Martial arts is not just about learning how to fight

In this day and age, I do think it is important to learn how to defend yourself. There seems to be more and more violence occurring in our suburbs than ever before and knowing how to defend yourself is important, but that doesn’t mean you have to learn how to fight. Martial Arts should not be about learning to fight, but learning to control your body and more importantly, control your mind.

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ZMAX Blog - Martial Arts is not just about learning how to fight

Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location.

Mark In South Korea - Part 5 - The Jealous Winter and grading in Gongkwon Yusul

I was in the car today with Master Kim from the World Haidong Gumdo headquarters and I mentioned that it has gotten cold again. There were a few days of slightly warmer weather in Seoul (11 and 12 degrees), but the icy cold temperatures and wind have returned (1 degree). Master Kim told me that Koreans have a word for this, they call this Kkot Saem Chu Ui (Kotsamchewy if you are wondering how to pronounce it). 

He asked if I had ever heard this phrase which I hadn't. He said the weather change at the start of Spring happens often and its like Winter just doesn't want to let go. He said its because Winter is jealous. Winter is jealous of Spring and the blossoming flowers that Spring gets to enjoy but Winter never does. It is so jealous that Winter tries to fight back and stay longer so it can see the flowers but Spring always wins and the warmer weather comes. Kkot Saem Chu Ui roughly means Winter is jealous of the Spring Flowers.

I thought it was a beautiful story and I wanted to share it with you

In 2014 I started Gongkwon Yusul which is a Korean Mixed Martial Art style. It has striking, kicking as well as throws and ground fighting. Unlike a lot of general MMA, this style has a belt and rank system so you can keep track of your progress which has always appealed to me. 

Last night (March 7), despite the cold and my busted ankle (really need to see a Dr about this when I get home, I am doing a Nicole at the moment), I completed my 1st Dan grading test. What was also exciting is that I have been appointed as an instructor of this art as well so I can start teaching this to my students at Zone Martial Arts. This has been such a great art to learn and I am so happy to have made it to this achievement.

More training still to come this week for Gumdo, Sunmudo and Taekyun and my templestay adventure starts Monday next week and goes for 5 days. I am getting a little sad now that I realise that I only have 2 more Taekyun classes this week and 1 more Gumdo class but that's only for this trip. I have to move into consolidation mode for a while so that I don't forget all that I have learned and can learn more new stuff on the next visit.

U.N.T.

Mark

Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location.

Mark in South Korea - Part 4 - Past the halfway mark

I have had such a wonderful time over here and it is both good and bad that the halfway mark of this trip has passed. Its good that I am past halfway because I am really missing my family and my friends and students. Its bad because I have had such a great time and learned so much so far but I can also see how much I have still got to learn. However here is where I am at this point in my trip.

While over here I have been training in five different Korean martial arts. It means that I am training pretty much every day and for multiple hours a day, sometimes going from one martial arts school and hurrying to the next for my next martial arts fix. So what am I training in?

Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo of course. I haven't had the opportunity to do as much Taekwondo on this trip as I have wanted to although a lot of what I am learning in the other arts will really benefit my Taekwondo journey and what and how I teach. My Gumdo journey has gone forward in leaps and bounds. I have learned a whole new level of skill and technique in this art and I cant wait to get back and take my Gumdo students along for the ride. One of the best parts of this was a Bamboo cutting seminar I was part of at the World Haidong Gumdo headquarters. I say seminar but it was myself and a Master from Japan (he was American living in Japan) with the Bamboo King, Master TaeKyoung Lee. Such a privilege to be a part of this.

I am also continuing my training in Gongkwon Yusul. I started this art in 2014 and next week I will be sitting for my 1st Dan grading in this art. Gongkwon Yusul is a form of Korean Mixed Martial Arts of Korean Judo. Lots of great striking drills, ground fighting work, take-downs and rolls/break-falls. This past few weeks have really taught me so much in GKYS and I feel like its all coming together for me to be able to start teaching this art soon to students. You may start to see some GKYS drills leaking into Taekwondo training as well as some of the content extends across both styles.

