Spring 2025 Black Belt Cycle

Candidate Journals

King Tiger Tae Kwon Do Black Belt candidates blog daily about their journey: their thoughts and feelings, their struggles and successes; their pain and their encouragement. Follow along on their journey; words of encouragement are always welcome!

another old day

today was pretty average. school, class, requirements and taking hannah out to eat. its always fun though. but the physical and written test are tomorrow so i need energy

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physical and written test

today was a long day. i realized ive got a lot of work to do on my physical strength, but i think i did well on the written test

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spooky

its the first day of october. all my friends and i are super excited for halloween, its the best holiday even if were too old to dress up

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off day

today was an unsettling day. i didnt feel like doing anything at all. i didnt want to do homework or play video games or anything. it was a very weird feeling

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weapons

Class has been intense lately. Master Chelley, Marcus and I have been drilling staff, bolo and short stick lately and we spent all of class doing it and some time while we were teaching class

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Testing, Here I Come!

Tomorrow is testing, and I'm super nervous but also excited. I'm ready, after over 3 months of preparation! I have a lot of schoolwork, so I'd better get to that, and for everyone testing tomorrow, GOOD LUCK(hopefully you won't need it)!!!!!

  927 Hits

last day

Today is the day before testing and it was hectic. My girlfriend got in a car accident, thankfully she's okay. i am scrambling to enter everything in the website but i will get it done. 

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Thursday!!

Ok so I'm really excited because today was the day before over night testing yes so school was nice then after school I went back home and did a whole lot of selfdefence after that I ate dinner and then we waited for an hour getting ready to go to tae kwon do and then we went to tae kwon do we worked hard then I came back home tired and then I went to bed good night

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10/5/17

Today was alright. I helped out at the blood drive at my school and got pizza. Also got cookie cake for my German class and they were pleased. One more night left. So excited!

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10/5/17

Today I decided to lift and go heavy. I'm still surprised at how cutting back on lifting and doing more pushups, etc. has helped my traditional weight workout. Tonight is a BB class and I need to save a bit of aerobic capacity for that. I finished a first draft of an essay yesterday which is a big checkmark. Going to start research on pre-history of Korea now.  Also need to start learning the final two or three forms/self-defenses.  Keep on swimming, keep on swimming.

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Preparing for Testing

I am almost done with my requirements. Now, I just have to make sure I have all of my poomsaes and self-defenses down.

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Wensday

Today I took a World History test I think that I got a lot of the questions right since that class is easy. I didn't do much other than the test.

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Tuesday

On Tuesday I took a Engineering test. I think that I did very good on it other than that I just went to scouts.

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Monday

Monday I went to class to help out for the last of my requirments.

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Wednesday

Today was awesome I did school stuff I checked another grade and I got 100 it was amazing then I came back home we went to tar kwon do we worked on our side kicks then after that I went home and worked on my lego drop tower for a science fair what I trying to do on it is make it stop before it hits the ground or crash for those of you that don't know what a drop tower is it is a fair ride and goes to the top and it drop you stomach herts after then after that I worked on my self defence defense and poomsaes with my brother and then I ate took a shower now I'm going to bed good night oh and prepare for Friday night I'm excited see you then

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Getting Close

Days are turning into a big blur. Two more days before we test. Hoping I can keep my anxiety (and vertigo) in check and make it through the night of testing! 

  972 Hits

Wednesday

I had tennis practice today as well as tutoring. I went to TKD to help out and get the last bit of credits for Friday. Only 2 more days to go! I am so nervous.   

  998 Hits

Wednesday

Today was a good day. My dad and I played frisbie when I got home. I played with my puppy even though he likes to bite. I did good in TKD and am getting ready for testing. 

  804 Hits

10/4/17 - update

Finished first draft of hand techniques essay.  Boo-yah!

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10/4/17

So, a workout, TKD class an another workout in less than 24 hours leaves one a bit tired.  This morning was the third of those workouts and my body just needed more time to recover.  Where I ran 2.31 miles in 20 minutes yesterday at 10:30 am, today I could only muster 1.5 miles in 16.5 minutes at 6:00 am.  Shoulders, arms and legs were also shot from TKD class so I focused on forms today rather than the more physical stuff.  Looking forward to a better performance tomorrow.

  1025 Hits

Losing Sleep

I haven't been sleeping extremely late recently, but I've noticed that I'm starting to get more tired than usual. Especially as I get more work from my teachers, I never seem to have enough time to do it. Thankfully today, I don't have clubs, so I can actually do work. Once this week is over, I'll have a lot more time on my hands.

