Shot Across The Bow, Kuk Sool Style
Black Belt|Oct/Nov 2017

6 Precision Kicks That Will Stun an Attacker Long Enough for You to Escape! (And You Can Crank Up the Power If You Need to Do More Damage) 

Robert W. Young
Shot Across The Bow, Kuk Sool Style

A martial art is a thinking person’s self-defense tool. We all know that. In part, it’s why we wield our natural weapons like a scalpel, not like a machete. We’re taught that precision is an essential component of mastery, that our goal in a fight is not merely to blast a kick into our opponent’s leg as hard as humanly possible and then hope for the best. Rather, it’s to aim for a specific spot on that leg using a specific part of the foot to make contact. That’s the definition of efficiency with respect to energy expenditure, technique choice and target selection.

In the case of the Korean art of kuk sool, that quest for efficiency inspired founder In Hyuk Suh, who was Black Belt’s 1984 Man of the Year, to turn to pressure points. Whether it’s a precision kick or a surgical strike, he teaches that the best target is a pressure point or a similarly vulnerable spot on the body. The founder’s son, ninth-degree blackbelt Sung Jin Suh, concurs. In fact, he’s made it his mission to spread knowledge of the efficacy of pressure-point strikes wherever he goes.

I met with Sung Jin Suh, whose official title with the World Kuk Sool Association is su suk kwan jang nim, for the purposes of the photo shoot that yielded the images you see here and the interview that led to the training tips. In this issue of Black Belt, Sung Jin Suh covers kicks. In the next issue, he’ll address hand strikes.

TECHNIQUE:

FRONT KICK

Denne historien er fra Oct/Nov 2017-utgaven av Black Belt.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Oct/Nov 2017-utgaven av Black Belt.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BLACK BELTSe alt
HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO
Black Belt

HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO

On October 22, 2022, the International Combat Hapkido Federation celebrated its 30th anniversary. As you might expect, we're proud of our organization's longevity, stability and success.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2023
MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101
Black Belt

MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER SHO

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2023
LOCK UP
Black Belt

LOCK UP

THE CLINCHING LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ART OF PANKRATION ARE STILL RELEVANT - AND EFFECTIVE!

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2023
KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR
Black Belt

KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR

When Scott Adkins Isn't Headlining His Own Action Movies Like \"Boyka: Undisputed,\" He's Stealing Scenes in Blockbusters Like \"John Wick\" and \"Ip Man\"!

time-read
10 mins  |
Summer 2023
A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ
Black Belt

A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ

Few fighters have a reputation as formidable and a record as impressive as Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. As you will see, his path from the traditional martial arts to full contact and then to kickboxing had more than its share of bumps.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2023
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1
Black Belt

PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1

In my six previous columns, pre-emptive striking featured prominently.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023
THE DAY JUJITSU DIED
Black Belt

THE DAY JUJITSU DIED

Let us look at one historical instance that illuminates a lesson in task saturation, or what Miyamoto Musashi called \"sword flowers.\"

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER
Black Belt

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER

To be successful in mixed martial arts nowadays, you need an all-around game.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023
KILLER INSTINCT
Black Belt

KILLER INSTINCT

It's not the size of the woman in the fight but the size of the fight in the woman.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2023
HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND
Black Belt

HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND

Much has been written about Bong Soo Han (1933-2007), his career as a hapkido master and his connection to the Billy Jack films.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2023