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Bainbridge man is master of martial arts
(by Sali McSherry - May 13, 2009)
Bainbridge man is master of martial arts
By SALI McSHERRY
In March, Jason Zakrajsek, owner of Kuk Sul Do Academy in South Russell, was surrounded by his wife, son, parents, hundreds of his students and two grand masters and a chief master of Kuk Sul Do Federation, who arrived from Korea as he demonstrated for them.
The 35-year-old Bainbridge resident was promoted to fifth-degree black belt, also known as master level. He is one of six westerners to master since Korean Grand Master Choon Yang, of Kuk Sol Do Federation, arrived in the United States in 1978, he said.
"All my training led to this point. My life goal was to become an American master," Mr. Zakrajsek said. He tested over a one-year period with Mr. Yang. It was an arduous process, he said.
He performed self-defense techniques, cane techniques and traditional royal court fan techniques. A crowd pleaser was when his 2-year-old son, Andrew, performed with him, he said. Kuk Sul Do Korean Master Sun Duk Kim, of Seoul, and Chief Master Koo and fourth-degree instructor Kim, both from Pusan, arrived for the performance and ceremony which was followed by a party hosted by Mr. Zakrajsek's wife, Kim.
Mr. Zakrajsek was 22 years old when he opened the academy in Chagrin Falls in a small storefront on South Franklin Street. He had been training in the martial arts since he was 17 and the learning won't end just because he reached his goal, he said. There are new goals -- to reach higher and train harder, said Mr. Zakrajsek.
"Kuk Sul Do is a system of training for character development which instills confidence, self-discipline and concentration," he said. "By facing this rigorous training process, it prepares us for the struggles and hardships of life. Combine that with a physically fit body and we have achieved a clear mind ready to respond physically or mentally to our ever changing environment," he said.
Mr. Zakrajsek has taught over 300 students each year, instructed over 18,000 classes in 12 years and produced 62 black belts, he said.
The academy is a family affair. Mrs. Zakrajsek loves to kick box and work out there. Andrew is learning the ropes, hitting bags and targets, and even has learned how to count to 10 in Korean. And, Mr. Zakrajsek's mother, Barbara, still works the front desk.
The academy offers other physical-fitness options such as yoga, Yopilado, a total body and mind fitness program, and kettlebell training. But what really has Chagrin Valley women and men worked up about is the mixed-martials arts program, an invigorating, challenging workout with a competitive edge, recently declared the fastest growing sport, Mr. Zakrajsek said.
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