  963 Hits

Speedy

Today was a good day. I got home from school early, took a massive nap and then went to Bojangles with some mates. It was fun eating chicken, blasting music, and driving at relatively high (but mostly safe) speeds. I got home late and I'm really tired so it's gonna be a short one today. Good night

  921 Hits

Today

Today was the same as many others. I went to school, afterschool, and had sparring class. It was fun and I did really good. Black belt testing is this Friday, I am ready. 

  974 Hits

Tuesday!

Today was super funny. I went to the wrong class at the wrong period. I also made my friends laugh a lot.It was so funny because we all kept doing weird and stupid things. 

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10/3/17

Late night with little sleep - so getting my workout in at lunch today then BB class tonight.  Some days, like today, I feel a little old to test for 4th Dan.  Then life reaches out and sends a reminder.  Today it was in the form of the daily email from the Mutts comic strip which contained this quote. Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. Henry Ford

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Plant

I finally got my plant (shrub) today! It was called a "Hot Shot Azalea," but I don't think my dad (who loves plants) has ever kept this specific type. It's pretty cool, not too big, but not too tiny.

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Monday

Today I went to school and afterschool at TKD. I came home and finished my homework and ate pizza. My mom cooked cookies to. It was an ok Monday. 

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Lightheaded

Today was a decent Monday, besides the fact that my head started hurting and I was feeling a little dizzy in my last block. I'm better now but I might be getting sick. I hope I can recover before Friday if that is the case

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Ew Monday

Today was such a bad day. Totally sucked. I hated it. Mondays are never good for me but today was just exceptionally bad for me like wayyy to bad. 

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10/2/17

Yesterday I decided to lift and am still maintaining strength.  Today got up early to be at gym by 6 and it was tough.  1.5 mile run was worst I've had in a while.  Got in pushups, situps and pullups then went through all my forms.  Overall I salvaged a decent workout but will make it sure I get better sleep tonight.

  896 Hits

Getting ready for School

Today, I did some requirements and a little bit of homework. I'm pretty sure I have a couple of tests this week, so I studied for English and Physics. Also, I'm excited for the last week of the cycle!

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Today was ...

Today was pretty fun in the morning I got home from my sleepover at my friends house after that I went to my grand mothers house to do some laundry because ours is broken then we just stayed there for a while then came back after that I ate some dinner we all watched a movie and now I'm going to bed good night

  0 Hits

Sunday

Today I basically did nothing except study a little for AP Human Geo and rest.

  720 Hits

Saturday

Saturday was the Physical and written test. I got a 78 on the written test and beat all of my times for the physical part. After it I took a 4 hour nap because i was super tired.

  765 Hits

Friday

On Friday I took A AP Human Geography test and did pretty good on it compared to the other people. Then I went home and rested for the test tomorow 

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Thursday

I missed all of these days because the website would not let me post them. On thursday I took a test in Marketing class and got a 100 so I was pretty happy about that. After school I went to class and practiced all of the pomsaes and self defences

  741 Hits

Sunday Funday

Today was a good day. I went to carowinds and then came home and played with some new friends that moved into the neighborhood. The panthers won and that was good. I had a good day. 

  862 Hits

No Time

I have gotten no time this weekend. I've been so busy. I literally am rarely home these days. It is so sad. I like to be home and chill. 

  967 Hits

Physical and Written Test

Today, I got up at 7:00 and got ready for the physical test. I passed all of the segments except for the running (which I was pretty upset about because this time was 18 or 19 seconds longer than during Pre-Testing). I got a 95 on the written test, so that brought up my mood. After that, I changed into my uniform for Black Belt class. I actually got two Black Belt classes! After the first class, I stubbed my toe on the base of the pull-up bar and it started bleeding. I got a band-aid, but that didn't stay on for very long, but thankfully my toe had healed by then. After testing and class, I came home and pretty much just relaxed and did some more requirements.

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Tired

I am so sore and tired. After the physical test, I was completely dead. I had no energy left especially because I was up late the night before dancing.

  865 Hits

Friday

Today was a busy day again. I had school, afterschool, blackbelt class, and then I went and got my shrub. I studied for the written test tomorrow to. I have to get some sleep so I will be ready,

  833 Hits

Today was ...

Today was ok I wnt to school we had a half day then came back and I was practicing for the writin and physical test that was awesome and now I feel like I'm ready for tomorrow good night every body

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Winding Down

I cannot believe that we only have one week left in the cycle! Back in July it felt like this time would never come because of all of the requirements that had to be met. But now it's almost over! Now trying to finish up those last physical requirements and review review review! Got in my last mentor session last night with Master Dege and I have one more mentee session to go. The light is at the end of the tunnel!

