Candidate Journals

Hi! I need to remember to start journaling everyday because i forgot yesterday. Anyways today was chill in the beginning because it’s run day so I have to wait till evening when it cools down to go for my run. So until then I was just chilling but around 5:30 I went for a 2 mile run/walk and it was still pretty hot. Right after I took a small break and had to get ready for bbc. It starts at 7:05 and I came at 7:04 but I was still late so I was all the way in the back which felt weird because the other first dance where like 3 rows ahead of me😭. I usually try to come earlier but i also had to go to a bday party right after my class so I had to prepare some stuff for it since I was going to be late due to bbc. I also forgot my staff and sticks so not a great starts for the first week but i still got many more for a redemption arc. Anyways now my legs really hurt and Im going to take a fat shower, goodnight!

Today I finished all of my requirements as soon as possible then I did a 3 hour live stream with Aiden, Antoine, and Laylah. After that I watched YouTube videos for a while then I went to my first ever black belt class. I wasn’t expecting for us to do sticks and staffs as well. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it a lot. Then, me and Master Weeks had a Mentor session where I learned a lot.

Today was okay. I really didn’t want to do my physical requirements today, not sure why. But I did them anyway and that’s good. Was very tired today. I also took my first black belt class! I was nervous and excited, it went fairly well. Looking forward to more weapons training. Now I get some down time with my cat :) . Hope the cycle started well for you all. 

hello friends. today i had a pretty hectic day. i woke up super early (9 pm 🤨) to knock out my requirements because at 2:00 i had to go to everyone’s favorite place on earth…the Division of Motor Vehicles 🫩. i took my road test today….and….I PASSED. your girl is licensed and on the streets so everyone watch out. just kidding guys i’m a great driver. anyways after that i went straight to taekwondo and worked with some white belts on basic blocks and kwon sool. after that i watched the junior tiger testing and helped out a little with that. they were so cute. after that i worked with another white belts on basic blocks and front hand punches. then it was time for black belts class and i thought i was gonna disintegrate because master cavasos had us go outside to do staff forms. after black belts class i...

Hey! I woke fairly early, and went on a run in the morning and did some execises to do some of my requirements. Then later, I went to a dance practice for one of my friends upcoming sweet sixteen, and helped decorate at their venue taking up my whole evening. Around 8 pm, I went outside to play some volleyball and also completed another mile run.

Taking a break from working on one of my essays. And thinking more about next steps in my creative. Had a good workout after camp at 9Round, onto home for some dinner. My oldest son's work schedule is different for the next couple of days so I lucked out with an attacker for self-defense. All in all a good day. Have a happy Thursday people!

Woke up early to get some requirements in before work today at 9a.m. We had a nice movie day watching Cars. It was my first time seeing it and it was such a cute movie. The kids took class and then we headed to the library! I left around 5p.m. and wasn't feeling the best but I took a few minutes to unwind and started working on some push-ups and self-defenses. I didn't have enough energy to get through poomsae and kicks but I was a little ahead so its alright. The rest of the night I spent with my family; we had a wonderful dinner and even got some cheesecake for my mom (thats her favorite)! The rest of the night we watched some TV on the couch and played ping pong. Happy Wednesday! ~ Peyton

Today, I woke up and started writing my essay on the kwans and after I wrote about a page I went on a run and did some of my other workouts. After that Daisy and I went to the black belt class in North Charlotte. When I got home I finished out the rest of my requirements for the day. 

Today was pretty chill, but very rewarding for me. I was able to knock out all of my exercises pretty early in the day and was able to do some volunteer work at The Pines, which is a medical facility that houses elderly people with dementia or debilitating diseases and conditions. I was able to go to 2 classes today, and I was able to refresh back up on my black belt stuff, for bocho, 1st, and 2nd. Overall, today was a good day and I hope it was just as good for you guys as well, goodnight!

