February 2005 WTSDA Master of the Month
Master Mark Allen, Sah Dan
Bedford, Great Britain

“When you are feeling low and things around you are not going right, think positive, smile, stand up and carry on going forward. It’s easy to go downward and feel depressed, but it can be hard to go forward if those around you are negative. Try mixing with other people who have a positive attitude, who make you laugh and feel happy, or make you feel good about your self and encourage you to achieve things.” These words of advice come from Master Mark Allen. He is a Sah Dan in England. Under the leadership of Master Khan, who was his first instructor, Master Allen began his training in Cambridge in late 1985 because, “I was fascinated by martial arts.” His wife, Gabriella, is also involved in Tang Soo Do as a red belt.

His fascination with martial arts provided him with some good role models for his life as well. “I watched Grandmaster Shin perform in Germany in 1993. It was very cold. He told everyone that you should be able to ‘perform any time, any place, any where to the best of your ability.’ When I heard him say that, it really stuck with me. Training early was tough but that is what we thrived on. Master Khan would push us; he was an instructor who emphasized that training was the issue and not the money. Master Khan has a great all around martial arts knowledge, which has helped many of us today to advance in Tang Soo Do and the martial arts. Master Wick has a great deal of knowledge of street self-defense with outstanding results, which has helped me greatly. For a person of his caliber, he has time for everybody whether you are a millionaire or a pauper, a master or beginner, he is willing to help you You can not help but admire all of his achievements. Master Beaudoin is always calm and collected and has a warm approach towards others. Nothing seems to bother him. We have a great abundance of masters like Master Strong, Master Valentine, Master Marsch (Mr & Mrs), and Master Godwin who have so much to offer. I would like to say a big thankyou to all of those that have helped and guided us over the years.”

One way Master Allen found to improve his own training was through nutrition, which is what he wrote his master’s thesis on. “Certain foods help your body, organs, physical and mental state, and all around health. Bad eating or drinking damages your body. I learned so much from this research. It helped me to understand what I’m eating and what effect it had on my performance. There is a saying you are what you eat. In other words, if you are going to fill your body with junk food and cans of soda, what does the inside of your body look like? On the outside you may look great but on the inside you may not look as good, which could have an effect on your performance when training. Eating a good balanced diet is not going to make you super human, but it will help towards a healthier body and the amount and level of training you’re putting in. If you put old oil or cheap oil in your car, how will it perform? The body is no different.”

Improving performance is something each martial arts practitioner should strive to do. Master Allen likes to break down kicking techniques position by position. “First I have students work on chambering their leg, then positioning their hands, then positioning their bodies. Even the foundation leg is just as important as everything else in a kick. I explain what each part of their body is doing to make that kick happen. Anybody can kick, but for that kick to come alive it takes a combination of things. Once a student understands how a kick is executed, you can then explain different ways to execute the same kick in different situations. Using the same theory this can be applied to the hand techniques and the hyungs. Practicing and understanding the basics will help you to develop into the advance techniques. All techniques practiced need to come from within. You need to feel the technique. Once you reach this level, you reliaze how much more there is to learn.”

A certified plumber by trade, Master Allen enjoys everything about Tang Soo Do from the teaching side of things, to the hyungs, weapons, breaking, and the vast amount of knowledge that’s within the organization. “Skills learned in Tang Soo Do are more than just punching and kicking and defense. Tang Soo Do is a multi-system art form which is growing from strength to strength. We strive to become better people with the guidance of Kwang Chang Nim. In life you have people that take and people that give. We are lucky to have a grandmaster that gives. This is why Tang Soo Do has evolved so strong. I remember the 1993 European Championship European. I broke my wrist, the ulna and the radius bones. I was having breakfast and Grandmaster Shin came up to me and asked me if was I okay. I was shocked he was asking me if I was okay. Again, words are not enough to explain how much that meant to me. At that time that was the talk of the table. I would like to say thank you Kwang Chang Nim.”

Master Allen went to Bangadesh in Febuary 2005 on a charity event. raising money to have a lift installed in a hospital in Sylet. The operation theater is on the top floor and the patients have to be carried by hand down flights of stairs. The Charity is called “Give Us a Lift.” A close friend of Master Allen’s is the founder of Give Us a Lift. To date £30.000 pounds has been raised for this charity. On Sunday, 30th Jan 2005, Master Allen and some WTSDA members supported his friend in raising money towards the Tsunami Disaster.

“Words are only words if a person chooses not to read, talk is just talk if a person chooses not to listen.” “There are one thousand reasons why you can’t do something; can you give me one reason why you can?”