Taxi Driver Self Defence

Taxi Driver Self Defence - What would you do?

Imagine that you are driving your taxicab alone in the early hours of the morning. The streets are deserted and you stop to pick up your last fare of what has been a long and busy night.

Four middle-age people enter your cab, two male and two female customers. They give you directions and you think no more about them because they just seem your normal type of clientele.
It’s starting to rain and your only real thoughts are about ending the shift and getting home to bed. You’re trying to make the usual polite conversation until you reach your customers required destination.

You slowly pull over and stop to let them out, politely informing them that they owe you £7.20 for the ride. Three people get out of the car. Suddenly and quite unexpectedly the last remaining passenger thrusts a sharp object into the back of your neck, you realise that its a knife, quietly the man whispers in your ear - "you don't want the money that bad do you" - what do you do?

Well of course the most obvious and sensible answer is 'you don’t do anything’ - just hold your hands up and let them go on their way.

Today, hundreds if not thousands of Taxi drivers face this type of situation every week and the violence and rate of attacks on cab drivers seems to becoming increasingly worse.

The situation that I have just described was a relatively rare experience 17 years ago, but that’s exactly what happened to a young taxi driver named Kevin Cullen, in the seaside town of Lowestoft, Suffolk. An incident that left him so shocked and distraught that he would not leave his home for at least two weeks afterwards.

It has often been said ‘that out of the depths of despair something positive can emerge’; and that’s exactly what happened to our cab driver Kevin, not realising at the time the total shock of this attack would lead him to change his whole outlook on life.

At this particular time, Kevin by his own admission was totally unfit and grossly overweight, weighing an incredible 23 stone. The most exercise that he ever performed was struggling to get in and out of his cab. He was nicknamed by his mates and the other local cab drivers as 'beefy' or 'big Kev' for obvious reason.

Being overweight was only part of his problem, his real issue at that time was his general lack of self-confidence and self-esteem and today he strongly believes it was a contributing factor to his attack. Kevin says, “I might as well have had the word ‘victim’ tattooed across my forehead, I believe that I was viewed as being rather vulnerable and an easy target”.

Several months after the assault a close friend and neighbour suggested that Kevin might like to go along with him to a local martial art club that was holding classes just a few streets from his home. Kevin with nothing to lose, with the exception of a few pounds from his pocket and possibly a few pounds in weight, thought it might be a good idea.

On his initial lesson Kevin recalls struggling so much that his instructors and fellow classmates were worried that he was about to have a heart attack, his face turned purple and he was on his knees with exhaustion.  But despite those early struggles, Kevin persevered with the training, knowing that what he was learning might one day save his life, in more ways than one.

Working his way systematically through the belt ranks, he slowly began to lose weight and was becoming very proficient in the application of self-defence techniques, more importantly his confidence and self-esteem began to increase as well.

Looking back Kevin now realises that if he hadn't started taking those classes who knows where he might have ended up. Although the training regime was rather challenging, he somehow knew that it was doing him good, both physically and mentally.

These days Kevin is a shadow of his former self, at the age of 43 he’s now slimmed down to a mere 16 ½ stone. In combination with his martial art training, he also spends considerable time in the gym and often gives students half his age a good run for their money as far as fitness is concerned.
 Instead of being called 'beefy' his new title is Pu Sa Bum Nim Kev, and he is now a respected 3rd degree black belt in the traditional Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won, which he has consistently practised for over sixteen years.

Kevin’s partner Toni is also a second-degree black belt and his son Ryan is a 1st degree Kuk Sool black belt as well. Together all of them practice at the Lowestoft School, where Kevin is also the main instructor for the children’s classes.

When asked, if he has he ever had to apply any of the techniques in an actual self-defence situation in his cab, Kevin is a little reluctant to share his experiences.  He explains there have only been three major incidences since his initial attack.

The first was when a young man kept pulling on his hand brake while he was driving, which resorted in himself applying a painful joint lock to his passenger, until order was restored.

The second was when someone tried to run off without paying, but unfortunately he couldn’t get out of the car quick enough before Kevin applied another restraint technique, and finally the third he prefers not talk about, but hints that the other person will always think twice about ever upsetting a cab driver again.

