 JKN Jane Hurst (far right) and students. In a traditional martial art we are taught to follow the teachings of our instructor without question. This can be a particularly difficult concept to grasp. We live in a world where we are taught from a young age to question and to challenge as a fundamental way of learning.
As a highly educated person, I have built my professional and academic life around questioning. I am a lawyer and have a doctorate. I am inquisitive by nature and have a thirst for knowledge. I love a good debate as a way of deepening my understanding. Adopting a challenging mindset and approach is ingrained in the way I live my life. My early martial arts journey in the Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won™ was difficult for me. I approached it with the usual “why”, “what” and “how” questions that have served me so well in other aspects of my life. “Why am I learning this”, “what is its purpose”, and “how does it apply to a real-life situation” were frequent questions. It was not that I didn’t trust my instructor. Rather, my mind was conditioned to challenge and question as a way of developing my understanding. I was met with a response that I was not expecting. I was told that I didn’t need to understand why, I just needed to do it. This was counter-intuitive to me. Over time I have come to realise that there can be value in following instructions and simply doing, rather than always questioning and striving to know why. As I progressed through the coloured belt ranks I started to understand how the material I was learning at each belt level not only added a new physical skill. I found myself having “aha” moments where a concept suddenly became clear. For example, instead of just going through the physical movement of a technique such as a wrist lock, I began to understand the concept in a way that I could then apply to other techniques. This embedded my knowledge and understanding in a more lasting and powerful way than any explanation by my instructor could have achieved. I needed to learn by doing rather than by questioning and being told. As I approach second degree blackbelt, I realise how much I have learned about my martial art simply by participation and being a diligent student. I am not an expert by any means, and I know that I have only scratched the surface in my martial art of Kuk Sool Won™. However, by walking the martial arts path with a different mindset, I have gained a depth of knowledge that transcends anything I have specifically been told or taught. The importance of this approach was reiterated in the annual visit to New Zealand by Executive Master and eighth degree blackbelt, SIKJN Suh. He spoke to us and our students of the importance of trusting our teachers. All Kuk Sool instructors are well trained, and quality is controlled through a comprehensive syllabus, regular testing and audits, and a school licencing system. We all teach the syllabus developed by our Grandmaster in the same way. It is designed to progressively develop and build on our skills and knowledge through experiential learning (learning by doing). In Kuk Sool, faithfully following our martial arts system of learning, as developed by our Grandmaster and taught by our instructors over years, will develop deep understanding and expertise. I believe it is not necessary to be “told why” to become a good martial artist. We do need to trust our instructors and the syllabus we are being taught and have the discipline to practice consistently. This approach frees us up to enjoy the process of learning with our bodies, as much as with our minds. Knowledge and understanding will come as part of this process of learning by doing and it will be long lasting and rewarding. JKN Jane Hurst First degree black belt and school owner Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero Copyright © 2019. Kuk Sool Won™ of Pukekohe and Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.
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 JKN Jane with one of her younger students The start of a new year is a time when we traditionally set our goals for the year ahead. These may be to lose weight, get fitter, try a new activity, or change jobs. Goals can be useful. They provide direction, focus and motivation. They also enable us to measure our progress and bring feelings of satisfaction and pride when we achieve a particular goal.
For a while I have been thinking about and questioning the importance of goals within the context of a traditional martial art. Many people, particularly those who are relatively new to martial arts, focus on the goal of achieving a certain rank. In the early stages of training, they focus on attaining the next coloured belt. As a student progresses, the goal often shifts to reaching the rank of black belt. Students will also focus on the goal of learning new material or starting weapons training. These types of goals provide them with motivation, particularly when training becomes difficult, along with a sense of achievement and satisfaction when the goal is reached. Unlike many of the people I have trained with, I have never really set myself any specific goals for my martial arts training. My intention from the day I started training in the traditional Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won™ was to continue to train for as long as I found it enjoyable. This has led me on the path towards 2nd degree black belt. However, it has never been a particular goal to become a black belt or run a martial arts school. It just happened as a natural progression of my commitment to enjoying my training. I believe that my enjoyment and commitment to my training in Kuk Sool Won™ has been much greater because I have not set myself any particular goal. Instead, each training session or class I teach becomes my main focus. This enables me to be fully present, participating in my martial art practice and teaching in a very mindful way. I endeavour to engage fully with my students and almost always find it an energising and rewarding experience. It frees me from the stresses of the day and my worries or concerns for tomorrow. For me, martial arts provides a truly mindful activity. A traditional martial art is not a series of destinations. Rather, it is a continuous journey of physical development and personal discovery. What is truly important and of value is in what we learn along the way, rather than what goal we achieve or rank we attain. Focusing on a goal involves focusing on some future state, rather than the present moment. While I would never discourage students from setting goals for themselves and their training, I do encourage them to place a much greater focus on their current training. Being truly present in each moment of every training session is tremendously beneficial and enriches our daily lives. This provides richness and satisfaction on a daily basis. Goals are achieved as a by-product rather than the end-product of training. Ultimately a more mindful approach to training which focuses on the journey enhances our lives more than occurs through the achievement of any specific goal. So for 2019 my commitment is to continue to learn and to enjoy my training and teaching on each day that I am fortunate enough to participate in Kuk Sool Won™. JKN Jane Hurst First degree black belt and school owner Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero Copyright © 2019. Kuk Sool Won™ of Pukekohe and Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.  A traditional martial art, like Kuk Sool Won™, is about more than the development of physical skills. The learning and personal development opportunities it provides go much deeper. This is particularly clear when working with our female students. Many people believe that a martial art is great for girls and women because it teaches self-defence. This is based on the premise that women need to learn how to defend themselves against a physical attack. It sees girls and women as potential victims of violence based on their gender.