Today was pretty good. When I woke up, my back felt like a pretzel with how stiff and twisted it felt. I'm assuming that's probably a combination from my run last night alongside sleeping in a weird position. I tried to stretch it out to the best of my ability; after that I hit the floor for the daily requirements. Later in the day, I went to King Tiger for leadership credits and a mentee session. Both of which were successful. Tomorrow is going to be my first sparring class in a while so I hope all goes well.

hi guys, today i went to the gym and did my run again today. me and my sister played basketball outside for a for about an hour and then i finished up the rest of my requirements. I had black belt class today and it was pretty fun. we worked our staff forms a lot but i'm really struggling with staff form number 2 (i cant helicopter over my head for the life of me). at least now i know what i have to work on. i'm gonna have to get my sparring gear ready for sparring class on friday but i think i'll do that tomorrow. i'm gonna be honest i'm not really looking forward to sparring class mostly because i haven't gone in forever. i think once i start warming up to it and going more regularly everything will be fine. i'm just trying to stay consistent and take everything one...

I had a good day today, me and my family went to the gym and got our exercises done and then after that we went home. Later in the day, I went to the White Water Center with my friends, that was fun, then we got pizza. Unfortunately I was not able to make it to class, but I still had a good day, Farewell and goodbye. 

Today was pretty good and i woke up so i could go to the gym so early in the morning, i hated that but at least i got a mile out of it. A few hours ago me and a friend went to this black belt class in north charlotte at 7:05 to 8:05 and it was actually better than i antisipated. Anyways i think i am going to the store tommorw to go get a watermelon for a friend since she has not been to the store in a little and i dont know why she did not ask her parents, but yeah. Hope everybody had a great day, night!

Today started with a morning workout at 9Round. It was a refreshing change of pace compared to my usual evening sessions. Summer camp ran smoothly, keeping me busy shuttling the kids between the pool and the dojang. Back home, I managed to get the grass cut in anticipation for rain coming. For dinner, I experimented with air-frying some wings—they turned out great! My soreness has almost completely faded now. Keep on keeping on!

Today, was pretty boring nothing much I did. I started my day with the mile run which I hit a PR then I just quickly did my requirements and yeah. I decided to help out and take sparring class tomorrow. Exited to help class tomorrow and teach others but yeah I didn't really do much today because my friends weren't avaliable to hand out so just watched a movie and called it a day.

Today I was able to do my weekly exercise’s fairly easily and was able to help my aunt with chores around her house. Was also able to complete 2 miles of walking and 1 mile of running!

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 day was pretty straightforward. I kicked it off with 1 mile and then I did all my requirements for the day . I helped out with class and I took a class. After coming back from Montana, I feel so jet lagged 😪. There wasn’t much else I did……..📝

Had an opportunity to do a training with some 9Round Corp members last night.  Lots of kicks and HIIT work. Followed that up with another workout this morning and a two mile walk. Things are progressing well, and I hope to begin running and jumping in the next month. Also found out I need a couple of thousand $ in dental surgery. No fun )-:

This is my first journal of the cycle because for some reason I keep forgetting to do them. I guess I just haven't been thinking about them as part of my routine. I think I need to set a reminder to do them or have a physical reminder to do them like after I eat dinner or something just so it becomes part of my routine. Anyways these past few days have been good, I've been getting my requirements and stuff done pretty easily. I think I hurt my ankle somehow so running and jump roping is kinda hard but its not too bad it'll probably go away soon. I definitely need to start waking up earlier so I can run when its not like 100 degrees and really humid. 

The reason I'm doing this today is because I forgot to journal yesterday so Yesterday the 22nd I started my day off with waking up early and get my run in again beating the day before's time by 30 seconds which is insane. Anyways after that I quickly did my requirements I had left. After I got bored so I started working on a puzzle my aunt got me. So yeah that was pretty much yesterday.

Today was very straight forward and I finished everything before 11PM and then I wrote this. I finished all my requirements and worked on my essay and a song.

Today I woke up early enough to get all of my requirements completed by 10:00. after my required daily requirements, I worked on my creative form. I am starting to really like the progress I am making, especially because I need to have something put together by August 15th. Once I was done training, I did some chores around the house. For the most part I had a pretty lowkey day. Until night rolled around. Usually I do my runs on Sundays and Wednesdays but tonight I felt good enough to go ahead and knock out tomorrow morning's run. Typically I run 4 miles at time which is how much I will be required to do on the physical test. First of all, I think it may become the norm to do my runs before the sun rises or after the sun sets. It was really nice not having the sun...