Kevin adds, he rarely has to use any type of physical force anymore’, he believes his awareness and perception have now developed to such a degree that he can spot trouble a mile-off and deals with it appropriately by speaking confidently and directly to any would-be troublemakers.

Currently Kevin is the co-director of his own taxi–firm and has often been asked by other cab drivers for lessons in ‘taxi-driver self-defence’. However Kevin is reluctant to teach them, knowing that sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  He stresses that it’s more than just learning a few simple self-defence techniques; it’s about totally immersing yourself in the concept of the martial arts so you exude self-confidence and awareness throughout.

Finally, when asked how would he deal with the knife situation today, Kevin’s answer – “If it ever came to it, I’d probably do exactly the same thing as I did before, lets face it, it’s no good being a dead hero/taxi driver and like the guy said all those years ago - I don’t need the money that bad, do I.

Model Warrior - Featured in Combat Magazine 2004

Model Warrior

The Martial Arts, generally conjures up images of power, masculinity and strength, while the softer feminine aspects can sometimes be overlooked.

Most people would probably agree that Rachel Ducker, aged twenty, reflects the essence of femininity; being blessed with a pretty face and a very shapely figure, she looks every part a fashion icon, however from this point onward please don’t let looks deceive.

Because of her family connections within the martial art’s Rachel is a hard-hitting, sophisticated young lady who knows what she wants and exactly how to go about getting it.

Starting her formal martial art training at the age of four years old, under the guidance of her parents, both of who are long-standing Kuk Sool Won Instructors.

Rachel has always viewed the martial arts as a natural part of her everyday life and spent much of her childhood being raised in and around the dojang. In fact it has been reported by Rachel’s mum that she was actually able to count to ten in Korean before learning to count to ten in English.

Although her indoctrination into Kuk Sool Won started probably a lot earlier than most, Rachel never received any special favours, and followed a similar training pattern to that of most other students.
In her formative years, her family would be the first to admit that she was not what you would call a ‘natural’; everything she has gained has come about through hard work.

Initially, Rachel explains that her progress seemed relatively slow, but say’s that her parents were much aware that progressing quickly through the ranks doesn’t always make an excellent practitioner.
Her training consisted of practising the fundamentals day in and day out, like it was a game. Much emphasis was placed upon developing flexibility and strength, laying down a strong foundation for her martial art future.

After nearly seven years of continued practice Rachel eventually graduated to black belt in 1997 at the tender age of 11. By this time Miss Ducker had already gained a reputation for having very powerful kicking ability and was nicknamed ‘Thunderfoot’ by her classmates for accidentally kicking a fellow (male) sparring partner through a partitioned wall. 

 

Many people who know Rachel recognise her as being a very polite and respectful young lady, but there is another side to her as well; as already mentioned she is tough cookie, determined, strong willed and very outwardly focused.

Many people often wonder; does martial art training give a person the edge in life as well? Well in Rachel’s case there seems no shadow of a doubt.

In 2001 Rachel left school with 4 A’ levels and has worked her way up into the position of Sales Marketing Manager for a local publishing company for which she still works for today.

As for her martial art career, Rachel has won countless tournaments and Gold medals, she has been successful at winning the individual European and UK Kuk Sool Championship many times and was fortunate enough to compete in South Korea last year gaining a respectable third place in her category.

She is currently working toward her 4th Degree black belt and Rachel’s long-term goal is to become a Kuk Sool Master.

If you were to ask this intelligent young woman what the ‘highlight’ of her martial arts journey has been so far, she would undoubtedly tell you about her experience at the ‘Beckhams’ when she was part of the Kuk Sool (UK) demo team asked to perform for a whole host of celebrities at the 2002 World Cup Garden party held by David and Victoria Beckham.

Of course martial art training aside, Rachel is still very much your typical average twenty-year old, impressed by the glitz and glamour of the fashion world, and like most young girls of her age has dreams of becoming an icon herself.

Most recently Rachel’s dream did become a reality, when she was accepted by a very reputable modelling agency based in Norwich and London.

Aware of the sturdiness and resilience needed to succeed in this particular industry, Rachel has not been fazed by this often competitive environment, in fact she just views it on a similar parallel to that of her martial arts training. She understands the total dedication and commitment that it takes to become successful in any field of endeavour.

