The Road Ahead!

The road ahead is a long one but you must keep going...

Better things are just around the corner!

Just take it one day at a time! 

Over the past six months that I’ve been writing this blog, you will have noticed that most of my posts have been mainly focused on my past experiences and memories about how I initially become involved in the martial arts and my interest thereafter.

I have to say although its been extremely therapeutic for myself writing about these past events, my intention wasn’t just about focusing on the things that had personally happened to me; more importantly what I really want to express is my overall desire on how I might be able to help you?

It has been my intention all along to use this method of communication to inform anyone that might be remotely interested, on the positive benefits that the martial arts has to offer, as well as other useful information, which I’d gathered along the way.

There's still so much more that I really want to share with you, so please stick with me; I’ve got some great stories coming up as well as other useful tips and strategies that you’ll be able to adopt into areas of your own life, if you care to do so.

Black Belt Grading

Achieving a black belt in the martial arts usually signifies that a practitioner has reached a recognised level of proficiency. It doesn't however make a person an elite member of the Special Forces, allow them to have superhuman powers, or make them indestructible. It basically means that an individual has fulfilled a specific level of training.

Like most martial art practitioners that manage to attain this distinguished level, I will never ever forget my very own black belt grading. After completing six-and-half years of regular practice, including three-months of intensive Sunday morning lessons, my Instructor finally announced that myself and two other classmates were ready to grade for our black belts on June 1st 1985.

A week or so beforehand the realisation of what I was about to accomplish suddenly struck home - I was actually on the brink of achieving something really significant in my life.  Up to this point it certainly hadn't been an easy ride, via the martial arts I'd been physically and mentally tested in a variety of different ways. It was through these challenges that I'd discovered so much about myself, including my many strengths and weaknesses. I also recognised that I was not the same person as when I first started out on this journey.

Leading up to the grading our preparations we're slowly coming together, however sadly with just one week to go, one of my colleagues had fallen badly and dislocated his shoulder. The injury meant that he wouldn't be able to fully participate in the final exam. From my own perspective this also suggested that for the majority of grading there would be only two of us on the mats performing directly in front of the Master - there would be no place to hide.

We were told that the grading would last approximately three / four hours and that we should also be prepared for a written test as well. This exam paper would cover specific aspects, such as Korean history, language, as well as the many principles of Kuk Sool.

The Korean Master presiding over our grading was a seventh degree black belt and the highest-ranking Kuk Sool Won teacher in the UK at that time. I'd previously had the pleasure in meeting the Chief Instructor on several separate occasions, usually at training sessions and other events. Personally, I found him to be very pleasant and friendly,  however I’d also heard that there was another side to him, which was regimental and strict.

Eventually the big day came around and the three of us together with our Instructor travelled down to London. Upon entering the training hall, we all bowed and were greeted by the Master. The atmosphere felt a little tense as we'd come to expect, with not too many words being said. The training hall was small, dark and relatively quiet, however out the corner of my eye I did notice a small streak of sunlight shining through the window directly onto the mats, almost like a spotlight in readiness for our forthcoming performance.

We were invited to change into our martial art uniforms. It was at this time I noticed my palms feeling rather sweaty and my limbs rigid and tight, my mouth was dry and I felt slightly sick  because of my nervousness. The thought of having to perform continuously for several hours was enough to give the most resilient practitioner an anxiety attack.  Our training companion who had injured himself had received special dispensation from the Master for him to participate only very 'lightly.' He would play only a minor part in the grading so not to exacerbate his condition.

When our names were called we automatically yelled, "Yes sir" and ran hurriedly onto the mats. We completed the formal bowing procedures and our test got underway. We started off with a basic warm-up routine, leading into a multitude of different kicks and hand strikes. Our own Instructor was yelling out the commands from the sidelines, whilst carefully scrutinising every move that we made. I recognised that there was part of him out there with us as we continued to demonstrate and perform all aspects of our art.  

My training partner and I responded instinctively to all the instructions, as we slammed each other constantly down onto the mats. We didn't hold back and must have hit the ground over one-hundred times each, throw after throw. All of our previous body conditioning exercises had obviously been worthwhile. I remember saying to myself, "I will get through this test if it's the last thing that I do." I really wanted to exhibit the martial art 'indomitable' spirit.

