Can Girls Learn Martial Arts?

Teaching martial arts to a child is not unusual; in fact, it is a common practice. However, when I asked my uncles to teach me, my desire was met with laughter. Being seven years old was not the obstacle. I had forgotten the obstacle that in my culture was insurmountable.  I had forgotten that I was a girl. 

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim age 13

Girls did not learn the martial arts. I was told it is the place of women to learn to cook and sew. Why? Simply because for centuries it had always been that way. No, that was silly; they wouldn’t teach me. I should look forward to growing up, getting married, and having twelve sons. But, somehow, to me that didn’t make sense. The desire in my heart was constant, as was my persistent asking. Finally my uncles relented, confident that when I experienced the difficulty and bruises I would surely give up.

Every morning, every day, I practiced. The work was hard and the bruises were many. But, to my uncles’ surprise, I didn’t give up. To their further bewilderment, I progressed. 

As I grew in my martial art, the difficulties I encountered were enormous. Difficulty not in the art itself, but in the resistance I encountered from people’s belief that a woman couldn’t do it and, furthermore, shouldn’t be able to do it.  I had to wear slacks to hide the bruises so the other children wouldn’t laugh at me. My family was convinced there was surely something wrong with me. Proud of my accomplishments if I were a boy, they regarded me as one who had brought shame on them. Still, I felt I had to be true to something deeper within myself. I had a burning desire to be the best martial artist I could possibly be. But because my desire was controversial for oriental culture, I was simply dismissed as someone who was unbalanced.

However, a year later, at the age of eight, I discovered that not everyone thought I was crazy. A martial arts master recognized and acknowledged my desire by accepting me as his student. I was extremely fortunate, for this gifted master trained me in unusual and unique ways.

For many years I trained with him in the nearby mountains. here, I learned things that opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed. Year upon year passed as I began to understand the deeper teachings and secrets of martial arts that would eventually define what I now teach today.

by Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim - teacher, author, and master instructor

Other references:  Life Story, Sports-Squido, CEO, Workface, TKD Hall of Fame, The martial artist,  Woman’s Summit speaker, Martial Art Demos, Biography, Dojo Review, Achievements, Special Student blog, Celebration blog, Jung SuWon blog, Business Card, Pictures, Director, Recent Press Release, Amazon, Search, …

Blink of an eye...

In Jung SuWon Academy of Martial Arts, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, will blink her eyes, and tell her students, that is how fast 5 or 10 years will go by. Evaluate your last 5 years. Did you set your goals? Did you work on achieving them? Are you happy with the last 5 years of your life? How will the next 5 years be? Start planning now, or else the time will escape you.... If you want to do something in your life, what is holding you back? .....

I Began to Discover a Way

It was a blue gray morning in Kinchom Province when I was awakened by a shout. The war was two years past, but sudden sounds still had an unsettling effect. Cautiously sliding back a rice paper window my uneasiness disappeared as I saw something that instantly captivated me. It was beautiful. there, in the early morning fog, I discovered my uncles practicing an ancient martial art. The mists swirled with their fluid kicks, their bodies glistened in the first light of dawn. It touched a deep and natural feeling inside me. Nothing in my mind seemed so mystical and yet natural. To my seven year old mind, this was worthwhile. More than worthwhile, it was exciting. It was important. Nothing seemed so perfect. I had to learn this art. Little did I know how it would affect my life.

For more: see Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, Jung SuWon Martial Arts, Seven Steps to Inner Power, Jung SuWon Warrior, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim Martial Art Video, and more.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim- How to Deal with Bad Circumstances

It does not matter how bad circumstances may seem. What I discovered was that how I dealt with the circumstances was much more important than the circumstances themselves.

My earliest memories were of the Korean War. I was five years old, and I couldn't understand why explosions were everywhere, why people were trying to hurt me. I remember running day and night as my family fled the communist invasion. I couldn't understand why the world was suddenly crazy. I was only five. Why would anyone want to kill me? My playmate was a year older than I. I was so tired, but she kept encouraging me to keep moving, to keep running. She was a short distance from me, encouraging me again, when another explosion blew her apart.
I am not likely to forget what I saw. It was one of those moments that was too terrible to seem real. To call that a bad experience would be an understatement. But even then, in the midst of the bad, was the formation in my mind of something uniquely good. It was at that moment that I unknowingly made a decision that would forever change my life: I wasn't going to run anymore. I didn't know why, or even how, but I believed there had to be a way to stand up to this.

Two years later I began to discover a way... He Can Do, She Can Do, Why Not Me!!

Understanding Jung SuWon

This is the understanding of Jung SuWon, which means: "The way of uniting body, mind, and spirit in total harmony." But first, to understand the origins of what I (Dr. Tae Yun Kim) teach, and why I teach, it may be helpful to relate some experiences that influenced my life.

People and events can shape someone for good or bad. But you alone have power over these things, more than you realize...

The True Jung SuWon Warrior

I can teach you to be a true martial arts warrior (visit Jung SuWon Martial Art Academy, in Fremont, Ca). You may at first think this means I will teach you to be aggressive or to be a bully. Not at all. Have you ever observed a blade of grass that grows through the cement or the small tree that grows on solid rock? Look carefully. Is it the cement or the rock that cracks? We could say that the blade of grass and the small tree are being aggressive, which is true, But is it not more accurate to say that they are only being true to their own lives? They are being true warriors. (Jung SuWon was found by Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim from Kimchon, South Korea).

Break down obstacles in your life...

Consider your hand for a moment- the softness of the skin. Imagine the bones and ligaments within. As you flex your fingers, think of the dexterity of this part of you that you so often take for granted.

Can you imagine this hand going through a brick, breaking it to pieces? Can you imagine it going through a stack of ten bricks? Maybe you think this is an impossible accomplishment for yourself or for anyone.

I assure you it's not. But you may argue that your hand is softer and less dense than a brick. Of course it is. Bu is it not your thought that propels your hand? Is it not your thought that moves you throughout your life?

What Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim can teach you will enable you to break not only bricks but also the harder barriers that may be blocking happiness and fulfillment in your life.

She can teach you to be a true martial arts warrior. Would you like to hear more?