So what’s next for Rachel? Well her career at the publishing company is still going very well and new opportunities are arising all the time.  As far as her modelling career goes, she has had several large companies interested in her.

From a martial art perspective nothing changes, it’s training as usual and when asked about boyfriends, Rachel says ‘boyfriends - I’ve got no time for a boyfriend’ maybe one day I’ll discover that special person?

Whatever Rachel ends up doing in the future, whether she’s a celebrity or not, one thing is assured she will never stop practising the martial arts; it’s in her blood and a place she knows best.

Beckhams World Cup Party

The Beckhams World Cup Party

Our adventure started about a week or so after the Seni Exhibition. I received a frantic phone call from PSBN Alison on the Tuesday evening asking me if I wanted to go to the Beckham's party on Sunday at their home in Hertfordshire.

Of course I didn't believe her, I thought she must be pulling my leg ( as she often does! ). Finally she managed to convince me, and, after much screaming and running round the house in a manner reminiscent of a headless chicken, this is what happened.

The World Cup party had an oriental theme, so the party organisers had contacted the organiser of Seni to see if he could recommend some Ninja's to perform in the woodlands for the guests to look at as they made their way to the marquee.

He told them “you don't want Ninja's, you want the Kuk Sool Won demo team!”. High praise indeed! So that's how 15 members of the Seni demo team got to go to the Beckham's party. We had been told not to tell anyone because of security reasons so there was a lot of suppressed excitement, but after a rollercoaster ride of a “would we, wouldn't we” kind of week, Sunday finally arrived.

The coach picked us up in Halesworth and took us to Sawbridgeworth where we were given a security check and then taken by mini-bus to the Beckham estate. We were shown around the marquee, which was beautiful, and then through the woodlands to our positions.

David and Victoria walked past us at this point which was quite exciting! We then had about an hour and a half wait before the guests were due to arrive, so we had some lunch in the canteen backstage, where we saw Beverley Knight (who was performing later) and we met Victoria's family, as well as Brooklyn.

Soon came the time for us to get into position ready for the guests to arrive. We were determined to put on a good show (although it was a bit difficult amid the nettles, rocks and trees), but the next 2 ½ hours seemed to fly by! Among the famous guests were: Elton John, Richard Branson, Natalie Imbruglia, Muhammed Al Fayed, Cilla Black, Dale Winton, Graham Norton, Ant & Dec, Joan Collins, Lulu, Jamie Oliver, Chris Eubank, Jennifer Saunders, Louise and Jamie Redknapp, Shaznay Lewis, Misteeq, Lee Evans, Gary Lineker, Des Lynham, Angus Deayton and a whole host of other celebrities and sportspersons including the England football team and some members of the 1966 team as well. We weren't allowed to speak to the guests but most of them said hello and some of them made comments as they walked past. ITV filmed the occasion for a documentary which was shown the following week and OK and Hello magazines had joint coverage.

After the guests had finished arriving, we went backstage and had some more food and watched the Shaolin Monks arrive. They did a 10 minute performance and then left but we did get to speak to them briefly.

Earlier in the day we told Victoria's mum that we would like to present David with an honorary black belt, so we were thrilled when we were told that we could all go on stage to present it to him! There was a lot of waiting around backstage listening to Graham Norton auction off a variety of different things (with all proceeds going to the NSPCC). Jamie Oliver and Mick Hucknall each paid £29,000 for a pair of David Beckhams football boots! Finally the moment came for us to go on stage, where KJN John Ives, SBN Martin Ducker and SBN John Gravenall presented David with his black belt. There's a picture in OK Magazine to prove it!

Finally it was time for us to leave, and as we left the estate, there were about 300 people crowded at the gate cheering and waving as we drove past. We felt like royalty! It was quite exhilirating and very bizarre.

And so our exciting day at Beckingham Palace came to an end, but the excitement wasn't quite over yet. The BBC heard about our little trip, and on the Tuesday they came to film us at the Halesworth Dojang. The report went out that evening on Look East which was great publicity for Kuk Sool Won. The following Sunday, the 19th of May, the documentary about the party was shown on ITV, and to our amazement, there were many clips of the Kuk Sool Won team shown, as well as a few comments made about us by some of the guests.

A fantastic time was had by all.

