Graduation and Being Part of Chayon-Ryu

Grandmaster Kim Soo

Graduation and Being Part of Chayon-Ryu

In my over 60 years of teaching at all levels, I have met and taught many and all kinds of people. Occasionally, I have a student that thinks he has graduated from Chayon-Ryu. The last one of these graduates was a very educated man. Just like he finished and paid for his teaching and degrees and moved on, he got his black belt and decided to open his own school in another state under another name. He was going to change his teaching methods too. He made it clear to me that he had graduated, was no longer part of Chayon-Ryu and did not want my assistance or interference in his business. He had paid for his training and that was it. This is a very bad attitude. I let him go down his own path.

There is no graduation from Chayon-Ryu. I have not graduated. No one does. To think this way is wrong thinking and a total misunderstanding of traditional martial arts. Chayon–Ryu is for life. Endeavor in your training always.
In a few instances we’ve had high ranking students, Third Dan, Fifth Dan who quit for different reasons. They quit paying their dues and announce that they are no longer part of Chayon-Ryu. Even though they have quit and are gone, this cannot be. When you are born, you come in to this world and you are given a name, Smith, Nguyen, Kim. This is your name always from then on. Even if you change your name, your given name is still part of you and always will be.

When you come to Chayon-Ryu for the first time with your white belt on, nervous, intimidated, without knowledge, it is like being born into Chayon-Ryu. Over time, your knowledge and your confidence increases. You learn to walk, to kick, to punch, to defend yourself. You learn forms. Your foundation is built. Whether you train a few months or many years, Chayon-Ryu is part of you. It is in your blood. This can never change. Even if you came from another school to train in Chayon-Ryu, you gained knowledge here, both mental and physical that will always be part of you.

It makes me sad and sick that some students think this way. Please always remember your roots.



Sincerely,

 








Founder Chayon-Ryu International Martial Arts Association
February 16, 2014

Breaking And The Proper State Of Mind

Recently I had a conversation with ChongJae Nim, about breaking. It was born out of a story he told us in class, about breaking and the proper mindset. So I asked him about it, in a brief interview, as he had suggested I write something on the topic of breaking:

Breaking in martial arts and the proper state of mind

by Kyosanim Melissa L. Nichols

Sabeomnim David Eastwood of Kingwood Chayon-Ryu
breaks a brick for his 4th Dan test. Photo courtesy of
Kenneth Young, Sabeomnim Kingwood.

Breaking a board or brick in martial arts has always inspired a sense of awe in those who witness this technique. To the non-practitioner, this can seem like a magic trick as they witness martial arts supermen perform seemingly impossible feats of strength and power.

To the trained practitioner, breaking is seen more as a show of focus and power. Where does this power to break come from --- mystical forces or sheer physical strength?  The answer is neither. True breaking is accomplished when there is union of the physical, mental, and spiritual. That is to say, the focus and power comes from physical training, with the right state of mind, attuning the body, mind, and spirit. Breaking, done in the wrong state of mind with the intent of showing off or impressing people, merely shows how hard one's hand is and not how focused the the martial artist is. Stunt breaking can lead to injury, both to the hand and ego, when things go wrong. Similarly, when one is nervous, he or she is not in the moment and not in the right state of mind, and a failed break can occur. To prevent this, we must clear the mind and rely on all we have learned up to that moment to follow through; only when the right state of mind is achieved will a martial artist be able to execute a proper break.

The proper break begins with the first step in training. It is not something we rehearse, it is born when we learn our fundamentals, growing as we train with humility and sincerity. Breaking is not something we practice by taking bricks or boards home and attempting to break them. Grandmaster Kim Soo says, "We are human beings. Our hands are not hammers," emphasizing that proper mental focus is the more important tool than the hand. With a proper break, we are mentally in the moment, approaching the action with all sincerity, proper humility, and respect.  Understanding that the hand is not what breaks the brick is the beginning of understanding what breaking truly is.

 We break with our mind first, our ki second, and, lastly, the hand, which the energy passes through. Everything in martial arts begins in the mind. The source of our power is our center, our danjan, directed by our mind, driven with humbleness, and coming from sincere training. To practice breaking, Grandmaster Kim Soo tells us, "train and practice your forms, fundamentals, practicals, self-defenses, with all sincerity."

Melissa Dabney of Kim Soo Karate of Baytown breaks for her first rank test. Photo
courtesy of Sabeomnim Kenneth Young, Kingwood Chayon-Ryu.

Breaking is not magic; it is a union of art, philosophy, and science, taking form in our physical/mental/spiritual being to execute and focus our inner power (ki). We should remember to always have the right mindset, sincere attitude, and humility in our training, whether doing forms or breaking bricks.

KWON BEOP HYUNG Arrives on DVD!

Kim Soo Karate presents

Kwon Bop Hyung – the Chu’an Fa forms collection

Grandmaster Kim Soo, 10th degree black belt and founder of Chayon-Ryu demonstrates the Kwon Beop forms of the Chayon-Ryu System.

Brought from China to Korea in the 1940’s by Korean Grandmaster Yoon Byung-In , and then to the United States by Grandmaster Kim Soo in 1968.

These forms are the preserved teachings of the Great Manchurian Masters, and the legacy of the Chayon-Ryu system.

The collection includes:

Vol. One: Dan Kwon- Short Fist

Vol. Two: Do Ju San- Escaping through the Mist

Vol. Three: Jang Kwon- Long Fist (two man form)

Vol. Four: Tae Jo Kwon- Founder King Form

Vol. Five: So Ho Yon- Little Tigers Play

Vol. Six: Palgi Kwon- 8th Manchurian Cavalry

 Each volume contains special features and interviews with Grandmaster Kim Soo

 

www.chayonryu.com to order