Candidate Journals

One of the things I try to get students who have a belt test coming up (not just Bocho Dans) to do is be honest when assessing themselves about what their strengths and weaknesses are.  I have no problem telling them what I think I need to work on, and I invite them to join me in the dojang on Sunday afternoon for 30-45 minutes so we can help each other get better.  If I'm not there with another senior belt, I'm there by myself.  I've had lower belts join me for practice, but I'm still waiting on another Bocho Dan.  We have less than 5 weeks left. After I left the dojang, I went to one of the local bowling alleys and met with some friends to practice for a tournament we have coming up in December.  My brothers and I have been bowling since we were kids, but I...

I went to the gym early this morning and got in my requirements.  I have to tell you, hearing "you have to run 100 miles" as part of your Black Belt Cycle requirement is one thing, but actually doing it is something else entirely. In all my years of high school and college sports (football, baseball, wrestling), 10 years in the Army, including Airborne School (which is a different kind of hell), and 9 years of Shotokan Karate training (including 9 1-week Summer Special Training and 5 1-week Winter Special Training sessions) I have never run so much in my life.   After I left the gym, I went to South Charlotte to get fitted for a tux for a wedding I'm in on September 26th.  I'm sorry I'm going to miss the Combat Hapkido Seminar (I attended it last year), but when you're asked to be a groomsman in a wedding,...

Tonight, I got a lot of satisfaction helping out in the Senior Tigers class (ages 8-12).  One of the drills they had to do was front, side and roundhouse kicks over a kicking pad.  The point of the exercise was to get them to chamber their kicking leg before kicking over the pad.  I was surprised to see the control a lot of them had.  That tells me they're practicing on their own at home. I also had a talk with a student who was getting frustrated because he felt overwhelmed with schoolwork and practice.  I like to think of times like this, when you're feeling overwhelmed, as Life Is Getting Loud.  I didn't try to diminish the way he was feeling, but I did try to offer a way to quiet the noise and to help him going forward.  Ultimately, I'll support him either way.      

I was fortunate enough to be mentored by Master Knight tonight before class.  While we were working on Green abd High- Green self-defense and poomsaes, he stressed proper stances and hand placement.  These are things you don't normally focus on because you're trying to remember the movements.  But I understand why what he was saying is important.  You can never do the basics enough.  Being proficient in the basics isn't just important for white belts; it's the foundation of success for every belt level.  Mastery of the basics determines how good a student will (or won't) be in the future.  This includes poomsae quality, sparring effectiveness, self-defense techniques, and even your ability to teach others.  So never stop doing them.

I had my 6-month checkup with my Oncologist today and he was very pleased with the results.  It's always good news when your doctor's happy with you. I was able to complete my 9th essay today.  Only one more to go (Community Service).  Speaking of which, I was able to get some clarification today for Master Chelley about the donation of items.   We had a good Senior Belt practice tonight.  I think the candidates for the next couple of Black Belt cycles will be prepared for the non-paperwork parts of the test (poomsae & self defense).  Updating their requirements on a daily basis might be the more challenging part of the cycle for some of them.  Master Foster is about to pull his hair out trying to stay on them about that.

I attended Grandmaster Evins's black belt class this morning.  We warmed up by doing all the poomsaes, from Kwonsool through Koryo.  Then we concentrated on self-defense for Bocho Dans, 1st degree black belts and 2nd degree black belts.  At the end of practice, he said that with 4 Saturdays left in the cycle, we shouldn't be learning anything, we should be refining what we already know.  Everybody needs to be honest with themselves, find out what areas they need to work on, and get with their mentors.  Otherwise, it's going to be a long night for them.  I met one student who came to practice all the way from Kings Mountain.  If he could be there at 8:00am...  After practice, I went to go downtown and met with some of my fraternity brothers to help feed the homeless (which we do every third Saturday in each month) on 7th street.  No...

I woke up early so that I could get in my requirements at the Harrisburg YMCA, which opens at 5:00am.  Then, I came home and did my weekly yard work before it got too hot.  Also, I wanted to be able to rest enough for tonight's sparring class, and I'm glad I did.  We're halfway through the Black Belt Cycle, and even Master Foster told us how happy he was with our progress as a group. We have a bunch of smart kids, and, to me, it's like they went home every Friday night after class, thought about what Master Foster and Master Knight talked about in class, slept on it, then came back the next Friday night and put it into action.  We have a couple of students who are stone-cold killers when they want to be.  I mean, they are FAST!  Honestly, they would never try to intentionally hurt...