The other two styles are Taekyun and Sunmudo. Taekyun I have mentioned before and is an old Korean Martial Arts and Sunmudo is something practised at Golgulsa Temple where I will spend the last week of this trip in a temple stay program. They now teach Sunmudo in Seoul as well so I have been training this three to four times a week as well. What is great about these two martial arts is that they have two different approaches. One is from a martial arts perspective and the other is for a movement and well being perspective. If you look at these two arts a different way, Sunmudo is a little like Korean Yoga and Taekyun can be performed like a Korean Tai Chi. I am looking forward to offering some classes in the future which are for the older generation or for people who only want to do a martial art for movement and well being. 

It hasn't been all perfect though. I hurt my ankle at GKYS training a week ago and it is still causing me issues. I am starting to think it was more than just a sprain but we will see how it goes. I have also been sick with a fever and cold and that wasnt pleasant. Neither of these stopped me training long term though. Codral got me through the cold and Korean anti inflammatory medicine is great :)

I have also met a whole lot of wonderful people who have gone out of their way to show me new things and experiences. I am so lucky to have a wife and family who love me and allowed me this opportunity and a leadership team and student base who support my journey. I thank you all and I cant wait to get back to you. 

U.N.T.

Mark

Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location 

Mark in South Korea - Part 3 - End of first week

It has been over a week since I arrived in South Korea on my first leg of Training 2017. It has been such a fantastic experience so far. I have met some wonderful people who have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome (and teach me some Korean drinking customs) and have shown me some wonderful sights I may not have seen on my own.

In this first week I found and started Taekyun training. I travelled south from Seoul to Jeonja for Haidong Gumdo training and even went on a 3 hour drive to Muju, which is the town where the Taekwondowon centre is for some seminars. I am getting such opportunities to see new things, even if it is cold and things aren’t as green as they would be in Spring or Summer (the people I meet keep telling me how much prettier things are when it warmer).

This week my plan is to keep training in Gumdo and Taekyun but also to find a few Taekwondo schools I can visit to learn some new drills and techniques. I also get to continue my Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA) training which I started on a previous visit to Korea and have done in Sydney. I was training a lot last week but my training schedule doubles this week and I am looking forward to it.

I am missing the family though and I am very thankful for video calls with Penny and Beth. Beth keeps asking what I am doing and Penny keeps asking me why Beth won’t go to sleep at nights J I hope everyone in the ZMAX family is training hard and I miss you all as well and can’t wait to get back and teach you some cool stuff.

U.N.T

Mark

Mark in South Korea - Part 2 - Taekyun

I am so nervous. It’s been over a decade since I first heard about the traditional Korean martial art of Taekyun. Some say it is the origin of modern Taekwondo and others say it is something completely different in its own right. The art nearly disappeared during the Japanese occupation of Korea but was maintained primarily through a single master who continued practising during this time.

For me, training in Taekyun has been a dream I was never sure I would be able to fulfil. In 2014, I visited Korea and spent many hours searching the backstreets for the location of the Taekyun headquarters in Insadong I had read about. I was unsuccessful. When I returned in 2015 I tried again to find the Taekyun club but still with no success. This time though I found it and was able to contact them about training.

So here I am, about to start a new martial art, one I have been dreaming about for years and I was nervous. I have been doing martial arts for years and this is not the first time I have stepped out of my comfort zone to try something new but it is the first time I have done it in a different country in a language I am not fluent in.

I walk down the little alley and garden to the training hall. There is a man outside hitting a tree with the back of his hand. To me it looks like he is conditioning his hand but it could just be a cultural thing I haven’t experienced. I open the door and step inside but no one is there. I call out in English and Korean but nothing. So I step back out. The man who was hitting the tree comes over and asks if he can help me. He introduces himself as Chan Jae but quickly tells me to call him Charlie. I am not sure if that’s a nickname he already has though or if he doesn’t want to hear me butcher the pronunciation of his actual name. Charlie is a student of Taekyun himself and quickly helps me get ready for my first class.

