Sunday, February 17, 2013

The 45th Anniversary Chayon-Ryu Banquet, Houston, TX



February 16, 2013, the International Chayon-Ryu Martial Arts Association celebrated the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Chayon-Ryu Martial Arts System.  A banquet honoring Grandmaster Kim Soo, and his 45 year journey to bring Chayon-Ryu to the United States was held.



Grandmaster Kim Soo delivered his Anniversary address to the black belts and students of Chayon-Ryu:



Grandmaster Kim Soo
Good evening, I am very happy to see you all here tonight! My family, friends, instructors, and students. We are all here, together to celebrate 45 years of Chayon Ryu; in addition, I want you to look forward with me to the future of our system. 

Leading up to 1968, I had been planning to leave Korea to teach abroad. I already had offers from a number of different countries to come teach: the Philippines, Mexico, Canada, and Columbia. But I turned all of these down, and chose to come to America instead. 

Why?


Grandmaster Yoon
I wanted to preserve Grandmaster Yoon, Byung In’s teaching, and be free from any pressure to conform to the movement towards sports, competition-oriented training. It was only in America that I could see achieving the independence and freedom to preserve his legacy, and continue to develop my philosophy of teaching, of Chayon Ryu, free from the influence of politicians or religious leaders. 

Martial Arts as education, as a pure art, as tradition, as a means of helping so many people improve the quality of their lives. This has made such a profound difference in my own life, and in the lives of the people I had already taught so far. How could I not do everything I could to preserve these traditional values, to continue to share them with people wherever I could? 

People in Korea who were considering a move all the way across the Pacific, to this country, wanted to settle in places where there was already a strong Korean community. Of course, it’s much easier, and more comfortable, to have that safety net and community. But I wanted to have a clean slate – to go somewhere where there weren’t any major figures already teaching! There were people in California, in New York, in Washington. But nobody in the south; nobody in Texas. Everybody was afraid to come to Texas! They only knew what they’d seen in movies; and besides, why would I go somewhere where there weren’t any Koreans? That was exactly the point.

Grandmaster at the airport
about to depart for America
1968.

I applied for a green card on my own – no lawyer, no official assistance. I thought carefully about what I was going to say, and prepared as much as I could. It was very expensive, applying for the green card! And no guarantee that I would be approved. 

The person in the immigration office was a huge man, so stern and mean looking. I saw down in his office, and he scowled at me across his desk, and said, ‘Why do you want to live in America?’ I was so nervous… my mind went blank! I forgot everything! All that preparation I had done – gone!
I looked at him, and said… ‘American needs me!’ He looked so surprised. America needs GOOD teachers! Sure, there are plenty of people who can teach how to kick and punch and fight; but who is teaching form, and classic traditional forms, and knows what they mean? Who is teaching for your health, for your quality of life?

Grandmaster's press credentials for
Black Belt Magazine.
I gave him my resume: how I was the first Korean correspondent for Black Belt magazine, taught the U.S. and Korean armies, trained the bodyguards for the first Korean president. I talked about two forms: No Hai and Wan Shu. What the names mean, and how every movement in the forms have meaning.
He slammed his hand down on his desk, very hard! I was startled, and worried that was a bad sign. He stood up from behind his desk… and stuck out his hand to shake mine! He granted me ‘third preference’ status on my new green card – no boss, no need to have an employer or sponsor. I was going to be independent. Third preference was the highest level granted on a green card; it’s what was granted to doctors, lawyers, professors. I was termed ‘Professor of Martial Arts’ – to teach American teachers.


Politics, ego, race should be left outside,
teachers should be mindful and humble.
I want to talk for a moment about our system. Ours. Tonight is not about me; it’s about 45 years, so far, of training, of teaching, of continuously developing and refining the teaching method, of promoting more black belts so that YOU can turn around and teach as well. Our school, our Chayon Ryu system, should be preserved, protected, and continue to grow to help you, to help each other, to help future new students and future instructors. To foster these goals, we must focus ourselves on the training, and teaching. I do not want to see conflicts between individuals harm our higher goals. We all have different backgrounds, different origins; different political beliefs and so on. When we are together to train, to teach, to clean the dojang, that is our time to focus on our personal development and to help other people and our school. Conflicts over things like politics, ego, race, and so on should be left outside! Smile, help each other with your training, and focus on positive things in your life


Teachers: I want you to be mindful to be humble, kind, and generous to everyone around you. Teachers should make the information accessible to the students. Do not use your position as an instructor for outside reasons – not to promote your outside businesses, or church, etc. 



I want to thank all the students who have worked to make this evening a success, and everyone for coming together this evening to celebrate our first 45 years of Chayon Ryu. I would like to meet everyone again at our 50th Anniversary! 

Martial Arts is my first priority; my mission in life, not my business. I will teach until I die – there is no retiring. 
_________________________________________________________________
additional photography: Kenneth Young, Kingwood Chayon-Ryu

watch the video highlights from the banquet:

Sunday, February 10, 2013

HOSHIN SUL-The Art Of Self Defense DVD

Master Robert McLain and Saboemnim Robert Henriksen
demonstrate variations on grabs and joint locks
Coming in 2013, the next addition to the Kim Soo Instructional DVD series
HOSHIN SUL-The Art of Self-Defense 

Grandmaster Kim Soo, 10th degree black belt and founder of Chayon-Ryu presents Hoshin Sul, the art of self defense.