As I was assisting in the Senior Tigers class tonight (ages 8-12), I was reminded of the importance of encouragement.  During one of the kicking drills, I could see the indecision as to whether or not they were doing the drill correctly in some of their eyes (even though they were for the most part).  So, I made sure to say, "Good job!" or give them a pat on the back.  Students usually remember encouragement they receive, not only from an instructor, but from anyone who is a higher rank than they are.  Good role models can inspire students to stay positive, work hard, and believe in their abilities. 

During my 2nd day as a white belt, I actually got to participate with real white belts.  I was able to help both them and me during the breakout session when we went over White Belt Self Defense.  I was the attacker tonight (I'm usually the defender), and I was shown something tonight that, as the attacker, I didn't even realize.  I'll always believe you can learn more by teaching something than just memorizing, then doing it, especially if you're doing it by yourself a lot.  

Tonight, I had my first practice as a White Belt.  Expecting things to be different and actually experiencing things being different was an eye-opener.  For one, tonight we had more students than I'd ever seen in any class I've participated in.  Master Foster said that's because a lot of them have returned from summer vacation.  As a good white belt, I stood at the back line in class with one other Bocho Dan "white belt". After that is where the confusion began.  I practiced in group sessions with the one Blue Belt we had in class.  In the group session, we went through Taegeuk Oh Jung and Hapkido 1.  As a white belt, I didn't know if I was supposed to struggle like I didn't know the poomsae or the self-defense or help her with the poomsae and the self-defense.  Since it was just the two of us, I used that...

We had a couple of unexpected visitors in church today (at least they were to us parishioners).  Mayor Rob Harrington and former Governor Roy Cooper stopped by to say hello and remind us of the importance of voting this November.  Rob is a member of our church, so we've known him for years.  Governor Cooper was very nice and a few of us got to meet him after the service was over.  

I went to the Harrisburg Y at 8:00am this morning to beat the normal Saturday crowd.  I was able to get in my requirements and was even able to get in some lap swimming in the pool.  Let me tell you, swimming 25 meters consistently will get you in shape, and it's a lot easier on the hips and knees.   After that, I came home and helped my neighbor (who just moved into the neighborhood) clean out her garage of boxes and other stuff she either 1) wanted to dump, or 2) take to Goodwill.  Now she'll finally be able to get her car in her garage.

I was able to speak to the manager at the McCrory YMCA on Beattie's Ford Rd. today about the Stolen Lunches charity program being held on September 5th.  I got King Tiger Taekwondo registered to spend 2 hours helping to fill 6,000 lunch bags.  I wasn't sure exactly how many candidates from the 4 dojangs will show up, so I just registered under my name and told him to expect somewhere between 25-50 people.

I was able to attend 2 classes again tonight (Senior Tigers and Teen/Adults), which is a good way to rack up some leadership and leadership 2 credits.  Assisting the lower ranks learn their poomsaes and self-defenses really helps me learn what I need to know for the test.  Before I the cycle started, I was so focused on Koryo, Bocho 1-step and Special Self Defense, Staff #1 and my board breaking kicks that I'd kind of forgotten the poomsaes below Chil Jung.  These last 4 weeks assisting in the classes have helped me remember them.

For the past 3 weeks, I've been using Wednesdays (more than the Black Belt, Sparring and regular practice days) to concentrate on my requirements.  With that in mind, I took a Cardio & Strength class today at the Harrisburg Y.  Nobody told me the instructor was a cross-fitter!  I knew I was in trouble when she started the class off with suicides on the basketball court.  I had been told we'd start off by jogging twice around the building.  Nope.  After 5 rounds of suicides, we got into the kettlebells, dumbbells, jumping rope, and burpees (you knew that was coming).  After 2-3 more weeks of this class, I should be in good shape for September 26th.

In tonight's class, for the first time in the few years I've been practicing Taekwondo, I momentarily lost my temper with a fellow student.  Losing my temper is something I rarely do in any situation but there's a time and place for everything, and, to me, practice is not the place to be screwing around, especially for those of us on the Black Belt cycle, and especially from a student who's a higher belt.  Blue belts and up should be setting the example for the lower belts, not playing around in class.  I talked to the student after class, and hopefully we won't have a repeat of this incident.  

I got my running and other requirements in early at the Y (which opens at 5:00am) because I had an appointment at the dentist later in the morning and I didn't know how I'd feel at Black Belt class tonight after I'd been given anesthesia.  After I warmed up, I felt OK, so it wasn't really an issue like I thought it might be.  Also, a new instructor (4th Dan) joined our class tonight.  I think he'll be a great addition to our dojang.  