Taekyun is very fluid and movement based and it’s a bit like dancing and that has never been my strong suit. We go through a warm up and I just following along as best I can. No single person seems to be running anything though. We line up because it’s time to start and someone starts the music which your movements are timed to.

After the warm up though the Grandmaster arrives and he singles me out straight away. His name is Master Ki-hyun Do. Grandmaster Do asks about my martial arts history and looks excited that I am keen to train in Taekyun. He tells me he will teach me three things tonight.

Triangle Stepping (Pum Balgi).

The footwork in Taekyun is based on a triangle system. You start with your feet shoulder width apart and the bottom two points of the triangle and then one at a time you step a foot onto the top triangle point and then back to its starting spot. You move your arms back and forth in time with your steps. I feel very awkward at first and the Grandmaster tells me to do this one hundred times and leaves me to practise.

Bend the Knees

After I reach about forty on my count Grandmaster Do takes some pity on me and comes over to improve my technique. He tells me the second thing he will teach me is to bend my knees. Every time I step, whether forward or backwards I must bend my knee noticeably. He leaves me to continue my one hundred movements and to be honest, now that I am bending my knees it feels much better.

Natural

Grandmaster Do returns again just as I am nearing one hundred. I think he was counting as well to test me and make sure I was dedicated enough to do the one hundred. Frankly if he hadn’t come back at one hundred I would have kept going. It felt really good to move this way. It was then that he told me the third thing he wanted me to learn. Natural. He said Taekyun is a martial art that works on people moving naturally. It should feel natural. By this point I understood. At first it was awkward but now it felt natural.

He did teach me a few more things this lesson. Some great breathing techniques which really showed me just how much further I have to go in training my breath for martial arts. There is an art itself in this which I have been keen to learn and I am hoping he will teach me more. Overall my first Taekyun lesson was fantastic and I am looking forward to a lot more training in this traditional art. Maybe I might get to kick something soon.

U.N.T

Mark

Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location 

Mark in South Korea - Part 1 - Arrival

My South Korea trip has begun and boy is it cold here. It was such a big shock leaving the Sydney heatwave to arrive in a country with the temperature a top of 2 degrees. I had planned on the cold though so it wasn’t a problem.

I arrived at 6pm and it took over two hours to get out of the airport and begin my train journey to Seoul and then onto the hotel.

The room is small with white walls and a wooden floor. There is colour as well with bright blue curtains and a red chair for the small table. The bathroom scenario is strange.  There is no shower stall. At first glance, it looks like a normal bathroom. Toilet, western style thank god, and a sink but then you look for the shower area. You soon realise you are standing in the shower area. There is one of those snake shower heads that attach to the sink but you actually shower in the middle of the bathroom. It makes everything very wet but they do provide some rubber shoes.

On my first day out I head to Insadong. This isn’t my first visit to this famous shopping street. It is one of the areas in Seoul that is recommended to tourists. It can be really crowded to walk down and becomes even worse when a random car uses the street as well.

One of my first stops is the Knife Gallery. I am fascinated with this shop/museum. You can purchase knives of course but there is also a lot of military equipment you can purchase as well. My favourite is the rear room that has so many swords on display. From areas that show how a sword is forged to areas devoted each to Chinese, Japanese and Korean swords it is so easy to lose track of time. There is also a section for movie replica weapons with Lord of The Rings to anime swords on display and for sale. I resist the urge to purchase and leave.

Further down Insadong Street I search again for the elusive Taekyun headquarters. Taekyun is a very traditional Korean martial art that nearly died out during Japanese occupation as it was a part of Korean culture that was banned. You can see some videos at http://www.taekyun.org/yui/ but prepare to use Google translate. I have searched for the Taekyun headquarters on each of my visits to Seoul with no luck. Time and frustration have got the better of me in the past as Google maps really doesn’t work well in Seoul. On this visit though I am solo so can spend more time wandering and it pays off. I finally find it hidden behind some street food vendors and buildings. I have the details and hope to get an opportunity to practise while I am here.