The members of the team were:

From Lowestoft and Halesworth: SBN Martin Ducker, PSBN Alison Ducker, KSN Rachel Ducker, KSN Jason Ducker, KSN Robert Poll, KSN Joanne Walker, KSN David Ellis, KSN Kris French, JKN Nigel Gosling.

From Norwich: KJN John Ives, KSN Jason Hawes, JKN Tracey Burton

From Birmingham: SBN John Gravenall, JKN Natalie Parks

SEE THE VIDEO HERE....



From Kings Lynn: PSBN Darren Brown

Barry and Choon Ok Harmon - By Master Martin Ducker (Past Articles)

She came from a small Korean village, he hailed from the USA, East meeting west. She had to fight for her reputation, he had to earn his place at the top. An arranged marriage by their masters. Having to overcome language and cultural indifferences, the only common ground is the martial art they both love. They lived together in the dojang, struggling through the hard times.

Eventually they reach the height of their profession, he becomes the first non-oriental master and she is the first female master, and they become widely recognised as the U.S. number one husband and wife demo team in Kuk Sool. Does this sound like something out of a movie script? Actually it is, but factually based upon the true life story of masters Barry and Choon Ok Harmon, 7th degree Kuk Sool black belts.

Her story begins in Korea.

Choon Ok as a young girl regularly visits the Kuk Sool dojang as a spectator. She enjoys watching the very few women that are practising at the time. She realises that much can be accomplished through practising a particular rather than using just brute force and ignorance. At a somewhat unstable tinme in Korean society she also feels that the self-defence aspect may be of some benefit.

With Choon Ok's brother already practising and her sister being married to Kuk Sool's chief Master In Sun Seo, she begs her brother-in-law to let her start practising. Eventually an agreement is met, but there are conditions. "You can start any time but you can never stop," he insists. Through the initial stages, several times she feels like quitting, but she is always reminded of her initial promise to her instructor. Her daily training schedule is tough, starting at 6:00am and often finishing late into the evening. For several years she maintains this routine.

One day while taking a well-earned break from the dojang, Choon Ok and her sister go shopping, however, after a short time both find themselves being followed by a suspicious looking character. Deciding together they make a dash back to the dojang bringing out the chief master, who kindly catches and escorts the man to the second floor of the training hall.

Choon Ok is instructed to try out her 'punching' technique. She is not happy about this After her first attempt the man just laughs at her in the face, another attempt brings the same result, in fact the more she hits him the more he continues to laugh. Her instructor decides to demonstrate the correct manoeuvre, this time in one single attempt. "I want to be able to do that" Choon Ok cries out! She pleads with him to teach her the correct technique. He in turn insists upon hundreds of hours of practise and thousands of repetitions just hitting paper to develop her shoulders.

Several months later Choon Ok asks if she can try 'hitting' again, she is told to pick an appropriate body from the street below. An intoxicated man found urinating on the pavement is selected for the task in hand and brought to the dojang by two instructors (remembering that this was a time when many gangsters and thugs roamed the streets of Korea and the authorities were only glad of the extra help cleaning up the neighbourhood).

Choon Ok takes aim and lets loose with an almighty punch, the man is knocked out cold. Deep inside she feels remorse for what she has done, but on the other hand this feeling is mixed with joy for performing the technique correctly and also surprise by the amount of power that has been generated from her strike.

The young Korean girl soon becomes hot news and makes major newspaper headlines after successfully defending herself against a knife assault. Many times she finds herself involved in street self-defence, protecting not only herself but also her close friends too. In fact many of them will not venture out unless Choon Ok is present.

Within her martial art she is also becoming a celebrity, performing over three-hundred demos in the space of two years. She is well recognised as the little Korean girl with the big punch!

His story begins in Korea.

As a young man in the U.S. military police, Barry finds himself serving his country, stationed in Korea. His appetite is already wet by the martial arts, and like most young American servicemen he finds himself training in Tae Kwon Do, which eventually gives him a black belt. One day while walking leisurely, Barry notices a group of martial artists in black uniforms. At the time he considers this quite unusual as most styles in Korea wear white.

Not only were the uniforms different but the moves were unlike anything he had seen. Intrigued by his discovery he inquires furthur about the martial art and joins up as a student of Kuk Sool Won, the fifth time that he has actually signed up as a white belt, as he is already ranked in several other styles of martial arts in the U.S., including Judo, Karate, Kung Fu and also the Tae Kwon Do learnt in Korea.

