something that happens. We need to regularly think about our martial arts material, inside and outside class. If we turn our mind off the moment we step outside of the dojang (training hall), we will struggle to remember our material.
Take the opportunity to train with as many other students as possible: While it is great to have a regular training partner, it can make us complacent. We quickly become in tune with that other person and know how their body will react when we do a technique on them. It is easy to just go through the motions. While a training partner can help with memory, training with other people as often as you can will challenge your memory. Being outside of your comfort zone puts pressure on your memory, which will highlight where you need to do further work. Also, techniques work differently on everybody, so training with other students will teach you how to apply a technique in different ways. This will add to your depth of knowledge. So actively seek out other students to train with during classes rather than always training with the same person. It might feel less comfortable, but you are likely to learn more.
Don’t miss classes: This may sound obvious, but when you are only doing 2 or 3 classes a week, you really can’t afford to miss too many. Your body and mind need regular and consistent training time. You will struggle to remember your material if your training become inconsistent. Also, the more classes you miss, the more you are likely to miss classes in the future. It becomes a viscous cycle. It can be hard to motivate yourself to get to training when you are tired, feeling a bit unwell, or it’s cold and wet outside. While it might be tempting to stay at home or go out with friends and family, martial arts require a certain level of dedication and commitment, even when it is just a recreational activity.

Martial arts training is a fantastic recreational activity. To get the most out of it, you need to be smart about how you train. The tips I have outlined above are ways to maximise the time you have available. Your instructor and other more senior students will also be a great source of knowledge. Ask for advice and be creative in the ways you train so that you can find works for you.

JKN Jane Hurst
First degree black belt and school owner
Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero

Copyright © 2018. Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.

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Celebrating 15 Years of Kuk Sool Won™ in New Zealand: A School Owner's Perspective

9/9/2018

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SBN Caroline Hurst (4th Degree Black Belt and School Owner)

In 2003, SBN Caroline arrived in New Zealand as a first degree black belt in the traditional Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won™. She had trained at the busy UK school of Kuk Sool Won™ of Lowestoft and was expecting to join the local Kuk Sool school to continue her training. However, she found that not only were there no schools in West Auckland where she was living, there were no Kuk Sool schools in New Zealand. What would most people do in this situation? They would give up their martial arts training or start from scratch in a different style.

Undeterred and committed to continuing her training in Kuk Sool, SBN Caroline opened her own school, with the support of her family, who had also trained to first degree black belt. The early beginnings of Kuk Sool in New Zealand were humble, with her school of Kuk Sool Won™ of Auckland having only 3 students for the first couple of years. Gradually though, this has increased and over the last 15 years, SBN Caroline has promoted 25 students to 1st degree black belt. Four of these students have progressed to 2nd degree black belt.

Establishing and running a school in a new location is always challenging. Being so far away from an instructor and other students at a similar level adds another degree of difficulty that few martial artists and school owners ever experience. To receive her own training, SBN Caroline must travel to Texas, at considerable personal expense. While we have been fortunate to have annual visits from her instructor in recent years, SBN Caroline has been in the challenging position of having her instruction condensed into three or four days a year. She then has to practice her material on her own, based on her memory and notes taken at the time. She must wait for several months for refinement and further instruction. In this way she has progressed from first to fourth degree black belt and is currently testing for master (fifth degree black belt).

Learning a traditional martial art like Kuk Sool can be a very challenging experience. It takes years of dedication to achieve each degree of black belt. Most people give up before they even reach black belt. Few go on to achieve 2nd degree and even less progress to the higher ranks. However, the rewards of making the commitment are considerable. Training over years (and even decades) develops the body, as well as self-defense knowledge and skills. However, it does much more than teach physical skills. It also teaches the importance of dedication, tenacity, commitment, and focus. Training so far away from an instructor and in the absence of other students at a similar level, in the way SBN Caroline has, is extremely difficult but it has helped her to develop all of these characteristics. Taking the harder path can make us more resilient and better able to cope with the difficulties and challenges that life inevitably brings. The benefits of such perseverance cannot be underestimated or overstated.

For some, the martial arts journey involves opening a school either through choice or by necessity as a way of continuing to train. School ownership provides the opportunity to learn by teaching and to develop a depth of understanding that is difficult to achieve by participation as student. It also develops qualities such as humility and integrity. Our students are only as good as our ability to teach them. Every person learns differently and we must adapt our teaching style accordingly. School ownership requires significant commitment and responsibility. It also requires personal sacrifice. Most school owners do not get paid and often have to subsidise the school’s running costs to ensure it can survive. Added to that is the cost of travel to visit an instructor, which from New Zealand, is always expensive. There are also no other school owners here to provide advice, moral support, or a sense of collegiality. Instead, we must be self-reliant, as well as savvy in the use of technology to build relationships with school owners in other parts of the world.

15 years ago, SBN Caroline chose an extremely difficult path when she committed to continue her Kuk Sool training in New Zealand by opening a school. I have been fortunate to be part of that journey for the last few years and to be able to learn from her and provide her with support. Her commitment to not only Kuk Sool but to each student is inspiring. She has and continues to make a difference to lives of many people. That is the true essence of our martial art.

JKN Jane Hurst
First degree black belt and school owner
Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero

Copyright © 2018. Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.

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The joy of teaching children martial arts

Memory enhancing tips for the recreational martial artist

Celebrating 15 Years of Kuk Sool Won™ in New Zealand: A School Owner's Perspective

Caroline and Jane Hurst

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