Toward the final stages of our grading I began to experience a sudden sense of euphoria and elation. It might have been caused by a sudden rush of blood to my head or possibly my endorphins starting to kick-in because of all the exertion, however I believe it was most likely due to the fact that the toughest aspect of our test was soon about to finish. 

After completing the rest of the requirements, we then took a short break  before  getting ourselves ready for the written test.  I wasn't overly concerned about this segment because I‘d really studied and prepared well beforehand. With the test paper placed in front of me, I just ploughed through the questions with no hesitation or problem at all. 

My confidence was now expanding to an all-time high as I quickly finished and handed in my answer sheet. I felt mightily relieved that it was now all over, however my exhilaration was to be short lived; the Master unexpectedly announced to us that there was to be a surprise third part to our grading.

The news shocked us all and was something that we were all totally unprepared for; I wasn't even sure if my own Instructor was aware of this latest development. The Master wanted us to travel with him to another part of the city where he would be holding further classes during the afternoon. If we really wanted to achieve our black belts we obviously had no choice but to agree and follow him to the next location to finish off the grading.

After driving through the chaotic streets of London, we eventually arrived at a well-known London University. Upon entering the campus sports complex we were met by a small group of black belt practitioners already wearing their uniforms. These guys seemed extremely well-trained and proficient. My training partner and I looked at each other and both realised that we were possibly about to face our toughest challenge of the day.

Our bodies were already aching and sore. Despite the discomfort we accepted that once again we were going to have to raise our game to the highest level. The Master had of course lined up his finest black belt students for us to fight. These chaps were not novices but experienced practitioners, with many years of training already under their belts. I have to admit at the time I did feel slightly worried and concerned.

We all lined up and paired off with each other, bowed and then the sparring commenced. Initially I got hit with wave after wave of kicks and punches and I realised that it was their intention to pummel us into the ground. Thankfully, as time wore on my body became more supple and my mind relaxed and focused. I eventually started to give a better account of myself and came out on top in several bouts. 

These sparring matches continued non-stop for about an hour. By the latter part of the afternoon I'd literally got my 'second-wind' and even started to gain pleasure from the session. Suddenly... the Master clapped his hands and everyone came to an abrupt halt, he didn't say anything but just looked at us and grinned. I thought to myself, "if that wasn't good enough I don't know what was." 

I glanced over to my mate and gave him a wink as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.  In the end I thought we'd actually given a pretty good account of ourselves at least we had  survived the ordeal. Afterwards we were congratulated by the senior practitioners who we had fought. The Master also acknowledged that our grading was now finally over and thankfully there were no more hidden surprises.

Afterwards on the way home in the car, I have to say that I’ve never experienced such an overwhelming sense of relief, satisfaction, achievement, and exhilaration, all rolled into one. It had really been a surreal day and one that I will never forget as long as I live.

During the forthcoming week a special announcement was made during the class at our local club - all three of us had passed our grading and were to be awarded our black belts the following week, presented by the Master / Chief Instructor himself.

As part of this memorable occasion our Instructor also presented us all with a special gift. A classic book, which I still have to this today - The TAO TE CHING by Lao Tsu.

Written inside of the front cover of the book was the following message.

To Martin, On the occasion of achieving your 1^st Dan Black Belt 16/6/1985.  Congratulations and best wishes for your future in Kuk Sool Won and do not forget……..white belt is a beginning, black belt is not an end, but just another beginning. 

Preparation For Black Belt

During my early years of practicing Kuk Sool I never really placed that much emphasis on achieving my black belt, I just focused on the training and took each grade as it came.

It wasn't until about five years down the line that I became conscious that I was actually starting to get somewhere. The training was becoming more and more intense and because of this several of my classmates had already decided to call it a day. In fact out of forty members that had initially started alongside me, there were only now three of us left on course for black belt.

At this stage our Instructor informed all three of us that in order to reach this prestigious level, we would have to complete a special black belt candidate training programme, which he’d specifically designed. This meant carrying out three-months of intensive training, combined with our normal weekly practice. These ‘special’ sessions would take place on Sunday mornings from 6am – 12noon and would incorporate all aspects of martial art practice.

It was toward the end of February 1985 that our first session was scheduled. All of the additional training would take place at our Instructor's home, approximately thirty-miles from where I lived. I remember waking up early on that very first morning and feeling rather anxious not knowing what to expect. I’d arranged to call-in and pick up one of my training partners along the way, while our other classmate would make his own way there.

