Questions on the History of Kuk Sool Won

(These are the Types of Questions that Students are Asked On Testing to Test Their Knowledge and Understanding of the History of Kuk Sool Won.)

1. What does “Kuk Sool Won” mean?
Korean National Martial Arts Association

2. Who is the founder and grandmaster of Kuk Sool Won?
In Hyuk Suh

3. What is the grandmaster’s Korean title, and what does it mean?
Kuk Sa Nym (“National Martial Arts Teacher”)

4. Who was Kuk Sa Nym’s first teacher? What was his relationship to him? What style did he teach?
Suh Myuhng Duk , Kuk Sa Nym’s grandfather, was his first instructor and taught him Royal Court Martial Arts.

5. What are the 3 main sub-groups of Korean traditional martial arts?
Koong Joong Musool = Royal court Martial Arts
Sado Musool = Tribal, or Family Martial Arts
Bulkyo Musool = Buddhist Temple System Martial Arts

6. What is significant about the three terms: “Yu, Won, and Hwa”?
These three terms are the basis of practice theory in Kuk Sool Won:

“Yu” is yielding, soft, yet powerful, and is sometimes described as the “water principle”.
“Won” is circular motion;
“Hwa” is Harmony- both within you and with the opponent.

7. Where is Kuk Sool Won headquarters located?
Houston, Texas (actually, “Tomball, TX”)

8. Who was Kuk Sa Nym’s first American student?
Ken Duncan

9. Who was the first American Kuk Sool Won master?
Kwang Jan Nym Barry Harmon.

10. Why is the year 1911 a significant one in the development of Korean martial arts?
This was the year that Japan annexed Korea and began to systematically suppress the study of the traditional culture of Korea – including martial arts (leading to the overt Japanese influence seen in many Korean forms of karate such as Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Hapkido, etc.)

11. What are the “Five Practice Laws” of Hyung Training?
a. Eyes bright and clear
b. Mind: Calm and focused
c. Stance: Low and stable
d. Feet: slow and precise
e. Hands: fast and controlled

12. What is the significance of the two dates: 1961 and 1974
1958: Kuk Sool was put together by Grandmaster Suh as a coherent and distinct Korean marital arts system
1961: Kuk Sool Won was formed.
1974: Kuk Sool Won became the World Kuk Sool Association upon Kuk Sa Nym’s arrival in the United States

13. Where was the first world Headquarters located?
San Francisco

14. There were 4 members in the first class of American Kuk Sool Masters. What were their names?
Master Barry Harmon
Master Marlin Sims - Inactive
Master Jay Lee
Master Rudy Timmerman (Canada) - Inactive

15. His grandfather, Suh Myuhng Duk was Kuk Sa Nym’s first teacher – who were some of his most influential teachers?
Young Sool Choi – founder of Hapkido and teacher of traditional family/tribal martial arts.
Tai Eue Wang – master of Korean Royal Court martial arts
Hai Dong Seu Nym – “Great Monk of the Eastern Sea” Master of Korean Buddhist martial arts (considered to be Kuk Sa Nym’s second most influential teacher)
NOTE: Yong Sool Choi were either neighbors or training partners, and according to current Kuk Sool Won history were not actually considered to be his “teachers”)

16. Kuk Sa Nym received five books of martial arts knowledge from his grandfather. What are these books?
Yu Sool
Kwon Sool
Yu-Kwan Sool
Hyul Bup
Whai Bup

17. What were the Three Kingdoms in ancient Korea?
Paekche, Koguryo and Silla

18. Who were the Korean “Hwarang”?
The Korean Hwarang (literally “Flowering Youth”) were a group of young nobles who were trained in politics, the classics and martial arts to become the military and political leaders of the kingdom of Silla. The Korean Hwarang was the pattern upon which the Japanese “samurai” class was later developed.

19. What is the significance of the “Um-Yang” symbol seen in the Korean Flag?
Um-Yang (or Yin-Yang) is a common symbol in Asia and represents the unity of opposites (such as day/night, light/dark, white/black, soft/hard, etc.) both of which must be present in order for the circle to be complete.

20. What do the various symbols mean in the Kuk Sool won emblem?
Hand: Fist of power
Dan Bong: Staff of knowledge
Swords: The cutting edge of wisdom.
Flower: A native Korean flower, symbolizing that Kuk Sool Won can grow anywhere.

21. What is the very first technique on the technique chart in Kuk Sool Won, and the most important part of your martial arts training?
Yea Eue (Martial Arts Etiquette)

22. What is “Ki”?
An important concept in Kuk Sool won and many Asian martial arts systems, “Ki” is an internal power or energy closely associated with the respiratory and circulatory systems of the body and developed by certain standardized breathing exercises.

23. Why is bowing important in traditional martial arts training?
The bow is a sign of respect – both for the person and for the knowledge and level of proficiency that person has attained (whether White Belt or Grandmaster, all knowledge is the result of diligent effort and should be respected) – the bow is even MORE important to the Black Belt to indicate an outward demonstration of humilty.

24. What is a “Ki Hap” and why is it important?
Ki Hap literally means, “Power yell” and is used to gather power in the lower abdomen for application of technique and body protection.

25. How many techniques are there in Kuk Sool Won?
3608 techniques divided into 270 different categories.

In addition to these questions and others like them, students should also be prepared to answer questions about the Korean Terminology used in class (both Korean-to-English and English-to-Korean) after yellow belt.