While there are undoubted benefits to learning self-defence skills, participation in a martial art provides girls and women with so much more than protection from violence. A starting point to understanding these benefits can be found in the research into the types of benefits sport provides to girls and women. In 2015, an international consultancy (EY), published research on women in senior leadership positions in large corporations in the United States. It identified that 94% of women in the executive team (or C-suite) had played sport and 74% believed that a background in sport can help accelerate a woman’s career. Girls who play sports have “greater social and economic mobility, are less likely to use drugs, have greater personal safety, and perform better at school”. Other research focusing specifically on women who participate in martial arts has found that it is empowering for those women, builds confidence, and can help change gender stereotypes. In martial arts, girls and boys, and women and men train together. In some martial arts, such as Kuk Sool Won™, they even compete against each other in many categories of competition. This creates an environment where men and women learn to work together, promoting equality and challenging traditional views on gender. Almost half of our students are girls and women. Based on our experiences working with them, as well as our own experiences as women martial artists and instructors, we are well aware of the benefits martial arts training provides.
I am passionate about encouraging girls and women to explore their physicality through martial arts. If this is done in a respectful, inclusive environment, the benefits can be truly lifechanging. JKN Jane Hurst First degree black belt and school owner Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero Copyright © 2018. Kuk Sool Won™ of Pukekohe and Onewhero. All Rights Reserved.  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.  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. 
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?
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. 
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.
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. 
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. 
It’s winter in New Zealand and that means its cold and flu season. Unless you have a freakishly cast iron constitution, you are likely to get sick at some time during the winter. For those of you who are fanatical about your martial arts training, this poses a dilemma. Do you push through and keep training, or do you take some time off while you get well?
There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to training with an illness. Everyone and every situation is different. For example, as owners of a relatively small and new martial arts school, SBN Caroline and I are rarely able to take time off when we are sick. We do though, call on our more senior students to help us with our classes and make sure we rest outside of class times. Our situation is different though, to that of our students. Here is the advice we give to our students when they are struggling with an illness.
Above all else, don’t get stressed if you need to miss some training sessions, particularly if you have a grading looming. Your health is very important and your instructors understand the impact of winter illnesses. We know you are likely to miss some classes at this time of year and would rather you took the time to get well so that you can train well when you do return to classes. 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. 
JKN Jane Hurst and SBN Caroline Hurst
I recently turned 50, a significant milestone in anyone’s life. For many people, this is a time of reflection. We think about our past and what we have learned from it, as well as reflect on what the future may offer. As a black belt, instructor and school owner in the traditional Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won™, I have been reflecting on the central role martial arts occupies in my life. What does it mean to me as I age and how do I see my future as a martial artist?
My passion and commitment to Kuk Sool Won™ continues to grow as I enter my 50s. There are many reasons for this. Understanding what they are keep me motivated, particularly when I am having a bad day or when I want or need to lift my energy levels. Here are the top five reasons why I am passionate about Kuk Sool Won™ at age 50 and why training gets better with age.
We all have our reasons for training in martial arts. I encourage you to take the time to reflect on what they are for you. This will help to motivate you during the tough training days, as well as provide you with greater clarity of the many benefits your training brings to your life. For older martial artists, you may well find that like me, your training is getting better and more enjoyable as you age. 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. |
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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