Stepping into the ring, she calms her racing heart as her eyes lock with her competitor. She pictures the perfect attack; with each swift, yet harmless, blow taking her one step closer to victory. A fierce roundhouse kick. A careful block. A left hook. Each move precise and perfectly timed. All the years of training and preparation boiled down to this moment.
Senior Penelope Durbin has dedicated ten years to mastering Kuk Sool Won, a traditional Korean martial arts style. Kuk Sool Won is a unique style of self-defense that incorporates hand-to-hand combat, striking techniques and weapon training. The progression of Kuk Sool Won is measured using a belt system of ten different colors. Beginners typically start with white belts and can progress up to a black belt after mastering each level. After ten years of practice and hard work, Durbin has achieved the honor of a second degree black belt in her studio.
“It’s definitely taught me discipline, respect, and etiquette, because I know if I didn’t grow up with martial arts, I’d be a very different person,” Durbin said. “It’s made me more empathetic, and I feel like I am more mature because of it, since they taught us etiquette from such a young age.”
Durbin was inspired to try Kuk Sool Won by her older brother, who started martial arts two years prior. She decided to test out the martial art at a summer camp and decided it was something she wanted to pursue. She quickly picked up on punching, kicking, and sparring techniques.
“It’s definitely helped me feel safer in unsafe environments,” Durbin said. “It’s given me the ability to feel safer when I’m walking alone, and when I’m with people I don’t really know.”
In addition to learning sparring skills like punching and kicking, her martial arts classes have taught her how to handle nunchucks and bamboo staffs. She also occasionally practices archery in class, using blunt arrows to hit a target.
“I really like the environment and the people there,” Durbin said. “I’ve basically grown up with everybody there since I’ve been doing it for a really, really long time. So I’d say the people are just like my family.”
Senior Hunter Krauss and his brother Logan Krauss attend the same martial arts studio as Durbin and have been practicing Kuk Sool Won for years. Hunter and Logan competed with Durbin at the annual World Tournament in Galveston against other Kuk Sool Won competitors from around the world. The Krauss brothers are currently at the Dahn Bo Nim level and are approaching the rank of a black belt.
“I think she’s very talented,” Hunter said. “In the World Tournament, we were sparring, and she had lots of balance and relentless kicks. From what I’ve seen, she is definitely very strong and brave.”
In the World Tournament, Durbin competed against other black belts from Kuk Sool Won studios in places like the U.S., Korea, Canada, and the U.K. The competitors were judged based on the execution of their sparring techniques. Durbin won first place in 2024, claiming a World Title. Earlier that year, she was awarded another World Title for a smaller tournament in Arkansas.
“I felt really proud of myself,” Durbin said. “It was a fun memory overall, and every year we celebrate afterwards and go to the hotel’s pool in Galveston.”
Durbin and the Krauss brothers compete in the World Tournaments every year against other people of the same age, gender, and belt. They focus on their training in Kuk Sool Won to improve their form and techniques for competitions, making improvements with every practice.
“Kuk Sool Won taught me basic self-defense, like how to throw a punch or kick without getting injured,” Logan said. “It’s for people who want strength, flexibility, or self-defense skills.”