After several years of hard training, practising anything between two and six hours a day, six days a week, Barry's instructor, Master Oh Yi Kuen, introduces and helps him to become a direct student under the guidance of Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh, founder of Kuk Sool Won.

After honourable discharge from the US Airforce in 1974, Barry leaves Korea. Fortunately for him, Grandmaster Suh also has plans about immigrating to the US to establish the World Kuk Sool Headquarters in San Francisco. Back in the USA Barry is given the opportunity to continue to train under the Grandmaster and live in the dojang, while all the basic necessitites are met, he has to abide by the three main rules, eat, sleep, train.

While others considered Barry's predicament to be somewhat undesirable with no money and seemingly no prospects, he considers himself to be privaledged. He knows that he can leave at any time he wishes to, but it is basically a one way door.
 
For five years Barry sticks religiously to this regime, just eating, sleeping and training under the Grandmaster's watchful eye. During this period Barry becomes of a young lady practitioner in Korea who he immediately feels attracted to. He asks Grandmaster Suh if an introduction may be possible. Lucky enough for Barry, Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh and Choon Ok's teacher, Chief Master In Sun Seo are brothers, so with permission, written communication begins.

Unfortunately at this particular time Barry cannot read Korean and Choon Ok cannot understand English, translation of letters is always via the two masters. however, after much correspondence and patience, an arranged marriage is on the cards.

Together in the USA.

Choon Ok and Barry first meet when he picks her up in Korea two weeks before being married in San Francisco on July 13th 1980. Immigration officials find it hard to believe that the marriage is legitimate and that Barry is not being paid for Choon Ok to obtain a green card. It is not love at first sight, but a love that is to grow with time.

Choon Ok is asked about her first impressions of America, she says that everyone looks the same, "big eyes and big noses".

In 1981 Mr and Mrs Harmon open their first school together in San Mateo, California. Still close enough to continue their training with Grandmaster Suh in San Francisco. their reputation as a martial arts duo continues to grow as they perform all over the US.

Korea Trip 2002 - By Master Martin Ducker (Past Articles)

It was described by Kuk Sa Nim as ‘the trip of a lifetime', a one off chance to experience the culture, history, and to discover the roots of Kuk Sool Won in South Korea.

Here is a brief account about the ‘trip to Korea'

The Flight and Arrival In Korea

The Asian Air economy class flight was basic yet comfortable, with the latest Hollywood in-flight movies to entertain us, combined with a pleasant choice of Korean or western food. The Nine-hour non-stop flight time was a good excuse to catch up with some much-needed sleep and to conserve some vital energy for adventure that lie ahead.

After a somewhat smooth flight from Frankfurt in Germany, flying over Russia, Siberia and China, we finally touched down at Incheon international airport in South Korea. For me it didn't seem that long ago, watching on TV, hoards of football supporters arriving at this fantastic new airport to watch their countries play in the World Cup, now I was here too. In the arrival reception area, we were pleasantly greeted by an entourage of Korean Kuk Sool Master's led by Chief master In Joo Suh, the Grandmasters youngest brother. A banner, which was held up said it all 'welcome to Korea'. It was a great first impression and it certainly helped lift our spirits after such a long trip.

Unfortunately our tour guide informed us there was still an eight-hour coach trip from the airport to our hotel. Thankfully ahead of schedule we finally arrived in Gyeong Ju City, thoroughly exhausted, thirty hours after leaving our homes in England.

The Accommodation

Our first port of call was the Gyeong Ju Hotel, a superb four-star facility that would be our base for the next four days. The hotel and it's staff were magnificent even though communication was often a little difficult.

The meals that were provided for us were very interesting, with a choice of both western and oriental cuisine.

Breakfast was always very enjoyable with a varied range of food to suit individual taste. During the evening we purchased meals from the western style restaurant, however once again translating the menu to the waitresses was a little bit complicated and on more than one occasion we ended up getting something completely different than what we had ordered.

The Tournament venue

The Tournament venue was held in a large and relatively modern auditorium, capable of holding six to seven thousand people.

Outside in the car park there were many different food stalls selling all sorts of Korean delicacies such as Silk bugs and corn dogs. But I must admit going hungry seemed a more suitable option than what was on offer.