Upon arrival at our Instructor's house, the two of us got out of the car and casually strolled toward the side entrance of his property. It was still dark and there was a noticeable chill in the air. As we approached the back door ready to knock, I turned and whispered jokingly to my pal, "I bet he's tucked up in bed with his teddy bear." No sooner had I mentioned those words, we suddenly heard a loud noise directly behind us, the next thing... I felt something strike me really hard several times on my back. My friend also witnessed a similar painful sensation. We quickly turned and saw our Instructor standing there poised like a deadly Ninja Assassin.

He was actually waiting for us up on his garage roof and upon entering his garden he made his move - leaping down to the ground and battering us with two bamboo swords. After administering the beating he stood there motionless, looked at us straight in the eye and shouted - "you're both dead." The two of us just looked at each other in complete shock, not knowing what to say or do next.

Although painful, the blows didn’t damage us in anyway. Upon reflection it was probably one of the best lessons that we would encounter in all of our martial art training. Once we'd recovered from our surprise attack our Instructor then quizzed us about the whereabouts of our third training partner. We explained that we honestly didn't know where he was. He then told us to go and find him and not to come back without him.

We drove twenty miles to the place where our friend lived. We could see upon approaching his house that the curtains were still closed and there was no sign of any movement. We knocked on his front door…there was no answer. Out of desperation we then progressed in throwing small stones at his bedroom window, however still nothing. We ran down to the nearest telephone box and dialed our friend’s telephone number.... there was still no reply.

The next step was to telephone our Instructor and explain to him that there was no sign of our classmate. After speaking and telling him about the situation, his immediate response was " it’s all three of you or none of you." He then went on to say that in light of the current situation our first training session had been cancelled. In addition to this, he told us that the three of us were also banned from training at our martial art club for one week.

I have to admit at the time I felt totally aggrieved concerning the punishment that we'd received. I just couldn’t understand why our Instructor had penalised us all? I guessed that he just wanted the three of us to act like a team. At a later date we discovered that our absent training partner had missed the session because he’d had an argument with his wife, she'd obviously put her foot down for him not to attend. We didn’t hold this against him and understood that it was challenging times for all of us.

The following week we all stayed away from our club like had been requested. Our Instructor sent us a further message saying that he would allow us ‘one last chance’ to make the following Sunday morning. This time if any of us failed to turn up that would definitely be it; we'd all have to wait a minimum of one year to re-apply for black belt. 

The following Sunday all three of us arrived at our Instructor’s house, thankfully on time. We immediately checked the garage roof and other obvious hiding places, but on this occasion our mentor was nowhere to be seen. As we entered the garage we discovered a small note stuck on the side of the wall. The message informed us that our first task was to thoroughly clean out his dusty old garage until it was absolutely spotless. The note also mentioned that this garage was to be our training room or Dojang; a sacred place that we should come to respect over the next few months.

We brushed, cleaned and scrubbed every inch of the garage almost non-stop for approximately two hours. Our Instructor eventually emerged from his house and casually strolled down the garden to inspect the garage (Dojang). I remember feeling really pleased with our efforts and thought because of all this hard work it would now be time to begin our martial art training. I was wrong - our Instructor had other ideas. He informed us that we had completed our task for that particular morning and sent us home without any practice at all.

Our Instructor was now pushing us harder and harder than ever before. We always knew that he would challenge us mentally and physically in a variety of different ways. He literally changed from being this mild-mannered gentleman into a Sergeant-Major type of figure, barking out orders in your face. We realised that he was now throwing everything at us, including the kitchen sink and was just waiting to see if any of us would crack under the pressure.

During one particular evening our Sabumnim (Instructor) informed us that he’d arranged a special treat. I was always wary of any special occurrences, as I knew that they’d be a twist involved somewhere. On this particular occasion he had arranged for us to have a whole night of sparring against a couple of senior grade practitioners from another local Club. Basically he’d invited these guys to come along and kick-our-butts.

Sparring at that time was definitely not for the feint hearted. Performed at an advanced level it was literally a full contact affair with kicking, punching, throwing and takedowns and without the use of any sparring protection. Despite being pitched against top-notch exponents, the three of us were certainly not fazed by the contest. If we lacked skill and expertise against these guy’s we certainly made up for it with enthusiasm and self-belief.

At the time all three of us were at peak physical condition. It was that night I discovered that I was more than capable in defending myself in any given situation. My two fellow classmates and I more than held our own against these two vastly more experienced practitioners. Despite their intentions to teach us a lesson, we literally turned the tables and sent these two senior grades home with their bodies and ego’s battered and bruised.