My morning was spent in a warm Starbucks writing and my afternoon spent wandering in the cold, icy weather of Seoul in winter. I did learn two things though that I previously didn’t know if it was real or a myth.

1. Teeth ache in the cold. I had heard this before but thought it was someone pulling my leg. Nope. They ache.
2. If your nose is running and a droplet forms on the end of your nose, it can freeze solid.

So I am learning really useful stuff so far.

U.N.T. (Until Next Time)
Mark

Mark Underwood holds the rank of Master in three martial arts, 5th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. 4th Dan Black Belt in Haidong Gumdo (Korean swords) and 1st Dan Black Belt in Gongkwon Yusul (Korean MMA). He has also trained in a number of other martial arts styles. He is currently the owner and head instructor for Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point location 

The importance of passing on knowledge to colour belts.

As a Black belt or as a senior belt there are several reasons why it’s important to pass on the knowledge that you have accumulated over your own years of martial arts training to colour belts. In my opinion these are the main reasons.

• Teaching the next generation
• Different way of training and learning
• Duty to club
• A new path for your martial arts journey

Teaching the next generation
One of the best parts of being a martial artist is being able to share the experience with other people. You can share this knowledge in a few different ways such as teaching, assisting in classes or just partnering with another student to teach them a specific technique or pattern. Passing on your knowledge is a great way to open up other avenues for your own learning as well though.

Different way of training and leaning
Passing on your knowledge actually helps you with your own journey. While teaching techniques to other students is useful for the other student, it is also useful for your own learning. When you are teaching others you are having to focus on, what you are doing, how you are doing it and why you are doing it. It cements it in your own mind at the same time you are teaching someone else.
Lets for example take a look at if you were performing a Dollyo Chagi (turning kick); It’s not just, kicking with the top of your foot on a sidewards angle. We can break down what we are doing into 5 individual moves;

• Lift knee as high as you can, and on a slight angle out.
• Pivot your base foot on your toes and ball of the foot with a hip pivot.
• Extend the kicking leg, and hit your target.
• Retract the kicking leg at the knee first, and pivot hips back original position.
• Place kicking foot one ground.

While you are talking about these components with a student you may also talk about the following;

• Lift your knee high as the higher you lift your knee the higher your kick will be.
• Pivoting your base foot, allows your hips to open, and reduces the risk of knee damage.
• Pivoting your hips when kicking helps with the power of your kick.
• Retracting your foot first allows you to do a second kick if required faster.
• Placing your foot down where you want it, sets you up for the next move or kick.

When we go through the steps and talk about other details with someone else, we actually improve our own techniques and become better martial artists. So with your teaching, its not just about the other person, you are actually still training and learning, just in a different way.

Duty to club
Doing your duty to your club I feel is very important. It’s a way of thanking your club for the time, effort and resources that they have used to help get you to where you are now. Most students will hopefully find that their martial arts training has helped in other areas of their life as well. Dloing your duty is also helping your club become better as while you’re helping one student, it frees up your head instructor time to help other students on a more in depth level or allows them time to run the club better.
Doing your duty to your club also shows that you care about your club and the students in it and this will help you in becoming a better teacher. It will give you a stake in the achievements of the other students so when they achieve, it feels like you achieve as well.

A new path for your martial arts journey
As mentioned above, teaching others allows you to analyse your own techniques and improve them.  It also brings new components to your training, a new angle of focus and patience is needed as different people learn at different speed and in different ways. Being able to change and adapt to this and to different situation helps you with your own martial arts journey. Teaching others also helps with your own self-confidence and abilities. Being able to stand in front of a group of people takes a lot of guts and can be nerve wracking but you need to have faith in what you have learnt and achieved and know that you wouldn’t be asked to do it, if your head instructor didn’t think you were able to do it.

Ben Tuckfield

Ben holds the rank of 3rd Dan in Taekwondo and is part of the leadership and instruction teams at Zone Martial Arts servicing the Sutherland Shire area from the Taren Point

location.