Sometimes as an instructor, I may feel that a student is not quite up to par with their technique to be advanced to the next level. There are times where I may fail a colored belt student while there are other times where I might promote a colored belt student Continue Reading
Philosophy
Different Learning Styles: What Works for You?
While I am very grateful and privileged to have had the education I did growing up, occasionally I’ll learn something new in my adult life that I wish I would’ve been taught back in my formative years in school. Credit scores, applying for a job, filing your taxes, renting an Continue Reading
Different Training Floors and How to Adjust to Each One
As you move along your martial art journey, your path may take you to different dojangs with different floors than what you may typically be used to training on. I started training in the aerobics room on my college campus, so I was used to training on hardwood floors until Continue Reading
Break Your Goals Down in Small Steps!
Oftentimes if we have a big project on our to-do list, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and dwell on the amount of time and energy you must dedicate in order to get it done. Whether it’s something like a thesis, a needed renovation, or even just cleaning the house, if Continue Reading
Happy New Year! Go Eat Your Vegetables
As we cross into 2023, many people will be making New Year’s Resolutions. Most of the time, these resolutions are long term habitual goals. Some will dedicate themselves to going to the gym everyday, while others will try to quit a bad habit, while others may try to go on Continue Reading
How to Avoid Injury: The Necessity of Strength Training to an Active Lifestyle
Over the past few years I have received several comments asking why I’m in the gym all of the time. Originally my fitness journey started because I had injured my knee in college when I was preparing for my Cho Dan test. The full recovery story of that is for Continue Reading
I Failed a Test: 3 Takeaways for Growth in the Martial Arts
In June of 2009, I was set to test for my Cho Dan Bo Blue Belt (Black Belt Candidate Rank) in Tang Soo Do. I was very excited to take this test, but during the test itself, something didn’t feel quite right. About half way through the test, I started Continue Reading
Hidden Benefits of Individual Sports
Everyone always talks about the advantages of team sports and how they develop a lot of life skills for kids later on. Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree with this sentiment and fully encourage and support team sports. However, I feel as though individual sports sometimes get overshadowed by Continue Reading
Kihap – Why It’s Essential to Martial Arts
Kihap, or “Kiai” in Japanese, is often translated as “yell” or “shout”. In practical application, this isn’t wrong; when teaching beginners or children, instructors often say “yell like this” and demonstrate what a kihap sounds like. Sometimes, but not always, students would often kihap much like their instructor as they Continue Reading
Finding The Secrets to Good Technique: A Story About Jump Kicking
When I reached the rank of green belt in Tang Soo Do around 15 years ago, my instructor took out the student manual and read to us the expectations for brown belt. He made sure to emphasize the following point: Must be able to demonstrate jumping techniques. In particular, the Continue Reading