World Kuk Sool Association®

World Kuk Sool Association® Founder, In Hyuk Suh

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 traveled throughout the Far East seeking out and studying additional aspects of the martial arts. The knowledge Kuk Sa Nim acquired from his grandfather and subsequent masters enabled him to develop Kuk Sool Won™. The organization now boasts 1.3 million members with over 800 schools worldwide in 27 different countries. Although expert in every aspect of martial arts, Grandmaster Suh is especially renowned for his mastery of pressure point and joint manipulation. Additionally, Kuk Sool Won™ has been mentioned in over 300 articles and featured on more than 60 front covers by world famous magazines in the United States, England, Spain, Iran, Germany, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Philosophically, Kuk Sool Won™ stresses humility, self discipline, self control, loyalty, and respect for others. This is an extremely well organized system of martial arts which seeks to integrate and explore all aspects of the traditional Korean martial arts. Although its origins may be traced back to antiquity, the present Kuk Sool Won™ system was formally devised in 1958. Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh spent more that 60 years in single-minded practice and research in order to learn, compile, master, and organize the more than 3600 techniques that comprise Kuk Sool Won™. He founded Kuk Sool Won™ in 1958 and brought it to the United States in 1974.

Kuk Sool Won™ is not a sport, nor is it simply another Asian self-defense method. It is a complete martial art that combines hand striking, kicking, throwing, grappling, joint-locking, falling, acrobatics, animal-styled techniques, and 24 traditional weapons into a "hard-soft" style emphasizing speed and fluidity. Unsurpassed for self defense, Kuk Sool Won™ is not merely concerned with the physical methods of attack and defense; Kuk Sool Won™ includes the study of healing techniques, the development of internal power, and physical conditioning.

Kuk Sool Won™ is a comprehensive martial arts system, derived from the rich and varied martial arts techniques and traditions that have arisen in Korea. Although its origins may be traced to antiquity, the present Kuk Sool Won™ system was formally devised by Grandmaster In-Hyuk Suh in 1961, and brought by him to America in 1974. As the founder of Kuk Sool Won™, In Hyuk Suh spent more than forty years in single-minded practice and research in order to learn, master, and compile the more than 3,608 techniques that comprise Kuk Sool Won™.

For self-defense, Kuk Sool Won™ is unsurpassed. It combines kicking, punching, throwing, falling, choking, joint locking and a myriad of weapons techniques into a beautiful and dynamic "hard-soft" style emphasizing speed and fluidity.

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 exteremely well-organized; 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™.

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™

HAND TECHNIQUES

- Closed and open hand striking methods, including: palm, fist,
wrist, finger, and specialized hand training techniques
- Pressure point striking
- Striking with arm and shoulder
- Blocking and parrying

LEG TECHNIQUES

- Fundamental kicks, including: front, inside, outside, & more
- Advanced kicks, including: jumping, spinning, combination,
double leg
- Pressure point kicking
- Specialty kicking

THROWS AND GRAPPLING

- Throws include: body throws, projection throws, hip
throws, leg throws
- Pressure point grappling
- Grappling defense
- Wrestling techniques
- Ground fighting

JOINT LOCK TECHNIQUES

- Restraining methods
- Joint breaking techniques
- Combination joint locking
- Control and redirection techniques
- Arresting and pain-compliance techniques

BODY CONDITIONING

- Overall stretching and flexibility training
- Cardiovascular conditioning
- Muscle toning
- Ligament and tendon strengthening
- Joint flexibility and bone conditioning

FALLING AND ACROBATICS

- Body conditioning and agility techniques.
- Body protection techniques.
- Acrobatics for defense and offense.

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