Hyunsa SuSa Training

June 15th, 2025
Tarrytown, NY

We began HyunSa Training this day with self-stretching and self warm-ups. Then SUSAs Sophia and Audrey led the group warm-up. We practiced a few kicking combinations that combined footwork and speed: front snap kick (returning) and then jumping front snap kick; roundhouse kick (landing front) and jumping roundhouse kick. Each of these was used as an example of how to retain advantage and momentum in a sparring situation. We also practiced a form that incorporated forward stance and long stance with double fist blocking, similar to those found in Tae Geuk Chil Jang and Tae Geuk Paal Jang.

Instructors from our Brewster martial arts location regularly participate in these advanced leadership trainings to bring refined techniques and curriculum back to their local students.

Then the class organized into groups of three, where the center person performed a series of kicking combinations: two roundhouse kicks, turn around, switch feet, jumping roundhouse kick. It was important for the holders’ targets to be positioned correctly, so that the kicker could execute with maximum speed. After all three people in the group rotated, we closed the kicking exercise with a Sunrise Posture: toes touching, heels apart, knees bent and touching, back arched like a scorpion, and open palm hands held out in front of the face, facing outward, making a loose triangle shape, elbows bent. This posture is intended to awaken energy, and is suggested for morning times, or times when we need to jumpstart our systems; it should be avoided when we are looking to calm down or restore, and avoided at nighttime. Suggested use is for the morning (so called Sunrise!)

Then we grouped into a circle and Ji Do Ja Nim asked us a very important question:
“Do you love yourself?” – not in arrogance, but in care. Do you take good care of your body, eat and sleep well? Do you take good care of your mind and spirit? If you worked hard to compete at a high level, and get second place, will your mind be content with your good effort? If you train again and become the champion, will you consider your victory only for yourself? When we win, are we comparing ourselves to all others, or to a prior version of ourselves? We train well all the time in hope of becoming better – and we should consider this competition to be against another version of ourselves, and not to beat all other competitors. All that we train for should be to achieve excellence of character, and to assist those who may be experiencing the same struggles. Not so that you can remove the obstacle for them, but so they may be able to remove or overcome the obstacle for themself.

For the next part of class, we grouped according to SUSA levels, and Shin Min HyunSa Nim guided the SUSA Recruits, while Ji Do Ja Nim guided the other levels, Apprentice and Journeyman; each group practiced a form. The more senior SUSAs’ form included the postures javanse, tiger stance, forward stance; a palm strike, a palm block; and three versions of fist striking – to the upper lip, to the temple with snap, and to the temple with follow-through. We did another Sunrise Posture for a moment after this training.

The last part of our class involved both individual effort and collective effort, in the form of two teams of eight competing in a relay race. Each person was to sprint the length of the dojang carrying a ball, turn around the target and sprint back, to deliver the ball to the next person waiting at the launchpad; after all eight competitors sprinted, the ball had to be passed back by each person until the last – and then the team could shout victory in unison. All the SUSAs on both teams cheered their teammates as they ran the course. This is important because all of the individual efforts would aggregate for the team; no one individual wins, however without the best effort of each individual, the team does not win!

The winning team then led the others into their favorite dance moves, which resulted in a bit of jumping, kicking, breakdancing, and cartwheels. We ended the class in appreciation, smiles, and good spirit!

Families interested in structured Taekwondo classes in Brewster can learn more about training at our Brewster school.

– written by: Master Sara Simonetti