I went to dojang today and went over some poomsaes, self-defenses, basic kicks, and Staff #1 by myself.  I also tried out some kicking combinations on the heavy bag in anticipation of sparring class this week.  After I left from there, I went to the Harrisburg Y and got in my requirements.  I was also able to get in some extra work with someone who goes to another TKD school in Harrisburg.  I told him I was going through the Black Belt cycle and some of the requirements.  He's a 2nd Dan, so he was able to critique my kicks and Koryo poomsae.

This morning, I attended Master Evins' Black Belt class, and it was a valuable learning experience for me.  Master Evins is a great teacher.  There were Bocho Dans, 1st Dans and 2nd Dans in the class, and he was able to teach all three groups simultaneously.  By himself.  I learned some of the finer points of Bocho Dan Special Self-Defense and Koryo from him.  He's not having class next Saturday due to Master's Testing in Greensboro, but I'll be back to his class when they start back the following weekend.   This afternoon, I attended a fund-raising golf tournament at the Rocky River Golf Club, which is about a mile from the Charlotte Speedway, given by my fraternity as a fund-raising event.  I can't golf to save my life, but I enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with some friends I don't get a chance to see too often.  

Went to sparring practice tonight, and I have to say there's been a noticeable improvement between weeks 1 and 3.  The students are moving their feet and sliding a lot better, and everyone's stamina is improving, probably because Master Foster has us constantly moving and switching partners the entire time we're on the mat.  At the rate they're improving, I almost dread to see what they're going to look like at the end of week 10!

I woke up at 5:00am this morning to take my daughter to the airport to catch a flight.  I was wearing a t-shirt with my high school's name on it.  As I was walking out of the airport, with all those travelers in it, I heard someone yell, "Hey! You went to Westover?!"  In that split second, I just started laughing.  I graduated in 1981 and she graduated in 2016.  What are the odds of me seeing someone from my high school in Charlotte, NC?  Westover High School is located in Albany, GA, which is about 425 miles from Charlotte in Southwest Georgia, about 90 miles north of Tallahassee.  Like the Disney song says, it's a small world after all. As for tonight's classes, I've noticed that ever since the week of July 18th, we have been getting a lot of new members at our dojang.  I've welcomed 4 new people...

I decided to change up my workout routine a little bit today.  In addition to the push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. (which can get monotonous, but they have to be done) I decided to attend a yoga class at the Y.  I get in enough strength training, which targets power and durability, and running and elliptical work, which targets endurance, but, as I get older, I feel the need to focus more on flexibility, joint health and recovery.  That's where the yoga comes in.  I'll be attending these classes at least until the end of the cycle.

I was able to assist the Senior Tigers class tonight (ages 8-12) before attending my regular weekly class afterwards.  I enjoyed teaching them the basics (for example, why it's important to chamber before executing your kicks), teaching them how to properly tie their belts so they'd stop falling off during class, and helping them prepare for their next test, which will be held in September. I have to admit, their enthusiasm was infectious, so much so that I was able to carry that with me into my class.

It's the first Sunday of a new month, which means it's Communion Sunday at the church I attend.  After church, I got in about an hour at the Y.  I don't know if I got kicked in my left calf from sparring practice or it's just strained from running so much these last 3 months, but it was on fire today, so I had to slow my pace down some.  After the Y (and a shower), I went to go see "The Odyssey".  Since I'm such a big fan of the 1997 version of the movie, I was really just curious to see how different this version would be.  In my opinion, while this version of the movie was okay, the original was better (as is the case with the "original" anything a lot of the time).  

After getting in my requirements today at the Harrisburg YMCA's weight room, I attended the end of summer barbecue being given by my fraternity at one of the pavilions at the Harrisburg Park.  It was well-attended, the weather was not as hot as it's usually been this summer, and I made a couple new friends.  Although the pitmasters did the majority of the grilling, I have to give a shoutout to the wives who brought some of the food.  They are welcome at our events any time!

This is what our instructor to us a few years ago when I was a white belt in SKA at Summer Special Training.  That same thought was going through my mind during sparring practice tonight, which was held right after black belt practice.  I felt a little better after discovering I wasn't the only one still trying to recover from last Friday's black belt practice/ sparring practice sessions.  I came home and made a beeline straight to the tub and some Epsom salt.  

Tonight was testing night at the dojang.  As a group, Masters Knight and Foster were both happy with everyone's progress, but there was one young man who stood out.  He was initially told by both of them that he wasn't ready to test, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.  He was determined to test.  He put in the extra work he needed to, so much so that Master Foster recognized him to the parents and students after testing was over.  Listening to Master Foster talk about this young man reminded me of a quote I read by Calvin Coolidge a few years ago that has always stuck with me.  It concerns the importance of persistence.  You can google the quote if you aren't familiar with it, but, in a nutshell, he says, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common...