Today was easily my lowest energy day since the cycle started. I originally planned to hit 9Round early this morning, but another terrible night of sleep threw a wrench in that. Summer camp went well today. Later on, Christian and I took class together, and I earned a leadership credit by leading warm-ups. It was my first time leading warm-ups in over 10 years, but it felt like second nature—like I never stopped. I honestly felt like I could have run more of the class, but I respected that it wasn't my class to teach. After class, Christian and I hit 9Round together, and then I went home and logged a 2-mile run. I really hope I get some good sleep tonight so my energy bounces back tomorrow. Hearing others talk about their journeys and seeing some of their journals was a great reminder of why we’re all doing this.

hi guys, today i was helping my sister with last minute review before her test today. i went to the gym and ran my 2 miles on the indoor track over there because it was way too hot outside. i've been working on my pull ups, it's been really difficult but i'm trying my best so hopefully it'll get better with practice. thankfully i'm not sore anymore, which has made doing my requirements much easier. i'm going to watch a movie with my family before bed and just relax. overall, it was a productive day, and i'm looking forward to getting a good night's sleep and starting tomorrow refreshed.

Went on a shorter run today in preparation for a longer one tomorrow. I also spent a good deal of time working on my my dead hangs from the pull-up bar. Trying to get some bands so I can practice the real deal.

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 was the first day I assisted a class and went to the front of the class for a leadership credit!!! I felt really good making other people feel better about their self defense and hop step kicks. I was a little nervous for the leadership part though. While I can usually remember all the warm ups while I'm taking classes, when I'm in front I'm a little less confident. But I'll get more confident as the cycle goes on. Good luck again everyone!!!

Hello! It's been a couple years now since I last went on black belt cycle, and I'm excited to go again for my 3rd degree. Being a black belt has changed me in many ways, It's made me stronger both physically and mentally too. I hope that every Bochadan has a chance to undergo the same transformation I have with my previous two cycles. Every cycle we get stronger and smarter, faster and better at all that we strive to do in life. Being a black belt isn't just a neat conversation starter, it can become a lifestyle. Get up early, work out, run, and be ready for the day. Be clean too, cleanliness helps make everything easier, especially when the chaos that can be black belt cycle is going on. Hope you guys had a good day, and I am so glad to be on cycle with all of you...

Happy Tuesday! I got to sleep in until about 8 today which felt nice. Got to TKD around 9a.m. for summer camp. Group 2 went to the park today and it felt really nice. Straight to Enso for a wonderful craft and some down time. Back to KT for more toy time and games. Overall the kids were ok today, they definitely had a lot of energy and were very chatty! Came home and got my requirements done around 7p.m. Dinner was amazing, white rice, steak, and some broccoli! Tonight I'm relaxing and staying off my feet to rest up for a busy day tomorrow! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! ~ Peyton

Had some trouble figuring out how to post these, so I’m filling in my first few days. Starting the cycle has been a bit confusing I’ll admit, so much to plan and keep track of. The physical requirements are alright, it gets me out of the house. Today I did an extra mile so I can have a day off sometime. I’m already a little behind on a few things, but I think I’ll get into the rhythm of it and be fine. When something’s challenging, the best way out is through! I hope training for you all is going well.

Today was pretty good, i ran 2 miles today and did all of my other workouts. I am also not feeling great, i keep coughing a sneezing. Anyways I think i am coming down with something but i dont know what. I am about to go warm up a rice chicken veggie bowl, with other stuff too. I have started and i think finished an essay or two? I hope everybody had a good day!

Spent an hour this morning doing poomse. Going to workout this evening and get in some push ups, sit-ups and kicks. Eating has been on track today

I woke up around 9:00 got a shower and got some toast. I then worked in my grit workbook for a while until my dad got home at 12:00 and we had some chicken and mashed potatoes. I then went to a 5:15 class finished that and got a mentee. after that I stayed a little while and did punches and kicks for the next class. Then I went to dinner and ate until my mom got home.

