"Good is good, but best is better"

Most of my former students can repeat this motto:

"Good is good, but best is better."

Some of them think I made it up. In truth, it's one of the many things I learned from my teacher, Master Sungjin Suh, who I think reflects the heart of a high-performance life.

I have never known anyone who was more dedicated not only to being the best he can be but also to helping others do the same. Training with Master Suh has made me a better martial artist, a better teacher,

and a better person.

Every new form that Master Sungjin taught me came with lessons beyond the technical. He taught me how to judge my progress against where I started rather than against my peers. Recognizing my strengths and weaknesses and learning how to improve them became more important to me than winning competitions. As he taught me how to study and not just practice, I began to appreciate the art itself, and I began to see improvement where before I had simply never measured up. The truth is that most people I train with are never satisfied with how well they are doing. It's in the nature of mastery to focus on the flaws, but when your teacher finds so much joy in your progress, you have to share in it.

I love studying with Master Sungjin, but the most valuable time I spend on the mat is watching him teach. It doesn't matter whether it's a small group or large, children or adults, color belts or masters. When Master Sungjin is teaching, the room is listening and learning. He finds a way to teach the individual while addressing the group. He encourages everyone and inspires them to want to do more. I used to study how he broke skills down to explain them, but I quickly learned there was much more going on and more to pay attention to. I started to realize that his idea of "better" wasn't just about competency. It includes savoring whatever it is we are doing. It's about learning in each moment.

Not only were we learning about our art, and learning to love our art, the more we trained with Master Sungjin, the more we became family. The more we saw each other as family, the stronger our respect and loyalty for each other began to grow.

Martial arts training doesn't teach respect. Martial arts instructors do.

I once heard the Grand Master of the World Kuk Sool Association explain that respect in the United States is different than in Korea. In an American family, we think respect is a two-way street, but he explained that in a Korean family, respect flows up, and love flows back. That is the model he encouraged us to follow as instructors and as students. It is a model that I've seen most clearly from Master Sungjin.

It's easy to say, "I'm in charge so do it my way" or to say, "Of course I'm right, I'm your teacher." It's easy to make a rule that everyone stops what they're doing and bow to you when you walk in the door. And while as a STUDENT I will always bow when a master enters the room, as an instructor I NEVER expect it. Why? Because MY instructor doesn't expect it.

In fact, he has never told me how to be respectful to him. He has never explained to me why he was worthy of my respect. He has never asked me to prove my loyalty or to choose between him and anyone else in our organization. He simply shows up. He works hard. He teaches well, and he loves us. We know he does. We hear it in his voice, see it in his face, and know it from his actions. He is patient with the kids who interrupt a class. He listens to the parents who have to tell him a story about their child. He loves the students who practice hard and the ones who only show up on special occasions. Our presence is what matters to him, and his presence - complete and undistracted - is what he gives in return. And with this gift, he earns our respect. Plain and simple.

The future of Kuk Sool is in the hands of the students who are training today. Under the guidance of instructors who model themselves after Master Sungjin Suh, the future will continue to shine on and off the mat.

The principles we learn from training carry over to everything we do:

• Show up

• Study and practice

• Love what you do

• Love those you share it with

This is a black belt heart. This is high-performance living.