Humility

One of the Eight Key Concepts in Tang Soo Do is Kyum Sun, or Humility. A humble person recognizes and appreciates his own strengths and accomplishments, but lets other people talk about them.

We are fortunate in our school to have a living example of humility - a student who trained for fifteen years, starting when he was very young, and attained advanced rank in another martial art. Lee came to us a couple of months ago after a hiatus in his training that lasted many years. He could have come into class wearing his Black Belt, but instead he put on the white uniform and plain white belt of a beginner.

In recognition of his skills, Sa Bom Nim is advancing him at an accelerated pace, and plans to award him a Green Belt at next month's testing. But Lee remains very humble and eager to learn.

It is such a pleasure to watch him train. His movements have the crispness and precision that you would expect from a Black Belt, even though he is still learning the refinements of hip utilization and flow that distinguish Tang Soo Do from other martial arts.

When you ask a first-grader what it means to be humble, he or she will say something like, "Not showing off." Pretty good definition, if you ask me.