Winners: Dublin Martial Arts School takes top honors at regional Tournament

Kuk Sool Won of Dublin, a local martial arts school under the leadership of Master Seyd Saidi, took top honors over the weekend at the Pacific Coast Tournament held in Folsom, Sacramento.

The school teaches traditional Korean martial arts and students participating in this event compete against each other in various categories including open hand forms, self-defense techniques, sparring and weapons forms.

The tournament is held under the auspices of the World Kuk Sool Association (WKSA).

Ten schools from the the Pacific Coast region were represented and the levels of competition were tough.

Besides being the winning school, Kuk Sool Won of Dublin also had the highest number of students being promoted to first Dahn black belt at the tournament. The Grandmaster himself, Kuk Sa Nim In Hyuk Suh was on site to hand over the certificates and congratulate the students.

The Dublin based school also had another reason to celebrate. In the individual competition, Bu Sa Bum Nim (his Korean martial arts title) William Hunt was awarded the prestigious title of third degree black belt Grand Champion for the third successive year.

“Our successes are all due to the hard work and commitment from all of our students,” said Master Saidi “I am very proud of each and every one of them.”

Participants representing Kuk Sool Won of Dublin ranged in age from 4 to 40+ and included all ranks from white to black belt.

Tournaments are a way for these practitioners to challenge themselves and hone their skills on their martial arts journey. The interactions are governed by the core principles of martial arts and students must therefore display appropriate etiquette and be respectful and disciplined.

Embarking on a martial arts journey requires patience and perseverance and seeing the acrobatic and energetic skills on display may be daunting to some but as Master Saidi says “No matter how high the mountain, there is always a path to be found to reach its summit.”

The school was awarded the Championship flag which will be returned at the next tournament. Should a school win the competition for three years in succession it will be allowed to retain the flag. Kuk Sool Won of Dublin has already retained one flag and seems set for another in the near future.