Kuk Sool Won questions

The few people that I know that take kook sul won say it is almost exactly like hapkido. And from what I've read in articles and seen from techniques and documentories. Hwarangdo and hapkido look very much alike. And there are those that compare kuk sool won and hwarangdo as being very similar.

The onlymajor difference between these thee arts is the method in which they are taught, the technques are identical however, kusool won and hwarangdo use forms and hapkido does not.

The origins of both kuk sool won and hwarangdo are both mysterious at best, but it is commonly known and generally accepted that hapkido is is the korean version of japanese daito ryu aiki jutsu. There is a strong historical link between Japanese master Takaeda and the Korean master Choi who taugt it in Korea.

I have read that Kuk Sool Won is a complete art made up of ancient techniques gathered from Korea's martial traditions, including ancient Korean striking techniques and techniques of ancient Korean buddhist temple martial arts, as well as study of Korean weapons.

Is it a worthwhile art to add to one's arsenal? Or avoid it?

I wouldn't tell you to avoid it per se, but I think because of its varied syllabus, it wouldn't be a good supplementary art. It's syllabus is so vast that I think in order to excel in it, you would need to have it as your primary art.

A UK Kuk Sool Won Website states that average person, with regular training, will take 5 years to get to 1st Dan. So it would take up a large amount of your time to studied it correctly I believe.

In regard to it's lineage, it is sort of similar to Hwa Rang Do, in that it is hard to verify a lot of the history of the arts and the influences they draw from. So be careful about it.

My personal opinion is that it may have taken martial arts from other parts of the Orient, but that it is a Korean Martial art through and through. It sites korean history as it's inspiration, and is an art based on Korean culture as it is now. So in this sense, it is part of Korean history.

As has been said here, try it out. If you like it, go for it. I think you would need to be an expert in Korean history, martial or otherwise, to be able to verify the entire arts lineage though.

One final word of warning again: It is an extensive system, and it could take up all your time to study it. If I were a cynical person, I could say it was maybe designed to be this way. Glad I'm not cynical!

As a supplements to TKD, I would say take it, although you will not learn any kicking techniques or footwork, but you will learn some great circular blocking. And as I stated before from what I've read and heard from frieds kuk sool is very much like hapkido but with more of an emphasis on striking.

If you get the chance to experience it, go for it.

I'm not sure who reads this, but I was just googling kuk sool won and found this. I see there are some good questions about kuk sool and many unqualified answeres. By "unqulified", I mean that the answeres are more like guesses by others who are not exactly sure what kuk sool has to offer.

Kuk Sool Won is a comprehensive study of the traditional Korean fighting arts as well as a study of acupressure and acupuncture, breathing techniques, and more. Remember that the word "tradition" only means that etiquette playes a strong role in martial art training. How do I know? I've been studying and practicing Kuk Sool for almost 13 years. Before Kuk Sool I took in a smattering of Japanese GoJu Ryu, and almost 3 years of Yong Do Won (a Korean style similar to and often associated with TKD).

How effective is it? Well, most arts will focus on one aspect of self defense or martial arts training: All kicking, all grappling, all joint locking, all striking, etc. As someone else stated, it does take an average of 4-5 years to attain 1st dahn. This is because the study is so intense and covers such a large spectrum. In fact, Kuk Sool requires that you study only Kuk Sool.The system, however, is well planned and will take students who are up to the challenge, through a curriculum that will familiarize them with joint locking, pressure point hand striking and kicking, choking and grappling, knife defense theory and technique, and traditional weapons such as staff and sword by the time she/he reaches 1st dahn. It is a longer road to black belt than most arts, but there is a lot more to learn. With all this training, one is familiar and relatively proficient with all situations. If a one hit stand up self defense fails, the kuk sool practioner (if he/she is training consistently) will not be suprised or helpless if the confrontation goes to the ground.

Sparring methods vary from school to school. Some schools focus on self-defense and encourage contact. Other schools encourage family martial arts and are "safety first" schools. Each has its benefits. At a school kuk sool school I spent most of my training at, we began sparring with take down and submission at brown belt (after approximately 2 years of training). Some schools will start grappling earlier and other will wait until black belt level. Speak to the local instructor about your goals and needs.

There is so much more to be said, however, the only way you will KNOW is to study for yourself.

For more info visit an official Kuk Sool Won School.