Meanwhile back at the Dojang - Our Sunday morning sessions continued and consisted of the following regime: 6am - 7am cleaning the Dojang / 7am - 8am running + assault course / 8am - 8.30am meditation practice / 8.30am - 9am breakfast & nutrition lecture / 9.30am - 10am weight & fitness training / 10am -12noon martial art training.

All of our Sunday morning sessions would begin with a three-mile run over an assault course. It really felt like we were being trained to become Royal Marines. At the time we didn’t care about anything; not even the British weather could deter us. We ran in the snow, wind and rain and never missed a morning’s running during those three months.

Toward the end of our of black belt candidate training programme, we recognised that we had literally given everything that we had to give; including blood, sweat and tears. Our Instructor had pushed our minds and bodies to the absolute limit and somehow we had all managed to survive and come through this ordeal in one piece.

On the last Sunday morning of training, our Instructor stood there in his formal stance and   subsequently announced that all three of us had all graduated from his “boot camp” and were now ready for our final exam. We were of course elated at the result and realised that together we were now heading toward our final test for black belt.

The Artist - Paintings

A Selection Of Paintings
By Laurie Shepherd

http://martinducker.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-artist.html

A Selection Of Paintings & Drawings  By Victor Ducker

The Artist

The definition of an 'Artist' might be loosely described as someone who participates in a creative activity, using an expressive arrangement of elements or movement, such as painting, poetry, dancing, acting, writing, music, etc.

So you might ask where does the "martial artist" fit in with the above description? Well it could be perceived as, someone trying to obtain or perfect a specific level of skill, which focuses on providing techniques for the art of fighting or warfare.

I really feel that a much better description might be; someone who studies, perfects and expresses a range of techniques and creative movement to not only prepare for adversity on many different levels, but also ultimately find peace and harmony within oneself and their environment.

Over the last thirty-five years I have been trying to figure-out what it actually means to be a martial artist? I've recently come to the conclusion and it's my own personal view that it really has nothing to do with fighting. That element of my training disappeared many years ago. Today I now use the martial arts as a Way of life, as well as a journey of self-discovery.

I suppose the ultimate goal of any martial artist is to try and better his or herself on many different levels and that's exactly what I'm still aiming towards. I'm constantly learning, training and improving all the time. I no longer think that I'm better than anyone else, just hopefully better than I used to be.

I'm really lucky that I was brought up from a very early age with an artistic viewpoint. You see, despite my father being employed, as a builder’s labourer for most of his working life, he was also a talented Artist. The majority of his free time he just quietly sketched and painted away, hardly ever displaying or exhibiting any of his work.

My dad developed his special talent to draw during his early childhood years. Later on in his life I think he could have easily have been an accomplished artist. At the age of nineteen however, like thousands of other young men, he was unfortunately called up to serve in the British army to fight in the Second World War.

Even while serving in the forces he would often find time to sketch. He loved drawing battle scenes, landscapes, as well as planes and warships of that era. But without a doubt his favourite subject was drawing portraits of beautiful woman. Many of these wonderful portraits and pictures have now been safely preserved for future generations to see.

  

There were times when my father would just sit me down and encourage me to draw. He would get me to half-close my eyes, hold a pencil up and view objects from an entirely different perspective. He allowed me to visualise beyond the normal point of view, which made me see things in a completely different way.

I just loved the way my dad could grab a pencil and using an odd scrap of paper he could make a picture emerge right before my very eyes. He had fantastic ability where he could bring most subjects to life. I now feel truly blessed to have had many wonderful moments with him just painting away with him by my side and I still really miss him now he is no longer here.

Another huge influence in my life was my Middle School art teacher, a magnificent man called Laurie Shepherd. While I was struggling with the bullying and drudgery of school, this gentleman was the one shining light in my life. While many other teacher’s just taught their specific subjects strictly by the book, Mr. Shepherd had the ability to connect with and inspire the many pupils he came into contact with.

It was during his lessons that my remarkable art teacher was somehow inspirational enough to get the best out of me. He was able to encourage me to express my feelings down on to the paper. I recall once painting this impressive locomotive train hurtling along the tracks. I now realise that this picture reflected a lot of my pent-up anger and frustration. It was a piece of work, which would eventually gain me top marks toward my final exam results.

