Kuk Sool Won is a comprehensive martial arts system that is derived from the rich and varied martial arts techniques and traditions that have arisen in Korea through the ages. Kuk Sool Won is not a sport, nor is it simply another oriental self defense method. Kuk Sool Wan is a complete martial art that is dedicated to the cultivation of mental and physical strength, well being, and to the preservation of traditional Korean martial arts.
Although its origins may be traced back to antiquity, the present Kuk Sool Won system was formally devised only recently. Grand master In Hyuk Suh spent more than forty years in single minded practice and research in order to learn, compile, master, and organize the more than 3,600 techniques that comprise Kuk Sool Won. He founded the Kuk Sool Won (Traditional Korean Martial Arts Association) in 1961 and brought it to the United States in 1974. The World Kuk Sool Won Association, head quartered in San Francisco, has since grown to include more than 900 member schools in Asia, Europe and the Americas and continues to increase in strength and members daily. 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 dramatic "hard, soft" style emphasizing speed and fluidity. In conjunction with physical training, meditation, breathing, and accupressure and acupuncture techniques are employed to improve and maintain health, to develop internal power, and to retard the aging process. Philosophically, Kuk Sool Won stresses humility, self discipline, self control, loyalty, and respect for others. Together, these three aspects of Kuk Sool Won, provide the means for attaining a long and healthful life.
