COEUR d'ALENE - Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan.

When you say it, you can spit it out quickly. Or, you can take your time, slow down, even focus.

It's the same with practicing the original, traditional, Korean martial art that goes by that name.

"A lot of kids want to race through it," said Bud Bolan. "You have to relax and you have to breathe. It's an art. Do it gracefully, do it aerobically, and make it look good."

Bolan's students make it look good because they are good - they listen to their instructor.

The Spokane Valley and Central YMCA Soo Bahk Do students taught by the Coeur d'Alene man recently participated in a regional tournament in La Connor, Wash. There were 86 participants from Washington, in various age and rank groups.

Bolan beams as he reads the results of his pupils:

Cori Edlin, first in sparring and forms in the 9-11 age group.

Breanna Whitcomb, first in sparring and forms in the 6-7 age group.

Katarina Weise, first in sparring and forms in 8-9, while Michael Perez was third in that age group.

Turner Stephens, competing in the 7-9 groups, first in forms and second in sparring.

Impressive, says Bolan, who has nearly 40 students ranging from 5-12 in his classes.

It takes precision and concentration to win at forms, agility and speed to capture a sparring title.

For four of five to win forms, and three to win in sparring, that's huge to me," Bolan said.

Add in a second and third, he said, and it's clear "these kids excelled."

Perhaps even better than the results, though, was this comment from a tournament official to Bolan:

"I can see which students are yours because they're focused, they're respectful and their behavior is some of the best we have here."

That's what he loves to hear, he adds, because "It's really about the kids."

Bolan background

Bolan is a six-year Coeur d'Alene resident and real estate broker. He became familiar with Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan in the early '70s.

"My early instructor back in the 1970s earned his black belt in Korea with his friend, Chuck Norris," he said.

That's Chuck Norris of big screen and TV fame. He went on to be the six-time undefeated world champion in this martial art. The same Chuck Norris who was one of the original members of the Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation in 1976.

The Connecticut native competed throughout the East Coast in tournaments open to any marital art - kung fu, judo, kendo and aikido.

He held his own.

"You never know what to expect," he said.

He didn't see the pneumonia coming in 1994 that put him in critical care for several months and took one of his lungs.

Bolan went from strong to weak.

"I was walking with an oxygen tank, and it would take me five minutes to get to the door," he said.

Determined to regain his health, he turned to Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan in 1996.

Slowly, following several grueling months, he began to build up more lung capacity.

"So right now, my one lung is about the same size as two," he said. "As long as I keep that active, I should be fine."

His comeback was such that he taught classes, trained nearly three hours a day, and competed in sparring and forms in national competition in 2004 in San Diego and again in Florida in 2005. He won both.

He moved to Coeur d'Alene in 2006, where he was invited to try Soo Bahk Do at the YMCA in Spokane. The instructor was leaving, the program about to be abandoned.

Bolan stepped in.

He has been the lead instructor since and is hoping to add classes for students to age 15 to keep older children in the sport.

"I don't want to lose them. There's nowhere for them to go if they want to continue this art," he said.

Learning an art

As a teacher, he stresses a few keys to the kids. None of them is about winning. He pounds home discipline, respect and behavior.

"Once they have that concept, the rest of it is easy because then you've got the focus and the attention that you want in order to teach them," he said.

It's why his students shined in La Connor.

"I'm very fortunate. I have some very talented kids," he said. "What makes them able to succeed is focus and discipline."

Soo Bahk Do is art. Controlled martial art. Precise movements. Composure.

"When I go to competition. I have to be able to throw a 65 mph kick at your face and stop a quarter of an inch away from your face," he said.

On the other side, though, it is a tool, "and a potential weapon for a practitioner to use in the event they need to protect themselves."

Which Bolan has been forced to do at times.

"I'm very fortunate. I've not lost a competition and I've never been hurt, where potential attackers have been," he said.

It's not about aggression.

"It's an art that teaches you to be calm and assertive and still be able to protect yourself," he said.

He told a story of when he worked with T.G.I. Friday's. He was often sent to different stores to solve problems related to money, morale, service - and fighting.

Not that he was looking to throw a punch.

"What I found when somebody wanted to fight or is being stupid and disorderly because they had something to drink, and you go up and you look at them in the eye, and you're 50, 75 pounds lighter than they are, most people wonder why you're so calm. You're not afraid, not excited, not distraught. That demeanor probably eliminated 45 percent of any potential conflicts."

"Most of the time, I was pretty fortunate."

Teaching today

Bolan is a youthful 59. He carries 175 pounds on his 5-11 frame, same as high school.

He no longer competes, but teaches two days a week. He also does 30 minutes a day of cardiovascular workouts, weights and stretching.

He said there's "no question" he's healthier because of Soo Bahk Do.

"I'm almost 60 years old and I feel like I'm 40," he said.

But Bolan repeats that Soo Bahk Do isn't about what it has done for him, how it has changed his life.

It's about the kids.

It's why he hopes they try a class. Just once. They won't be the same. Ever.

"They are now doing better in their lives because they're doing this," he said.

Information: 659-6420