Sadly I moved on from Middle School to High School and inevitably lost touch with Mr. Shepherd. My artistic ability also declined, the new art-teacher at High School was basically passion-less and just an ordinary technician who was unable to associate with me on any level at all. My ability to draw and paint gradually fell by the wayside.

My story about Mr. Laurie Shepherd didn't end there. Several years after I had finished school I came into contact with him again. By coincidence he’d also started studying martial arts at the same Kuk Sool club as myself. It was really great to be reacquainted with Laurie again and to now have him as a training partner, as opposed to him just being my schoolteacher.

After a couple of years training together, I noticed that Laurie was struggling to keep his attendance consistent. I discovered it was because of his new role as Deputy Headmaster at my old school. It was a position, which created much additional pressure on his shoulders and a job, which I felt that he’d acquired out of loyalty toward the school rather than for his own career advancement.

Despite his overwhelming work commitments, he returned back to his Kuk Sool practice. This time however an interesting situation had developed - due to the time that he had taken out, our roles had actually reversed. I was now teaching, inspiring and encouraging him, just like he had done previously for me in his classroom.  It was a strange feeling, teaching your own teacher, but on another level it did feel somewhat rewarding.

After a lot of hard practice, commitment and dedication on Laurie’s behalf, he finally achieved his first degree Black Belt in Kuk Sool Won. I knew that it wasn't easy and had taken him nearly ten years to reach this level. Laurie being a proud Welshman, had to truly feel that he was worthy wearing that prestigious black belt around his waist.

With the ever-increasing strain form his work duties, including dealing with the persistent Ofstead school inspections. My dear friend Laurie, over a continued period of time, sadly became further and further overworked and eventually became sick and unwell. It was only a matter of time before he was forced to retire from his duties at school due to extremely poor health.

It soon became apparent that Laurie’s illness was far more serious than anyone first thought. Despite having a major operation to try and treat the initial problems, there was very little hope of a full recovery. My dear friend, teacher and fellow martial artist, was diagnosed as being terminally ill.

I think Laurie knew beforehand that his time was limited and therefore made a concentrated effort to paint everyday. Early in the morning he would go down to his art studio in his garden and allow the paint and the brushes to flow. In a short period of time he had produced literally dozens and dozens of wonderful abstract pictures, something that he hadn’t done for many years since he attended Art College.

During the later stage of his illness, I remember visiting Laurie on several occasions. On one particular afternoon we sat, drank tea, laughed and chattered. We also talked about a specific book, which I knew that he really liked. The book was called Sword and Brush, written by David Lowry. This book obviously had great meaning for Laurie and I believe that he truly recognised the distinct connection between the Artist and the Warrior.

Sadly, Laurie Shepherd passed away in March 2000. His funeral at the local church was absolutely packed-out with hundreds of old school pupils, ex-teachers, family and friends. Laurie had obviously made an immense impact not just on my own life, but on many other people’s lives as well. Everyone that turned up did so to pay their last respects to a very caring individual.

For me, Laurie Shepherd was more than just a teacher or a friend; he was an extraordinary human-being. Both he and my Father had the gift to see things from an entirely different perspective and both also had the vision to see the ‘good’ in other people as well.

I would like to finish this post by dedicating the following paragraph to;  Victor Ducker & Laurie Shepherd.  

The Introduction - Sword and the Brush; Spirit Of The Martial Arts, by David Lowry

The Way of the sword, the Way of the brush: one an encounter of harmony between brush and paper, the other a meeting of conflict between swords. The results are inevitable and immutable. For the calligrapher as for the warrior, reality is reduced to a single unique encounter of perfect clarity.

View Paintings & Drawings buy visiting the link below

http://martinducker.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-artists-pictures.html

Not Just A Pretty Face

As you might have guessed it wasn't long before my girlfriend Alison had taken the natural progression from her self-defence classes into the World of Kuk Sool Won.   www.kuksoolwon.com

Alison as a Yellow Belt 1981

It soon became apparent that Alison wasn’t your regular run-of-the-mill  practitioner. She was a 'natural', meaning she had specific qualities that made practising look very easy. For example, being only 5ft 4" she had a very low centre of gravity, which made her posture look strong and her movement smooth and fluid, which is an essential part of Kuk Sool training.

Alongside these attributes she also had tremendous flexibility and agility needed for kicking. In addition to really cap it all she possessed a photographic memory, which meant she only needed to be shown a specific technique once and could recall anything at the drop of hat.

