Dublin Martial Arts Instructor Earns Global Senior Master Rank

Master Saidi has great passion for teaching martial arts and is driven by seeing his students reach their full potential. He is one of only twenty four 7th Dahn Kuk Sool Won Masters in the world and has been practicing martial arts for over 35 years. His excellence in martial arts instruction was first recognized at an international level at a global conference in Korea in 2013.

His Promotion to the rank of Ji do Kwahn Jahng Nim was announced in Texas earlier this year by Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh.

Commenting on his promotion Master Saidi said “I am extremely honored that I was promoted to Ji do Kwahn Jahng Nim at the World Kuk Sool Association headquarters. I am proud of this recognition and have a deep respect for the art of Kuk Sool Won. It has been a challenging but rewarding journey to attain this rank and I will always value this achievement.”

Kuk Sool Won of Dublin held its own Drive Through Promotion Day last Saturday to acknowledge those students who had successfully completed online martial arts Testing and were ready to receive their new belt rank.

“The safety of my students remains my primary concern and given the current lockdown restrictions we are unfortunately still not permitted to train indoors so the dojang will remain closed until the Alameda County Public Health Department updates the stay-at-home order. I am extremely proud of all my students who have been diligently attending online classes and it was great to see how well everyone did in our online Testing,” said Master Saidi.

This is an entirely new process since the shelter-in-place order has been issued and although the students really miss the in-class person-to-person engagement they have successfully made the transition to online classes.

The instructors tasked with continuing the practice of the art need to be appropriately skilled and determined to teach the art in its original form while respecting its roots. They need to remain focused and portray the art as its founder envisaged.

Master Saidi is celebrating his 30th year of running a Kuk Sool Won school this year and epitomizes the values, commitment and dedication of a Kuk Sool Won Master.

By preserving the traditional elements, the art remains authentic while connecting students to its heritage and history. Masters across the globe hand over their skills to students in a timeless, disciplined and respectful process that honors the origins of the art and preserves its uniqueness for future generations.

The students at Kuk Sool Won of Dublin are fortunate to be taught by an instructor of such caliber and the school has remained one of the top schools in California in the annual regional tournament which was cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

“This pandemic has been challenging for both instructors and students as training together is a core element of our practice,” said Master Saidi “ as martial artists we can use any situation to grow and learn and we will get through this with courage and perseverance.”