The streets leading toward the auditorium were lined with over a hundred Kuk Sool banners advertising the event and large banner held up by large inflatable balloons welcomed us upon entry into the carpark.

The Championships

Billed as one of the biggest Kuk Sool Tournaments to be staged in Korea, people attended from many regions in South Korea, as well as the 250 Americans and thirty Europeans. The competition format would similar to that to which most of us had been used too, all except the sparring, which was to be – full contact.

Having been appointed as a referee in conjunction with three other Korean Master's, I soon found myself being thrown in at the deep end. Having adapted to their judging style quickly, I soon began to enjoy myself. My only problem was communicating with the other masters as none of them spoke English. It was a case ‘fake it until you make it'. Generally the standard of the competition in Korea was high.

Although the overall atmosphere seemed a little subdued the attitude and performances of the Koreans participants was relaxed, but very focused. The main thing I noticed was that there was no cheering or interference from Parents and certainly no video camera's capturing the referees every move.

The Masters Exhibition I can only describe this event as one of the most enjoyable martial art exhibitions I have ever seen (and I've seen a few). From an entertainments point of view there was something for everyone, including some of Korea's Top musical talents. For the serious martial artists, the standard and quality on display was of the highest calibre seen any where in the world, with prominent exhibitions from over thirty Korean Kuk Sool Masters.
There was music, Fireworks and a state of the art light show to highlight all the performances. However, it was the ‘Korean Kids demo team' that stole the show with an outstanding performance of precision and timing that any Kuk Sool instructor would be proud of. Promotions.

The promotion ceremony took place after the second day of the championships with a vast range of high-level promotions including Masters' Barry and Choon Ok Harmon to 8th degree Black belt. Master Simms and Master Sung Jin Suh also promoted to 7th Dahn.

For myself it was an unbelievable honour to be presented with my 5th Dahn Black belt (Master's degree) by Kuk Sa Nim. Congratulations also to the other newly promoted British Kuk Sool Masters', as well as Master John Ives and Master Philip Holmes who received the sixth degree Black Belts. I'm sure that this memorable experience will stay in our minds for many years to come. Visiting Korea's National Treasures.

After all the excitement of the Tournament and Master's exhibition, it was nice to relax slightly and visit some of Korea's most historic and famous sites.

Our first expedition was travelling several miles up a famous mountain to visit the national treasure of Sokkuram Grotto, which houses one of the world's finest Buddhist shrines deep inside some caves. On the same day we also visited Bulguksa Temple.

This is one of Korea's best-known temples and a testimony to both skill of Silla architects and the depth of Buddhist faith at the time of it being built. While most of the wooden buildings had been rebuilt over the centuries most of the stone bridges, stairways and pagoda's are original and date back 535 A.D.

Gyeong Ju city where we were based is described as ‘the museum without walls' because of the wealth of historical buildings and treasures. Tumuli Park in the middle of Gyeong Ju city has a collection of 20 royal Silla tombs where many thousands of historical treasures have been excavated. Not only did we have the pleasure in seeing some of the tombs, but also many of us visited the ‘Cultural Centre', which displayed many cultural treasures and historical artefacts.

Staying At The Buddhist Monastery

Kuk Sa Nim had arranged for our party, all two hundred and fifty of us to stay at Buddhist Monastery - One mile up in the mountains. A superb tranquil setting that can only be described as …… cold. The resident monks had all given up there living quarters for the night allowing us to stay there. Although the temperature outside was dropping well below freezing point, inside, the buildings under-floor heating was absolutely boiling and during the night we all cooked lying on the floor.

To Pracice or to not? - By Master Martin Ducker (Past Articles)

To Practise or Not?

December 29 & 30 was the first all day training I've had in several years. I was a bit nervous the day before with anticipation of the fun and interesting technique that lay ahead. I also wondered how I would fair in an all day training since I had not been through one in so long. To my surprise I wasn't that sore the next day.

I always try to keep myself in reasonable condition but it is so easy to let one day, then one week, then one month, slide by without a serious training day. That's one of the battles of a professional martial art teacher. To keep oneself in top condition without compromising your student's instruction time. That means we must exercise ourself at times other than regular class times. Not always easy considering you may be at the Do-Jang teaching or supervising four to seven classes a day, every day. 

