Inside Chayon-Ryu

A NATURAL APPROACH OF MARTIAL ARTS

When Jerry Glover was a young boy, his older brother Pete enjoyed watching Saturday morning Kung-Fu movies. When he would start imitating martial art techniques, Jerry would join in.

When he was 14, his father suggested that he take martial art lessons to boost his confidence and better enable him to withstand the harassment of neighborhood bullies. He attended a free in Kingwood, Texas which was close to his home in New Caney.

“I thought I would learn everything I needed to know from that lesson,”says Jerry. Instead, the lesson was the beginning of Jerry’s lifelong education of martial arts. He is now a Sabonim, 3rd Dan Black Belt and has been studying for over 30 years.

Jerry learned martial arts through the Chayon-Ryu training philosophy, which was founded by Grandmaster Kim Pyung Soo, a native of Korea who began educating Houston-area martial art students 50 years ago.

Jerry served as Chief Instructor at multiple Chayon-Ryu dojang locations in Montgomery County, Texas since 1995.

Chayon-Ryu means “Natural Way” in Korean and is a teaching method based on natural human body movements. It was designed, Jerry said, to be safe and effective and minimizes the risk of injuries.

Unlike many other martial art programs, Chayon-Ryu is non-competitive.

“Instead of teaching students to hit each other for trophies, students are taught to help each other learn and to show respect for others,” Jerry says. “Students learn that they don’t have to be stronger, faster, or better than someone ~ their only competition is within themselves.”

Rather than concentrating on just one martial art, Chayon-Ryu incorporates many classical styles; Chinese Chu’an Fa, Japanese Karate, Korean Taekwondo, Okinawa-te, Judo/Jujitsu, and Hapkido/Aikido.

Attaining a Black Belt in Chayon-Ryu signifies a well rounded proficiency in all the arts included.

“Instead of just learning how to kick and punch, students learn to break out of holds and grabs and defend against guns and knives.” Jerry said.

Chayon-Ryu emphasizes mastery of fundamentals, such as body shifting, balance of movement, eye contact, rhythm and timing.

“A lot of martial art teachers just say `follow me’ and their students mimic them. We actually break down the fundamentals and make it simple,” Jerry said.

Chayon-Ryu students must emphasize proficiency before advancing to the next belt level.

“The color the belt means nothing if students don’t have the knowledge in their heads,” Jerry said.

Lessons also encourage students to learn mental virtues, such as patience, persistence,loyalty, honesty, and humility.

CHAYON-RYU OFFERS DIVERSE BENEFITS

“Some people want to learn martial arts to stay fit, others want to be able to defend themselves,” Jerry says. “However, learning martial arts has many other benefits. It can help reduce stress and build self-esteem. In addition, it teaches teamwork and leadership skills.”

“Shy, introverted children often become more assertive after learning Chayon-Ryu,” Jerry said. In addition, he has noticed that learning martial arts is especially beneficial to children with ADHD, as children learn discipline that helps them stay focused. Parents have told Jerry that their children’s success at Chayon-Ryu often translates into improved performance at school.