I haven't been writing my journals since the pretest, this is my first one so I'm going to talk about the past couple of days. Last Saturday, we did the pretest and I had to run 3 miles, it was pretty hard in the end because I haven't been running as much as I would have liked to before cycle, so I'm out of shape. Then after we had finished the exercises, we moved onto black belt class with Grand Master Evins teaching everyone. Then at the end of class Grand Master Evins went around asking who your mentor and mentee were, at the time I didn't have a mentee so I felt pretty bad about that, so right as class ended, I went and asked a kid to be my mentee, and now I have already had two mentee sessions with him. If you are reading this, I hope you...

It's ten-thirty and I just woke up from the un-planned falling-asleep on the couch after dinner.  The good thing is I think I am still tired so after I finish this and let the dogs out for the last time I will be going right back to sleep. Today was a good day at camp, our visit to the raptor center went well.  The campers all enjoyed it and our group of counselors did too. During their class I was catching up on paperwork and listening to the instructors teach.  Usually I am with the other half of my group during this time or busy elsewhere so this was a nice change and I really enjoyed listening to the different instructors and how their approaches to the kids were all different.  I haven't gotten to see Instructor Shayne teach a lot this past year but this summer I have.  So much...

I slept pretty late today. Played with my dogs for a while, then played some video games. By then, my parents were getting home from work. I hung out my family for a little bit and waited for it to cool off outside so I could get my requirements done. Now im getting ready for bed. Good night!

hi guys, im still pretty sore from saturday but it's going away so that's good. today i did all my requirements and hung out with my little sister. we played mario cart and a bunch of other games on our switch. just dance got really competitive between us and i obviously won (with the exception of her winning like twice). in the evening i had a mentoring session with my instructor and we worked on my first dan self defense and specials. after that i helped out in my sisters class getting the kids ready for tomorrows testing. right now im just helping my sister with her breaking for tomorrow. it was overall a pretty chill day!

hello friends. today both of my parents had work so i woke up early at 5 to help them both get ready. since i was up i got my requirements done in the morning. after i played fortnite until lunch time. after lunch i had a meeting for a few hours. after my meeting i got ready to go to class. i did a last-minute mentee session with my mentee to get her ready for testing tommorrow. we went over chil chang, pal chang, and yi chang. after that i helped out with class. after i went home i hung out with my friend and convinced her to go on a run with me. pretty boring day...

Today I focused on getting my physical requirements done early. I finished everything at 1 PM and then I relaxed and played FIFA with my brother and I went to class at 5 and left at 8. Then I showered and took a nap. After that nap I ate dinner and felt like I had a very productive day.

For me, I usually love or hate Mondays, there is no in between! Today was pretty great, woke up for an early run and got my requirements in before noon. I then worked on my creative form and I am officially 24 seconds through it! I'm feeling really good about the progress I'm making but I definitely have a lot left to do. I went to TKD around 1p.m. to help out with summer camp and regular classes. I got to hold baby Olive a lot today and even put her to sleep which was cool. Had a wonderful mentee session working on high green and high blue belt self-defense. Overall, a very productive day! ~ Peyton

  Saturday's pre-test was a great reminder that progress is worth celebrating. While the pre-test is simply a baseline to measure where we are starting, I was really happy with my results. For the past six months, I've been intentionally working on my cardio and building my upper body strength. Being able to complete six push-ups from my toes was a huge personal victory! It may not seem like a lot to some, but it represents months of consistent effort for me and accepting help to make adjustments and improve. I also haven't been running as much as I should, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with my running time and left feeling encouraged about where I am and excited for the improvements still to come. This journey isn't about being perfect—it's about being better than you were yesterday. Every small victory is another step toward...

When I woke up today, I found myself still a little sore from the previous two days. Hopefully that wears off soon. I went for a run today which I don't plan on running every single day; only a couple times a week. I found that I lost a lot of conditioning from my cycle in January - March. I hope that I can quickly gain that back in order to improve my times. Since its summer, school is not a thing that I have to worry about which is really helpful because that means I can dedicate more time to training. I hope I am not too sore from my run this morning so I can persist with the upcoming requirements with passion.

