What to expect
Once you decide to come and try a class with us you can expect a warm welcome from our instructor team and fellow class mates. Our training hall is big and spacious with a dedicated matted area, changing rooms and facilities.
We train in bare feet and we recommend wearing a light T-Shirt, shorts, joggers or leggings for your first session with us. Remember to bring a bottle of water as you will get hot and sweaty!
About Us
Our martial arts sessions are run by DBS cleared, fully insured, qualified instructors who have trained for many years. We utilise coaching styles that adapt to an individual and ensure all our students get the most from their training time with us. We pride ourselves on creating a martial arts training environment that see our juniors, families and adults train with us for many years.
Our Founder
In Hyuk Suh is the founder, Grandmaster and President of the World Kuk Sool Association®. He has studied martial arts for more than 60 years, receiving his first instruction from his grandfather, Myung Deuk Suh, a master-instructor to the Korean Royal Court. After his grandfather’s death, he travelled throughout the Far East seeking out and studying additional aspects of the martial arts.
The knowledge he acquired from his grandfather and subsequent masters enabled him to establish Kuk Sool Won™. His organisation now boasts 1.3 million members with over 800 schools worldwide in 30 different countries. Although expert in every aspect of martial arts, Grandmaster Suh is especially renowned for his mastery of pressure point and joint manipulation.
What is Kuk Sool Won
A comprehensive Martial Arts System
Kuk Sool Won™ is a systematic study of all of the traditional fighting arts, which together comprise the martial arts history of Korea.
As a martial arts system, Kuk Sool Won™ is extremely well-organised; and seeks to integrate and explore the entire spectrum of established Asian fighting arts and body conditioning techniques, as well as mental development and traditional weapons training.
The following list includes some, but by no means all, of the elements of Kuk Sool Won™.
Hand Techniques
Closed and open striking methods, pressure point striking, blocking and parrying.
Leg Techniques
Fundamental kicks, advanced kicks, pressure point kicking, speciality kicking.
Throws and Grappling
Throws include: body throws, projection throws, hip throws, leg throws, grappling defence, wrestling techniques, ground fighting.
Joint Lock Techniques
Restraining methods, joint breaking techniques, combination joint locking, control and redirection techniques, arresting and pain-compliance techniques.
Falling and Acrobatics
Body conditioning and agility techniques, body protection techniques, acrobatics for defence and offence.
Body Conditioning
Overall stretching and flexibility training, cardiovascular conditioning, muscle toning, ligament and tendon strengthening, 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, Snake, Bear, Eagle.
Traditional Korean Weapons
Sword: short & long, single or double, straight or inverted, Staff: short, middle & long, single or double, Jointed Staff (flail): double or triple, spear, Cane, Rope, Fan, Bow & Arrow.
There are 24 different traditional Korean Royal Court weapons in the curriculum of Kuk Sool Won™.
Martial Arts Healing Methods, Meditation and Breathing
Acupressure & Acupuncture, internal energy systems, various breath control, techniques, meditation and breathing postures, concentration techniques.
As you can see, Kuk Sool Won™ covers an extensive variety of martial art techniques. But it is not merely concerned with methods of attack and defence, Kuk Sool Won™ also includes the study of healing techniques and the development of internal power, in addition to the physical training. Mental development is of equal importance in Kuk Sool Won™ and helps to instil self-confidence and self-discipline, a calm self-assurance, and the psychological and spiritual values which are traditionally associated with the character of a martial artist.
Although Kuk Sool Won™ as it is practised today is relatively new, its roots stretch far and deep to the very beginnings of the Korean people. This early history and the ancient traditions upon which this art is founded should be viewed as important as the physical techniques themselves, for it is only from the understanding and appreciation of these classical roots that one is able to grow as a student of the martial arts.