Chief Instructor

Chief Instructor
Kuk Sool Won of the Upstate

Dr. Daniel A. Middleton, 5^th Degree Black Belt
Chief Instructor
Kwan Jang Nym (Master Instructor)
South Carolina Kuk Sool Won

Daniel Middleton, Head Instructor and Program Director at Upstate Kuk Sool Won, is the highest ranking Kuk Sool Won instructor in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia and has been training in martial arts for 34 years – nearly 30 of those years in Kuk Sool Won. A licensed chiropractor, Dr. Middleton brings his understanding of human anatomy and physiology into his Kuk Sool training and instruction, adding a unique insight into the program at Upstate Kuk Sool Won.

Kwan Jang Nym Dan is also a author with a number of published works, including articles in national martial arts publications such as Black Belt Magazine, Tae Kwon Do Times, and others. Articles include:

"Under the Radar: Kuk Sool Won’s Lethal Low Spinning Heel Kick," Black Belt Magazine, September, 2005, "Self-Defense 101" Black Belt Magazine, "Translating Traditional Korean Weapons Training Into Real Self-Defense (Traditional Weapons to include Korean sword, staff, short stick/dan bong, fan) Black Belt Magazine, February, 2007 – title changed by editor to: Blast From the Past); "What Goes Up: Two Types of Falling Techniques" There are actually two basic types of falling techniques: Body protection falls and martial arts gymnastics. A comparison between the two and a progressive training program for the latter Tae Kwon Do Times magazine. September, 2008

An instructor of Kuk Sool Won for almost 20 years, Kwan Jang Nym Dan was the first to bring Kuk Sool Won training to the Upstate area of South Carolina – first to Spartanburg and Gaffney, then in the Anderson area since 1995. With a true love of teaching, Kwan Jang Nym is an excellent instructor and enjoys passing on the forms and techniques of Kuk Sool to his students and is particularly adept at adapting the standard techniques and applications of the martial arts to students of varying ages, abilities and body types.

Kwan Jang Nym Dan’s favorite techniques in Kuk Sool Won are Poh Bohk Sool (Rope Techniques) and Ji Pang Ee Sool (Cane Techniques), although he is also interested in the use of the Korean bow, another aspect of the growing curriculum of Kuk Sool Won

Dr. Middleton began his martial arts training in Chinese kung fu in 1972 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After relocating to Columbia, South Carolina to attend the University of South Carolina he was introduced to Kuk Sool Won™ for the first time by his first instructor of Kuk Sool, Gene Gause (now a Kuk Sool Won™ master in California). Except for a brief hiatus in the early 1980s when no Kuk Sool Won™ schools were available in his area -- and during which time he studied Northern Shaolin kung fu and Tang Soo Do -- he has been an avid student and instructor of Kuk Sool Won™ ever since.

A student of a number of different martial arts over his career (including Tang Soo Do, Judo, Kali, Taijiquan – Yang and Chen styles, and a number of different kung fu styles such as Li Gar, Tien Shan P’ai, Northern Shaolin, Wing Chun, Xingyi, Bagua, etc) Kwan Jang Nym Dan didn’t simply “stumble into” Kuk Sool Won as the only style available to him – he made a conscious decision to specialize in Kuk Sool because of the comprehensive nature, the natural movements and the underlying philosophy of the system. With this background, it is his conviction that Kuk Sool Won is the single most comprehensive system of traditional martial arts available in the Upstate area.

Left:
Kwan Jang Nym Dan demonstrates rope techniques at the World Tournament in Gwangju, South Korea

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What to Look For In A
Martial Arts Teacher

There are many important factors to consider when looking for a martial arts school for you or your family -- and one of the most

important of these is both the quality and the experience of the instructor.REMEMBER THAT A BLACK BELT IS NOT ENOUGH. The Black Belt is not an indication of teaching ability, only an indication of rank within a particular style of martial arts. The same caveat applies to titles or awards like 'World Champion' or even 'Master' as these are often accolades that have little or no relevance beyond a particular style or school and certainly have no bearing on the quality of instruction that they will be able to provide.

Beware also of 'inflated' ranks or ranks that signify little more than 'time in.' What we mean by 'inflated' ranks are high black belt ranks that have been awarded as 'honorary' or 'reciprocal' ranks (ie. rank that hasn't been earned over time in the traditional sense); 'time in' rank is that rank that has been awarded simply because of the passage of time at the previous rank -- in this situation what you have is not really a '5th degree black belt' but a '1st degree black belt five times.'

The most important thing to look for in an instructor, however, is not rank or title but the more intangible 'people skills' -- how well does the instructor relate to his students, is he able to motivate the student to try new things and push them beyond their comfort zone, is he open to questions and able to supply helpful and pertinent answers, are his communication skills up the the level they need to be in order to get his message across? ALL of these things are important when choosing a teacher and a school.

When you are considering martial arts, look around -- visit a number of different schools, ask questions (open-ended questions are best: 'What do you teach?' rather than 'Do you teach ______? -- it is far too easy for the disreputable instructor to promise things that end up always being 'at the next belt level'). If the instructor teaches a certain aspect of martial arts that you are interested in, then they should be able to demonstrate that to you or (even better) have one of their students demonstrate it.

The BEST option is to observe a class in session or even better TRY a class before you make your decision -- this Trial Class should either be FREE or at least at an easily affordable one-time fee with no obligation. If any instructor will not allow you to at least watch a class before enrolling (for whatever reason) the best option is to 'run away' from that school as fast as you can.

All instructors at Kuk Sool Won™ schools throughout the United States have been approved by the World Kuk Sool Association and all instructors at Kuk Sool Won™ of the Upstate have been personally trained by Master Instructor Daniel Middleton, a martial artist with over 30 years experience.

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