Belting the competition

Daniel Tejada speaks loud, fast and authoritative.

His voice cuts through the sound of his students counting to 10 in Korean while performing warm-up stretches with a sharpness akin to the swords which adorn the display case along the back wall.

His students call him "Sir." But they are not afraid of the Air Force veteran and fourth-degree black belt, because in that booming voice, which echoes off the expansive mat at Yuba City's Kuk Sool Won dojang, there is a genuine sense of compassion.

It's obvious in the way his students respond to his enthusiasm.

They exude effort tantamount to the creed of "Etiquette, Patience, Practice — We need more practice," which is emblazoned above the door.

This dojang is a family. A family tied together by the martial art of Kuk Sool Won. A family that has proven itself as one of the best in the nation at its craft.

Kuk Sool Won is a Korean martial arts system that "covers the entire spectrum of Asian Fighting arts and body conditioning techniques," according to its official Web site. It is relatively new in martial art standards, being founded in 1958.

"It's not necessarily new, but less mainstream," Tejada said. "It's more about understanding the culture and getting more traditional than the martial arts out there. Most people didn't know what aikido was until Steven Segal made some movies."

Last month, Tejada, the dojang's owner and lead instructor, took a group of students to Texas to compete in the World Kuk Sool Won Championships, which featured more than 1,800 competitors representing over 23 countries.

In its first year competing in the tournament, Yuba City placed third in the U.S. National School Division.

"I was very proud of them," Tejada said. "They worked really hard for it. They really sacrificed themselves."

Riding it's performance in the Texas tournament, the dojang traveled to Oakland on Nov. 1 for the World Kuk Sool Won Pacific Coast Tournament. What Yuba City showed to an international audience in Texas, it showed to the fellow West Coast dojangs.

The result of their efforts: A Pacific Coast Championship Flag.

It now hangs near the "We need more practice" logo. An appropriate place considering Yuba City will have to defend its title for the next few years if it wants to keep the flag for good.

"It gave me more pride in my students. I'm just a facilitator," Tejada said. "Everyone was on a buzz already planning to win next year."

One student in particular that helped propel Yuba City toward its championship was 13-year-old Meagan Eyeler, a student at Andros Karperos middle school. Eyeler, a first-degree black belt and a member of Yuba City Kuk Sool Won since she was in the second grade was named the All-Around Junior Grand Champion for the junior girl's black belt division.

"It's nice to know I'm that good," she said modestly.

But for Tejada, even with such success at tournaments, its still about the students enjoying themselves and embodying the morals that Kuk Sool Won instills in its students.

"If someone told me 'you could win the flag, but one of your students wouldn't have a good time,' I don't want it," he said.