Oxford SulKiDo Martial Art - Fitness Self-Defence Korean Arts

What happens in a typical session ?

All SulKiDo sessions begin with a period of warmup exercise and stretching designed to bring the body and mind to a state in which the more vigorous techniques can be practised safely. This is usually followed by a section practising strikes and other `large scale' movements as a class, and finally on to more individual tuition for throws, locks, rolls, escapes and holds. All classes are mixed-ability, but individual tuition and the progressive syllabus ensures everyone gets a workout suited to their needs and ability.

The initial section of each class starts with a warm-up section to prepare muscles and joints for exercise. After the first few minutes the warm-up gradually incorporates...
	... stretching techniques to improve flexibility and make training safer.
After the warm-up the session moves onto technique instruction. Many of the soo techniques begin as escapes from grabs and hold, especially in the early stages of training. A lot of them finish in a `control position', often on the floor.

If persuasion fails and escape is unfeasible then one must resort to striking to repel an attacker. Our syllabus includes a wide repertoire of striking methods, stressing in particular powerful kicking and vital point targetting. The striking sections of the syllabus are also very effective at building fitness and power.

breakfalls

We consider safety during practise to be of paramount importance, so before allowing members to use throwing techniques we ensure they're trained in proper breakfalling skills.

throws

If a situation devolves into close quarters grappling, knowledge of throwing or sweeping techniques could be a decisive advantage.

impact training

	Sparring is carried out on a light-contact basis (we don't believe in the sort of practises responsible for brain damage in boxers), however it's vital to learn how it feels to hit something and we use a variety of bag techniques for this.

breaking

The striking component of our syllabus includes very powerful techniques, and breaking graduated thicknesses of wood can be used to assess their power.

joint locks

Joint locking is the art of positioning oneself to maximise leverage against an opponent and thus immobilize or disable them.

nerve points

We teach knowledge of the nerve and pressure points within the human body which make it possible to overcome a stronger assailant.

breathing techniques

Correct breathing is vital to any form of self defence. Unfortunately we couldn't find a good way to show this visually! So you'll just have to come along to a session...