  972 Hits

9/29

I am so happy it Friday because I get to see all my friends again. I love the weekends because I get to go to my favorite Indian festival. Its called Garba and it goes on from 10pm to 2am. 

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September 29

Today I did not have school so I got to sleep in. It was really nice. I was able to get alot done today espically studying for the written test, I went to black belt class in the afternoon. 

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9/29/17

I went a little easier today - no running.   Focused on forms.  Was able to get through all TKD forms, stick forms and staff forms without running to a video.  That is a first.  Steady on.

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Easy on Homework

Nowadays, I don't have as much homework as I used to. This is a good thing, because it gives me more time to work on my requirements and study for the SAT.

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Regular Day

Today was fairly normal. I went over a test in Economics, did some derivative review in Calculus, but we actually had a fire drill in the middle. After school, I went to go sign up for a Math Honor Society, but it was over so fast that I still had time to run and catch the bus.

  927 Hits

Long Day

Today was a really ling day. I had school, TKD clas, TKD pictures, Sparring class, and heloed with family class. Glad tongo to bed. 

  836 Hits

Today as u...

Today as usual I went to school then came back had a great day then I went home to do my home work and then I went to tae kwon do that was fun because we did sparring class and we did a lot of stuff then I came back and now I'm eating

  896 Hits

Game Day

Today I had a tennis match against North Meck High School and we lost sadly. It was so hot that this girl from our team passed out and then her twin started crying because she could feel her pain. It was very sad. 

  916 Hits

9/28/17

I'm creeping up on meeting my physical requirements.  Today I reached 53 pushups, 18 pullups, 45 situps in a minute and 25 burpees in a row (somewhat slowly).  I also got in 4 miles in 38 minutes followed by a minute of jumprope - all one right after the other. Legs are shot but I feel good about reaching all targets by spring.

  851 Hits

September 28

Today at school it was Jersey day and I wore a rangers Jersey. After School I went home and did some homework. I went to sparring class later at 6:30 and helped in the family class afterward. 

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Doughnuts and Curriculum Night

Today, when I walked into school in the morning, a group of people offered me a doughnut and a bag of candy (and, yes, they were students). I accepted, not knowing the purpose. Later, I saw an excerpt from the Bible on the bag, and realized that it was a Christian club. Well, the funny thing is, I'm not Christian, but a doughnut is a doughnut, regardless what religion you are! Later, after school, I had to miss Taekwondo because I had Curriculum Night to attend (I have duties to several clubs at my school). Overall, it was a pretty fun day.

  1010 Hits

Easy day

Wednesdays are always great for me! The school day was a breeze and I don't have anywhere to be after school on Wednesday so, I spent the majority of the day sleeping but now I have to study for my AP Psy test tomorrow!

  0 Hits

September 27

Today was Holiday day at my school. I dressed up as Christmas. I got really hot with the sweater on. 

  1001 Hits

School and TKD

I had a good day at school and tae kwon do. I even played some football outside when I got home. We are going to get my shrub sometime tomorrow or Friday. 

  874 Hits

9/27

Today was a pretty routine day. Went to school, went to Tennis practice and went to TKD. I had a tutoring session and then homework to finish when I came home. 

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9/27/17

Brown stripe day, so we did a lot of board breaking and everyone did very well.  Today I have been trying to cut down on the amount of carbs that I am eating because I have been feeling sluggish. We will see how I end up feeling.

  975 Hits

Wensday

Today was a very boring day I woke up at 5:50 to get ready for school. I fell asleep for 1st and 2nd block and almost got kicked out of class for sleeping. And when I got home I just slept some more. so today was pretty much all sleeping and doing some work.

  748 Hits

Today I we...

Today I went to school then after that I went back home it was amazing to go back home so then I went to do some practice on my selfdefence then I went to tae kwon do and did sparring class that was kind of hard then I did a mentor session with my mentor after that I went to the house and ate and now I'm about to go to bed

  0 Hits

9/27/17

When a business dinner keeps you out until midnight, an early morning workout is hard.  So, I treated myself to 8 hrs of sleep then worked out.  Today was lift day.  Still maintaining my strength levels.  Either going to a TKD class tonight or practicing forms on my own.

  898 Hits

Bad Coffee

This morning, in physics, another student decided to make coffee, and I had some. I typically love coffee, but this did not sit well with me, and I was limping between classes. I'm better now. Luckily though, this didn't really affect me on my physics and economics tests today, which I think I did pretty well on. After school, I helped out at Taekwondo for a little bit, before going to an Engineering Explorers Post Meeting at EPRI. Overall, today was fun.