I arrived at the Harrisburg Park track this morning to run with my group.  To be honest, it was a little bit of a struggle.  But at times like that, I remind myself of 1) why I'm going through all this, and 2) just like pledging a fraternity or going through ROTC Officer Basic Camp or Airborne School, as hard as going through something like that is, it always ends.  It doesn't last forever.  After I left the track, I went to the weight room and got in some weight training, pull-ups (someone was able to show me a better way of doing them), planks and ab work.    

After going to the gym this morning, I went to the dentist for my annual check-up.   This afternoon, I visited a couple of car dealerships with my niece, who's beginning her junior year in college in 2 weeks.  Tonight, in our regular class, I was able to snag some much-sought-after leadership credit and class assistance.  We are conducting testing on 7/30/2026, so I was able to help a couple of students with their poomsaes, board-breaking kicks and self-defenses.

I attended my 2nd weekday Black Belt class today.  As intense as they are, I'm really getting hooked on them.  I was able to lead the students in the Crescent Kick, and, for the most part, they did pretty well.  I stressed the importance of turning the foot on the non-kicking leg so as to not twist the knee (something I learned the hard way some years ago).  Before and after class, I was able to get in some yellow belt and high yellow belt self-defense with Trent Foster.  He told me an easy way to remember what stance to use as the defender: other than white and high white, the solid color belts (for example, yellow belt) are in the neutral stance, and the striped belts (high yellow belt) are in the sparring stance.  When he told me that, it was like a weight had been lifted.  Now I don't...

I went to the dojang this afternoon and practiced alone from 1:00pm-2:00pm.  I did all the poomsaes from Il Jung to Koryo, the self-defenses up to high yellow belt, the basic kicks (I added crescent kicks as well) and staff #1.  After that, I went to the Harrisburg Y and, in addition to it being leg day for me, I worked on my pull-ups and planks.  I got home around 4:00pm and helped my neighbor with her yard.  She'd been gone for the last two weeks, so her yard needed some work.  It wasn't too hot today and I was trying to kill time until "House of the Dragon" came on at 9:00pm, so it all worked out perfectly.

I woke up at 5:00am and traveled to Durham to meet with some friends of mine and practice at The Duke School.  Since I'm not in SKA (Shotokan Karate of America) anymore, my practice was limited to the basics (kicking, punches and blocking).  I was able to show them some of our poomsaes (in karate, they're known as katas) and practice a couple of self-defenses (since I needed an attacker).  I got back home around noon.  Around 2pm, I went to the Harrisburg YMCA to get in my run, pull-ups, and ab work.  I'm going to sleep well tonight.

I attended my 2nd Black Belt class of the week tonight.  I'm no expert (obviously), but it seems to me that we have some good students in the cycle.  My regular classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights, so some of the students in the Wednesday and Friday night Black Belt classes are new to me and I'm still learning their names, but from what I can tell so far, they're a good group and they're only going to get better.   After the Black Belt class, I went straight to the sparring class.  My goal as far as sparring goes is to learn how to control my breathing better.  Going too fast in the first couple of rounds is just asking for trouble by the time I get to seniors like Alli ("Jaqui Briggs") Oates and Trent Foster.  I'll figure it out though.       

At 6:30am every Wednesday morning, I run 3.24 miles at Harrisburg Park with a group of runners I joined a little over a month before the pretest we had on July 18th.  That's 6 laps around a track that measures .54 miles.  Running with them helped me prepare for the test, but I should have skipped it today because I attended my first Black Belt weekday class tonight.  I found it to be a little more intense than our regular classes on Tuesday and Thursdays.  After finishing the class with 90 seconds of burpees, I feel like I've been beaten with a baseball bat.  I probably would have been ok if I was 23, 33, or even 43 years old (I can't even remember when I was 13), but when you're a member of the AARP crowd, recovery takes a little longer.  I'll figure it out though.

My mentor is out of town for the week, so I was able to work with two other seniors before and after today's practice.  They showed me exactly how the gap between ranks isn't just about remembering the moves of poomsaes and self-defenses.  The gap between Bocho Dan, 2nd Dan and 3rd Dan aren’t just separated by 2 and 1 belt each, respectively.” They’re separated by constant repetition and practice to the point where everything up to that point is 2nd nature, almost like breathing.  Where I'm still trying to remember everything, they just know it.

Today, as with every morning, I began by going over the Instructor's Manual and the Black Belt test questions we were given last week. This afternoon, I worked with two of my mentees (a Red Belt and Blue Belt) on their poomsaes and self-defenses in preparation for their exam on July 30th. They are making good progress because they have been practicing on their own at home. After that, I went to the Harrisburg YMCA for an hour and worked out with with thoughts of September 26th constantly on my mind.