 DBN Margaret from Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero At our martial arts school we are privileged to teach students from aged 5 to 75. It’s extremely rewarding to see the development and growth our youngest students as they learn the fundamentals of our martial art. It is exciting to know that they have decades of life ahead of them and that the guidance and training they receive while at our school may positively influence their lives in some way.
It is equally rewarding though to work with older students. Our oldest student, Dahn Boh Nim Margaret, joined our school three years ago with her granddaughter. She was 72 when she started her martial arts training. Both are now well on their way to achieving their black belt. Working with DBN Margaret constantly reminds me of the importance of embracing and celebrating the experience and contribution older people bring to all aspects of society. There is an uncomfortable reality in our society. Older people can face discrimination because of their age, although it is often subtle. The elderly can be seen as a burden on younger taxpayers, due to the health and pension costs that old age and retirement bring. Their views and experience can be dismissed as lacking in relevance to the younger population. Social isolation and elder abuse are all too frequent realities. Current research indicates that about half of older New Zealanders experience some level of loneliness, and 8-9% feel lonely all or most of the time. Elder abuse is also prevalent. Around 10% of people aged over 65 will experience some form of elder abuse. These statistics are not unique to New Zealand. They represent a global phenomenon. In the martial arts world, we often focus on physical prowess and athletic ability, which are associated with youth. However, it is important to also embrace and celebrate our older martial artists. There are many reasons for this.
JKN Jane Hurst First degree black belt and school owner Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero Note: Dahn Boh Nim or DBN is black-brown belt rank in Kuk Sool Won™. Copyright © 2018. Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.
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 Nathan Scott (centre), with SBN Caroline (left) and JKN Jane (right) My Kuk Sool Won™ journey began when I was researching martial arts for one to learn. I came across Kus Sool Won, I decided to look in to it a bit more and then decided I would give it a try. I sent SBN Caroline, the owner, an email and I soon got a reply. So, the next day I went along to my try-out class and I loved it and went along to the next class.
After a year of being with Kuk Sool my younger brother also started training, but unfortunately the West Auckland school had to close. I did not want to stop training, so I tried some other martial arts but they were nothing like Kuk Sool. My Dad drove me on the three hour round trip to the Waikato until we moved down to Onewhero. I was able to do Kuk Sool with the same instructors, which was very important to me. I also convinced my parents to join and we now train together as a family. It is great to train with family because we can all learn together and get to spend time doing something which we all enjoy. When we moved to the Waikato I joined the Black Belt Club. This means that I can now train as many times as I like. I am now a Brown Belt and in the first hour of training I help the younger students and in the second hour I focus on my own training. I really enjoy working with the younger students as it helps me to be patient and to be a good teacher. This means that I train for up to 6 hours a week, over 3 session times. My favourite part of Kuk Sool is using the weapons, because it is fun and you can learn the part the weapons have in the history of Korea. I also really enjoy practicing the forms. Forms are a combination of moves made to fit together in a sequence. The reason I like forms is because it is the main part of Kuk Sool, which teaches you strikes and stances easily. I would like to get to at least Ji Do Kwahn Jahng Nim (Seventh Degree) and open a school in Wellington, but my Kuk Sool Won journey will never end. SBN Caroline and JKN Jane are the best and I never want to stop Kuk Sool. Nathan Scott Brown Belt Kuk Sool Won of Onewhero & Pukekohe Copyright © 2018. Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero. All Rights Reserved. |
Caroline and Jane Hurst
Caroline is a 5th degree black belt and Jane is a 2nd degree black belt in the traditional Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won™ . They run 2 Kuk Sool Won™ martial arts schools in New Zealand. Archives
March 2019
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