Today I woke up and started my day by taking my puppy, Snickers, on a walk. I them ate breakfast and started making progress on my Black Belt Final written test study guide. I then did other things around the house. Them it was time to go to 4:45 class which I had a lot of fun at. After I got back I did all my black belt exercises before having a delicious dinner. I finished the night off by practicing my self-defense with my sister Layla. I am now in bed finishing off my day with some YouTube, Goodnight.

Didn't sleep well last night for whatever reason. I started the day with a dentist appointment before work. Starting tomorrow I will be going to 9rounds before work to ensure I can get my classes and leadership credits in during the evening classes.  Summer camp went great overall—it was hot out there, but a good day with the kids. After work, I hit up 9Round for a solid workout with Dad and left with my shirt completely soaked. Finishing up a few more requirements tonight before heading to bed. I'm feeling pretty wiped out, so I think I'll crash fast tonight. Safe to say I shouldn't have any trouble sleeping this time around!

Walked 1.5 miles and did a heavy lifting workout on Sunday. Today, Monday, did a 9Round workout and a 2 mile walk after. Doing 30 seconds of Push Ups between every round, with 6 minutes of core work and 12 minutes of kicking.

Yesterday was the first day that I incorporated all the requirements for the cycle into my daily routine. I'm used to doing them all on different days but it was strange doing them all on the same day. But today, I made a set time frame that i should do my workout and runs during. I'm sure that as the days go on, I'll make it a habit to do the excercises instead of having to be reminded.

First blog post! I’m happy to be able to test for second dawn and today I did my run and exercises once it got a little bit darker out and that’s about it

My first journal! The start of the cycle has been difficult, I was super sore from the pretest but was still able to get my requirements in. Going to get a few more sets of pushups and situps in before putting the baby to sleep.

This is my first journal and the 3rd day of the black belt cycle.   TodayI had a good run in the morning and was able to have a fun experience at the mall. In class today we focused on our regular bochodan self defense and we had also had time to practice khoryo pomsae!

Today is the 3rd day of the Black Belt Cycle and I started my day off with getting my mile in beating yesterday's time. After that I took a little break and started to complete my requirements 1 By 1. I was able to do these without too much effort because my muscle tear from yesterday healed a lot. Anyways around lunch my mentee came over to my house and we were able to complete a session making it my first mentee session of 12. After he left I just kind of took a break the rest of the time and ate dinner early calling it a day. Excited to keep working hard and keep completing requirements for my Black Belt.

Woke up around 9:00 to start my day with some cereal and took a shower I then started to clean up around the house before I leave to my trip to Waynesville this afternoon. I then started packing for my trip until my dad got home and we finished and went on the trip around 7:35.

Good run with the baby today. It's hot but definitely getting used to the heat and running is getting easier with slowly getting faster pr's. Happy with the progress so far.

This is my first journal and I am currently a first dan testing for my second. I honestly have been really dreading the cycle just because last time all the physical requirements were really tough on me. But I kinda think it was because I was so hard on myself with everything, I made my entire life literally only taekwondo and it was lowkey draining. So now I've figured out a way to split up my requirements to make it easier on myself and maintain balance throughout the cycle. Today is run day so I'm just waiting for the weather to cool down a little like in the evening time or something and then I'll do my run. Summer has been kinda boring for me so far so the black belt cycle does give me something to focus on. I also had the World Cup which I watched pretty regularly but...

The World Cup did not go how I wanted it to go but besides that my day was really good. I woke up early went on a run and did all my daily requirements I started to feel really sore so I took a few breaks in between. It’s hard work, but I know it’s going to be worth it.😀

Yesterday, I did not wake up feeling to well from the pre test, my body was hurting but I pushed trough it. I started my day off with breakfast befor leaving for Poomsae class. I then got home and played with my friends in the neighborhood. I then went back home to finish my workouts. I struggled with the workouts as my body is not used to it. I pushed through before going to bed.