On the other hand I was the complete opposite – tall, inflexible and rigid. My memory was not that great either and I usually had trouble picking up new moves straight away. Despite this, for myself it wasn't all bad. On the plus side I discovered that I was quite strong minded and not easily deterred; a quality that would serve me well over the years.

As far as our martial art training was concerned, everything was going extremely well for the both of us. We practiced hard during most of our lessons together, as well as enjoying each other's company outside of the class. Alison had just obtained her first grade as a yellow belt and I was progressing steadily toward red belt, which was an intermediate level in our martial art system. 

One evening during a particular practice session, I was training on one side of the Sports Hall, while Alison was practising on the other side of the room. Everything seemed normal until I heard a bit of a commotion going on. I looked across to see a group of students gathering around looking at someone lying on the ground.

I halted what I was doing and walked over and realised that it was Alison laying on the floor. Everyone turned and looked at me with concern. When I peered down to view the situation I noticed Alison's left leg was sticking out at a right angle. It was unpleasant to view and I felt  sick just looking at the horrific injury.

What actually happened, while Alison was performing a certain self-defence technique. (Ki Bon Soo No. 2) her partner had lost his balance and fell back onto her leg, fully dislocating her knee joint. When she actually tried to stand up, she had no support and collapsed back down to the ground in agony.

Soon after the accident had occurred the paramedics were called and Alison was whisked-off to hospital. I remember sitting with her in the ambulance stroking her hand and giving her the gas and air, in combination with telling her some of my bizarre jokes, just to take her mind off the pain.

1st Degree Black Belt 1991

Arriving at the hospital and after close examination the doctor's    decided to anaesthetise Alison to get her knee set back into place. At the same time they decided to plaster her whole leg from ankle to thigh. It was a decision that was later to be reversed after a couple of days; the swelling on her leg became too much, which increased the amount of pain.

It was an exceptionally serious injury to say the least, enough to finish any sports persons career. Because Alison was really flexible as well as having hyper-extended knee ligaments it meant that her knee joints could be susceptible to problems.

After six months of continuous physiotherapy and rehabilitation, Alison made a marvelous recovery and then made the brave decision to return back to Kuk Sool. With her leg heavily strapped, she was strictly advised by her consultant to train very lightly to start off with. Despite many people advising Alison that she was crazy to return, she vowed that she was never going to stop practising martial arts.

Another noticeable fact, which I like to recall from our early days of going-out together, was Alison's ability to stand-up for herself. When I first met her I really thought I was dating this relatively shy, unassuming, attractive young girl. However during one evening out, I was to discover another side to Alison, which I and many other people never knew existed.

We were at a local dance hall and for some unknown reason there was this girl who had been taunting Alison for most of the evening. She'd discovered that Alison had recently started martial arts and was trying to test her resolve. We both knew that this girl had a reputation for causing trouble and tried to stay out of her way for the remainder of the night.

Master level - 2007

After the dance had finished, the girl continued with her threatening actions outside on the pavement, pushing and shoving Alison about. It soon became apparent that it was going to get physical, so I decided to step in to prevent this dreadful girl from getting too close. If nothing else I thought that I would at least try and calm the situation down, instead it only seemed to make matters worse.

The girl targeted more verbal abuse toward Alison, shouting out... "you're only tough when you're standing behind him," (meaning me.) That was it…. out of the blue my generally good-natured young girlfriend, had tolerated enough; she leapt forward and subsequently whacked this girl right in the head.

I was absolutely stunned, but not as much as the girl, who was literally knocked off her feet onto the ground. I stood there in amazement with my mouth open wide looking at Alison, I remember thinking to myself - where the heck did that come from? Alison calmly walked away from the scene as if nothing had happened, while everyone else just looked on in astonishment.

Alison Ducker
6th Degree Black Belt
2014

This was just one of the many examples of Alison standing her ground. I later found out that she was the "tom-boy" of her family; playing football as well as the regular play-fighting with her Dad. He'd also trained his ‘girl’ to develop exceptionally strong wrists, which again was down to the regular grappling competitions, which often took place in their house.

Over the years I came to recognise that Alison was not just a 'pretty face.' In due course she has developed into an extremely  calm, determined and respectful young lady. 

It was these attributes that would not only help Alison to one-day become a National Grand Champion, winning many Gold medals, but also the highest graded female Kuk Sool Won practitioner here in the UK.