Join Grandmaster Kim Soo and his black belt masters as they demonstrate self defense techniques from the Chayon-Ryu martial arts system. Escapes, Grabs, Holds, Avoiding and Throwing are demonstrated by Grandmaster and his black belts.
Gun Defense

Defense against kicks

Defense against kicks

Avoiding

Front choke defense

avoiding and counter striking

Rope attack defense

Rope attack defense
Rope defense

Avoiding and counter striking


defense against kicking

defense against kicking


View the teaser

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Chayon-Ryu Training, Health, and Longevity




CHAYON-RYU TRAINING, HEALTH, And LONGEVITY
by Charles E. Broughton


How long will I live and will I always be healthy?  These questions normally do not surface in one’s mind until about age 40 as it is only then that most really begin to realize our mortality.  Life’s events and our heritage will determine many things as we age; sporting accidents, car accidents, serious illness, birth defects, enough food to eat, dental care, education and other events in our lives all have a lifelong effect on us and how we “make it” in this earthly endeavor.

Chayon-Ryu training is an excellent way to maintain health, cleanse ourselves of our biggest enemy, stress, and offer us a way to achieve the longevity we desire.  As we train and strengthen our physical bodies we also have a serious and very good effect on our mental status.  As our skills in self-defense grow, we also, many times unknowingly, increase our self-confidence and that has a tremendous effect on our daily lives.  My opinion is Chayon-Ryu training, over an extended period of at least five years, will allow the “true”, good, personality of the individual to emerge.   Many times individuals act or re-act to work, family, or the general public in a way we “think” we should and not how we really are as a man or woman. With the self-confidence of our training we shed the ego, the worry about what other people think, how we should act, and simply be ourselves and when the real person shines through many times very good things take place in one’s life.  We cease to worry about things we cannot control and we focus on things that we can have a positive effect or impact on.  Our cheerful smile and hard work ethic tells others this individual is comfortable with who they are and will do their best at whatever is in front of them.

My training began at what many would consider to be very late in life, age 57.  Fortunately my physical body was in excellent condition; knees, back, hands, etc. worked like they should and nothing kept me from doing the things I needed to do in class.  A few years later in my working life, I was about 61, I worked for and retired from a huge corporation that has a world-wide presence, my immediate supervisor was from another country and had none of the US values and most importantly, Texan values that we feel are important to one’s existence.  I had to work another four or five years and someway, somehow I had to find a good working relationship with this supervisor or the possibility of no job late in life was a stark reality.   

Gyosanim Charles E. Broughton, 2nd Degree Black Belt, Chayon-Ryu
Fortunately I was about four years into my Chayon-Ryu training and this enabled me to honestly and clearly assess the entire situation and determine a path to success.  On the day I retired, just before my 65th birthday, this supervisor, female, came up to me, gave me a big hug and told me how she really appreciated how I did my job and how effective I was working with people all over the world.  To this day we still have a cordial relationship and this is a real win – win situation for both of us.  After two years of military service in the mid-1960’s and a little over 40 years of employment with one company, I only wish I had started my Chayon-Ryu training many, many years earlier.

How has Chayon-Ryu training affected my life?  I always wanted to own my own business and in retirement have a thriving small business that is a joy to operate.  My relationship with the public is very positive and good and my circle of friends and acquaintances, in retirement, has expanded, not contracted.  Last year, while stepping down onto a step-stool out of the back of my pickup I fell, very hard, on a concrete floor and it knocked the breath out of me. My training kicked in immediately and I looked up to protect my face/jaw as I fell forward, face toward the ground, slapped the hard floor as we do in class, and rolled to one side.  After lying there for about five minutes I got up, did an assessment, and nothing was sprained or broken!   My relationship with my wife and grown children and grandchildren is at an all-time high; very good, very positive, and we all love and care for one another.  Now we live over 40 miles from the school and it requires an effort and gas money to get to class.
 At a 50th High School reunion last fall we noticed how many of our classmates walked slowly and with difficulty, how many were using canes, one in a wheelchair, and remembered the goodly number who have already gone on to their greater reward. We continue to train at age 68 and are thankful for Master Sean Kim, Grandmaster Kim Soo, and all the dedicated people of Chayon-Ryu who help me regularly.

Where are you in your “journey” in Chayon-Ryu?  As GMKS so regularly says, “Don’t Quit”!  Stay the course and earn the rewards that will be yours with diligent application and effort.  Who knows what lies around the next corner of life and how you may rely on Your training to enhance Your life and the lives of those around You.  Set your goals high, I did at age 57 on earning a Black Belt from the very best school and very best teachers in Chayon-Ryu.  How am I doing?  Well, I’m getting pretty good at Basic Form 1, and still have goals and aspirations and hope that you do as well.







Charles E. Broughton
2nd Dan
February 2013




Sunday, February 3, 2013

271st Rank Examination at the World Headquarters

February 2, 2013- Grandmaster Kim Soo and the black belts of Chayon-Ryu held the 271st rank examination at the world headquarters dojang.

Students from all branch schools of the Chayon-Ryu system attend the examinations. In Chayon-Ryu all tests are held at the main Headquarters dojang.





Image gallery from 271st Rank Examination 

Group photo of Grandmaster, Black Belt Judges and students testing in the morning
session (white and orange belts).

Grandmaster addresses the black and brown belts testing in the afternoon session.

Self -Defense take down demonstration

Basic movements drills

Basic movements drills

Kids under age 10 recite the dojang hun in lieu of taking a written exam

pre-arranged tactics: Formals

Self Defense

pre-arranged tactics: practicals

Kimasae center punch drill

pre-arranged tactics: practicals

a white belt student breaking with knifehand strike

free sparring

deep breathing exercises

forms

forms

Grandmaster Kim Soo, the Black Belt judges and students who tested in the
afternoon session (blue-black belt).

white belts testing

Hanson Daeryon: Korean Kung Fu hand sparring

orange belt forms

free sparring

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photo credit: Kenneth Young, Sabomnim 3rd Dan--Kingwood Branch School