Years ago my best friend handed me a uniform and told me to go put it on.  And now I am on my second cycle on my way to testing for my fourth dan.  Along the way my family has heard me wandering what in the world was I thinking.  One of my sons talked me out of my doom spirals when I was struggling with any one of many things that I can think of. He also tied my Bocho Dan belt on.  My classmates and coworkers became family. I tested for my first and last then my second and then my third.  My husband learned how to attack me for self-defenses or to shout out what random one to do next and my other son is one of the loudest voices to cheer me on. Workout schedules have been rearranged so  we can do them together or dinners later...

hello everyone, i'm hansika and i am on my third cycle and i am going to be testing for my third degree black belt. a little intro since i forgot to journal yesterday. anyways, i'm trying to get in the habit of doing my journaling everyday so i don't get behind on it. today i woke up and went to a class from 9-1 pm so my entire morning was pretty much gone. after i got home i watched the world cup FINALS. guys you don't understand how happy i was when spain won. i remember thinking lamine yamal was niche back in 2023 when he just started playing for barca and now this kid won the world cup 🥹. also not to mention that he's only two years older than me?! like...what am i even doing with my life.  after watching the game i was lowkey motivated to do some of...

Today was my birthday so my day was really busy but mostly fun. I had a watch party for the World Cup Final at a restaurant and I made a new friend there.

Today marked the second day of the current cycle. I began the morning with a stretching routine to alleviate soreness before transitioning into some of the day's primary requirements. I will say I noticed a huge lift in my appetite yesterday, the physical demands of yesterday’s session resulted in a significant increase in my appetite. Midday, me and the family went to visit my in-laws for lunch and watch the World Cup Finals. Spain delivered a dominant performance throughout the match, maintaining control well beyond what the final score suggested. Upon returning home, I prioritized my recovery with a protein shake and completed the remaining cycle tasks for the day. Knowing that so many others are diligently working toward this same objective keeps me fully focused and accountable. Let’s keep pushing forward—we have what it takes to succeed.

Yesterday was the pretest for the start of the new cycle. When I woke up this morning I was so sore I couldn’t even sit up to get out of bed and had to roll out instead 😭. Today I pushed through and finished my requirements, and I came to a huge convention center for a big event. I also got to watch the World Cup finals here and hang out with everyone. I’m excited for this cycle and can’t wait to keep improving and see how much progress I make by the end!

One of my favorite parts of every Black Belt cycle is getting to know all of the candidates. I love meeting the new Bo Chos from each school, watching familiar faces return as they pursue higher ranks, and seeing those I already know and love make the commitment to another cycle. When you see each other every day, it's easy to overlook the passion, dedication, and excitement that each person carries as they work toward the next level. These cycles are a reminder that every student—no matter how long they've trained—has chosen to continue growing, learning, and challenging themselves. This cycle, I have the incredible honor of watching several members of my own family achieve these goals. Whether by blood or by choice, my husband,  daughter, my sons, my best friend, and many students who have become family over the years are all walking this journey together as they work toward...

This is my first journal entry for the black belt cycle. I am feeling a little sore from pre-test yesterday can barely walk without burning my calves. Had a few ones on my poomsaes from grading so i am going to have to work on that this coming week while I'm on vacation. I had a great start with mister Tim on mentor sessions before this cycle and I think they are going to go great during cycle and I'm going to learn a lot.

Today I woke up and was pretty tired from yesterday's pre-test but I didn't let that stop me and ran my mile for the day.  Then I just completed my daily requirements and just chilled. I also saw the Fifa World Cup Final as Spain won. I was pretty disappointed as I wanted Argentina to win but It's alright. Anyways for the rest of the day I kind of just planned the next steps for my Cycle requirements and called it a day.

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.

Hi everyone! My name is Peyton, I'm currently a 3rd degree black belt testing for my 4th in the fall. As a 3rd dan, we have to do 2 black belt cycles, I did my first one in January and this is my 2nd. Therefore I didn't do the pretest today but I did come around 8a.m. to LKN KT for class! It was so nice to see fellow candidates and see many new faces! I completely forgot to journal yesterday so I've got to get back into that habit! Yesterday was pretty good, woke up early for a nice hot, muggy run and then finished up other requirements. Today was about the same, early run and poomsae class. I will definitely be sore tomorrow, we did a lot of resistance bands and ankle weights! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and has a great start to the week...