It's called "BURN OUT". The deadly enemy of every professional.

That burn-out prevents us from taking a little extra time at the end of the day or coming in a little early in order to exercise ourselves and keep our personal skills at an appropriate level.

As Kuk Sool Practitioners and teachers we must endeavor to not only maintain our skill level but to improve our skills. Many martial arts have nothing to offer after 1st or 2nd Degree Black Belt. It's a matter of putting in the time to progress to the next rank.

That's why there are martial arts that have Masters with the knowledge of 1st Degree's. It's something that we do not want to happen in Kuk Sool.


Kuk Sool has specific lessons through each degree of Black Belt. It is not enough to just memorize those lessons and review them every few months simply to keep them in memory, or to video them so you don't even have to practice to keep them in memory.

My advice, throw your video camera away, so that you must practice to remember. It's amazing that simple practice will improve your skills. Kuk Sool is one of the last True Martial Arts! It's up to us to keep it a True Martial Art.

Secret training, Hard training, Special training. Are those the types of training you are waiting for? Those are some of the most misunderstood phrases concerning training. In fact, each person may have his/her own definition for each of those types of training.

It can be confusing and disappointing to maintain such training expectations toward your teacher or your practice. Hard is relative, Secret is anything that you may know and others do not, Special is being allowed to train in front of Kuk Sa Nim, one of the top teachers in all the world. So forget about Hard, Secret, or Special.

Just train. Just exercise yourself, review your material, improve your skill level in any area possible. Do your hyung and technique a least once a week.

Remember always: We are "Martial Artist" not martial sportsmen/women.

The two training days re-energized me. It was great to see and be part of such an activity. I was lucky. It didn't cost me a plane ticket or days away from home.

I just want to let everyone know that all those who came provde their dedication and enthusiasm and deserve to be recognized. That who wait for knowledge to come to them will be disappointed, disillusioned, disheartened and in the end fall by the way side in discouragement and difficulty.

As a last thought:
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT TIME!

The Ducker Family (Past Articles)

The Ducker Family

The Duckers fulfil the role of a black belt family practising an ancient martial art form, which in days of old was renowned for the passing down of skills from one family member to the next, often secretly and under seemingly impossible circumstances. These days Kuk Sool is not so difficult to learn, but still needs plenty of dedication and commitment.

0n May 31 st, Rachel (11) and Jason (8) were awarded their 1st Dan black belt in Norwich. Both children have been practising longer than they can remember. Mum and dad set down their martial arts foundation before they could both even walk. Mum, Alison, explains that she had to watch out when admirers used to poke their heads down into the push-chair to admire her two year-old daughter, as she would unexpectedly strike out at them.



"It's her dad's fault, he always taught his little girl how to defend herself from any early age". Jason also had tendencies to play ninjas when he was a toddler, surprisingly sneaking up on guests with his toy sword and attacking them unexpectedly. "It was all very embarrassing", says Alison as she reminisces about her children's unusual upbringing.

You would expect the Ducker household to be like a scene from the 'Pink Panther' films where Kato jumps out of the blue onto Inspector Clueso. Alison says that she used to do that sort of thing to her husband when they were first married, until one day Martin once thought that she was a real intruder and she got more than she bargained for.

So they mutually decided not to play that game anymore, for obvious reasons. Today, Alison is more than capable of defending herself. She has also just added another notch to her belt after being awarded 3rd Dan black belt, one of only three ladies to achieve this grade in Kuk Sool here in the U.K.. The Ducker's have made Kuk Sool a life-time endeavour. Together they have already been to the USA three times to visit and stay with the Grandmaster. Dad, who is a 4th Degree black belt says "I'm very proud of my family, I don't force any of them to practise, they just do it".

The kids still lead normal lives, Jason loves football and supports Manchester United and Rachel's a Spice Girls fan. However, they realise the importance of their martial arts training, both get up early and practise before they go to school, you can't ask for more than that.

The next ambition for the children is to become instructors one day, like mum and dad. "We just want to help other children to learn the true benefits of the martial arts", says Rachel. Jason adds, "We also have lots of fun too".

The most important thing about the Ducker's Kuk Sool practise is that they stay together as a family, all realise the total commitment that is needed to reach and maintain that prestigious black belt grade.