I woke up and I tried to get out of my bed AND I FELT SORE but I sucked it up and did my requirements. Congratulations to everybody who did the pre-test. I am so excited, but I know it’s gonna be a lot of work. 💪🏼😎

    I started my day by waking up at 5:00am and having breakfast before getting ready for pre-test. I started on my one mile run before heading back to King Tiger. We did other workouts and set our goals. After pre-test I helped out with family class before leaving to go home. I was doing my digital detox today so n

I'm super excited to be participating in this black belt cycle! These 12 weeks are going to absolutely fly by. After this cycle, I will be testing for my 4th degree black belt which will award the title of "master". I didn't have to do the physical part of the pretest today because I had already completed that in January. However I did wake up relatively early in order to complete the normal, soon to be daily, physical requirements before the poomsae / self defense portion of the pretest. I am anticipating more training for myself on this cycle rather than any other cycle because the master's exam is on August 15th. I can't wait to sharpen my Tae kwon do skills, tackle a great challenge, and improve myself overall as a person through these next 12 weeks!!!

I woke up at 5 AM to get ready for my pretest today and it was a cool experience. I was surrounded by people who were so good at Tae Kwon Do and it felt like I was watching people on a level way too far away. I also had my birthday party a few hours after the pre-test which was nice

I just did my first black belt pretest today! I'm super excited (but really nervous) to go on this journey. My baselines for workouts were alright but I know that if I put in the time and effort, I'll do a lot better on the final physical test. Good luck everyone!

It felt odd watching everyone at pre-test today, I did mine last cycle and didn't have to today. Not so odd that I joined in though😂  It's official, the cycle has begun. And while I really do enjoy the fall cycle these next couple of weeks where we overlap with summer camp will be interesting.  The good thing is there are always kiddos in Group 2 up to the challenge of helping me get some requirements in and usually doing them with me. I hope everyone had a great first day, I did...with the exception of one poomsae but I know what I need to work on. Happy Black Cycle everyone!

Completed the Fall 2026 Black Belt Cycle pre-test. Overall, I’m pleased with where my baseline performance is after a 10-year break from testing. While my core technique and form felt solid, the pre-test clearly highlighted a few specific areas that will require focused conditioning and refinement over the next few months to get them to testing standard.  Today was a massive reminder of the sheer scale of a black belt cycle. Talking with fellow testers put the collective dedication into perspective. It’s not just an individual physical challenge; it’s a shared commitment to excellence, discipline, and pushing past mental limits. Stepping back onto this path after a decade requires a high level of humility and focus.  

Today was pretty smooth I sadly did not make the pretest but I did do all my requirements in Montana. I was tired, but it feels good to check them off in the book! (I had to do my pre-test early)

Today was my pre-test for my first cycle as a bocho. I was very exited and nervous but I did everything I needed to and finished. The rest of the day was pretty fine as I just finished the rest of my daily exercise.

Pre-test and the start of cycle went well today!!  I was very happy with my run and push ups.  Almost all the bochos came in under 10 minutes in their mile run....I was very impressed.  Great job everyone!!

It's been 6 years since I started my last BB cycle. It's been almost a year since I have been able to practice my poomse. Spinal Fusion Surgery in November still limits some of my core strength and endurance. Reconstructive surgery on my achilles in March still limits my movements and kicks. I am not medically cleared to resume running and jumping for another month, so my pre-test is missing a couple of items. Overall, feeling good and ready to resume my training.

Today is friday I woke up and ate breakfast about to go to school when I get home I’m gonna do any homework that I may have and then do a tae kwon do workout and go to the Tea ceremony  

Today is Thursday I went to schoolIt was a pretty normal day but once I got homeI worked on some homeworkThen I wantLayton Norman TaekwondoAnd that the rest of my requirements in other than one black belt classWhen I got home I took a showerNow I'm finishing my homeworkAnd I can't wait for the TeaCeremony I'm only tomorrow

Today I went to school During study hall we did SEL witch is social emotional learning. When I got home I did my home work and some requirements then went to TKD to help a class do a mentored session sparring and black belt now I am at home after taking a bath and finishing my home work.

today my friend showed me a existing game and we played it at school. today was a pretty good day. 4 out of 5 stars.

Today is Tuesday I went back to school we did not do much because we just got back from spring break. After school I did my homework and a workout then I went to black belt class in Belmont. Now I am at home about to go to bed.

today was chill. I got a good grade on a test. hoping that tomorrow is more exciting. me and my friends also had a drama class presentation. bye 

Last journal of the cycle today was kind of good me and my friends made a thing where everyone brought a random item to school that was great! one person brough 30 uno reverses another person brought a flamingo thing and other people brought stuff but i brought a spatula :) and i had a test in science but they were pretty easy questions though

Today i got out of school around 12 because i had a dentist appointment. Me and my sister had our dentist oppointment then we went  to this lunch place called dairio. i got a monster buger and fries with a sprite. After we left i came to my moms job to finish eating and wait for my mom to get off work. hopefully tonight ill get to cook dinner for my family. ive been reading recipes from a cookbook by giada de luarentiis, shes and italian chef. the meal i want to make is kind of 2 things, spicy shrimp and a ziti bake. 

vacation was fun. me and my family went tog mexico. the only thing that was bad was that I got sunburned.

Today is a teacher work day I had some free time ate lunch. Then I took a nap after that I did my requirements. Then I went to BB/higher belt class now I am on my way home going to take a shower.

Today was a crazy day, We didn't do your schedule right because we usually do reading first then math then ss but first we did math ss then reading. I had pizza for lunch, and we had music.After school I got on the bus and forgot I had tutoring, and came home and had a little snack ( corn dog and some chips) and now getting ready  to go to track.

Today was pretty chill. I woke up and made some breakfast. After that I played soccer and took a nap. When I woke up I ate lunch and went grocery shopping with my dad. When I got back I had a chess class. When that finished me and my sister made pasta and meatballs for dinner.

Today I woke up and played with my friends, then I went with my uncle we got brunch. Then after that we went to his house and played basketball I won 10-6 yay. Then went to some stores and played pickleball I lose 12-9, then went to go get sweet frog/ frozen yogurt it was really good and that was my day.

Today is Sunday. I woke up. Had some free time after free time, I went out and did my requirements then I hung out by the pool and after that I went out to get lunch at Hawthorne‘s and saw my friend Brody there. After that, I Brought a bed supporter for my grandma’s friend Rob then came home and I am about to take a shower/bath

Toady was pretty chill. I woke up and went to taekwondo. After my classes I helped Brayden with his testing and went to the art walk. When I got home I had some chicken nuggets and played with my friends for a bit. I then started to watch the show Ted lasso which is pretty interesting.

Today was pretty fun. I woke up and had some breakfast. After that me and my friends played soccer and ate lunch. When I got back home I played for a bit and ate dinner.

Today is the days that I had to come home from the beach when we got home my friend had to leave and I went to TKD. Then I am going to come home and finish my requirements.

Today was boring i had 3 tests today one in science, one in math, and one in social studies and there was interesting conversations while my class was outside for a walk.. but when i got back from school i did my homework and talked to my friends

Today was a fun day. When we got in the classroom had a surprise for all of us we got to play on our laptop for 1 hour then we did math Wich I am really good at it. Then we had resses we played basketball my team won then we had pizza for lunch.

Today was pretty fun. After I woke up a made breakfast and just chilled. At 5 my sister took me to the new Mario movie so that was fun. After that I played with my friends and ate dinner.

Today was pretty boring i went to school which was normal i practiced for my band concert coming up and when i got back home i did my homework

Today I woke up. I played a couple games with my friend John at the beach. Get out I went on a walk with my dad and my friend. Then we came home and went to the park after picking my brother and Dog up. About to go to the beach.