  998 Hits

Typical Tuesday

Today was a normal school day. I got a solid 80 on my civics test which I was unprepared for so thats good. I went home, took a nap and I worked on a bit of homework. I also got a new thrasher shirt today which I'm excited to wear soon! 

  828 Hits

Tuesday

Today I got up at 54 for no reason because I thought I was running late for school. The rest of the day was normal I just went to scouts and went home like every Tuesday.

  739 Hits

Tuesday

Today was a pretty good day. I had a good day at school. I did not really feel like taking sparring tonight but was so glad that I did. It was fun. I finished my homework when I got home and played with my puppy. Now I have to go to bed. 

  868 Hits

Today I we...

Today I went to school and got some of my papers back and I got an A I loved it then I went back home and did some study for the test on Saturday then I went to tae kwon do and did some poomsaes then I came back home and ate some fruit and went to bed good night

  0 Hits

September 26

Today was decade at my school and I dressed up as the '80s. It was really cool seeing what everyone else dressed up as. After school I did some homework and then went to dance. 

  983 Hits

9/26

Today was a long day. I am very tired and I still have a lot of hw left to do. I hope i finish it as quickly as possible. 

  891 Hits

9/26/17

Speed for my 1.5 mile run improved today.  I ran at an 8.67 min/mile pace and eventually covered 1.73 miles with the cool down.  I impressed myself with 25 straight burpees after the run.  However, I could not match yesterday's 50 pushups in a row. Energy in one exercise takes from another I guess.  But, still improving all around. Got in all my forms including multiple iterations of staff forms.  I am almost to muscle memory on those but still have a lot of work to do on precision.

  926 Hits

September 25

Today at my school, since it was Marvel Monday for spirit week, I dressed up as Captain america. School felt super long today. I was really tired.

  968 Hits

Monday

Today it was very hard to get up since I had a four day weekend. But other wise I had a very normal day 

  775 Hits

Ugh Mondays

Today was Monday and I sure do dislike Mondays. I was sleepy all day. I had a tennis match, then tutoring classes and a mentee session. Now I am going to touch my homework finally and study for my test in Civics tom!

  826 Hits

My Monday

Today I had a good day. I played football with my friends at school. I had a good day at Tae Kwon Do to. When I got home I did more cycle stuff and studied for the written test. I played with my puppy to. 

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Today I we...

Today I went to school then after that I did some homework and then I went to tae kwon do that was fun because it was my last day of leadership1 then I did hyper we were doing some touph work it was fun then I came back home and ate teeth vitamins and now I'm going to bed

  0 Hits

9/25/17

Saturday was rest day and Sunday was stomach bug day!  But, back on track this AM.  Increased pushups in a row to 50, fell short of burpees but got the rest in and some staff work. Just keep swimming.

  852 Hits

Chill Day

Today was a pretty chill day after PMAA. I didn't do much besides homework and some requirements. I also helped out my mom with her Dance School anniversary.

  960 Hits

Blisters and Pain

I woke up today barely being able to walk. Dancing is a lot of fun but the blisters and the soreness is not very fun. I am in so much pain its crazy. Today's gonna be a very lazy day, I can already feel it. 

  762 Hits

9/23

I went to TKD this morning after sleeping at 3 and I thought I would be very sore but after stretching I felt 10x times better and I felt no pain in my legs. The only pain I had was in my shoulders, which wasn't so bad. 

  883 Hits

Today was ...

Today was awesome I went to sparring class in the morning and then I went to black belt class then I came back home and watched some tv did some requirements then my friend came over and had a sleep over so now we're having some fun good night every body

  0 Hits

September 23

Today I had sparring in the morning. After sparring I had black belt class, but I was still doing my white belt challenge so it was different. 

  783 Hits

September 22

Today I had school and after school I came home and babysat my Siblings. I went to class at 5:30 and did my white belt challenge. It was weird.

  904 Hits

Friday Friday

It was a great Friday. We got to go to the park and have fun. Black belt class was good to. I got to play some pokemon go and have fun with my puppy.

  967 Hits

9/22/17

3 work outs in 26 hours, one being a black belt class.... I'm beat.  This morning was stick and staff along with some physical test stuff. I had not done the 3rd dan staff form since Sunday and completely forgot it!! Must be better at practicing staff forms during the week. Now I need to get one of my essay's done!!

  916 Hits

Day Off...

Today was a holiday for me and every other CMS student. I got to sleep in a little bit (thankfully), before waking up and starting on my requirements and homework. I luckily got through my requirements pretty quickly and started on homework. In the afternoon, I went to Taekwondo to help out and try the sparring class. Unfortunately, the sparring class, while giving me some great practice and tips, didn't actually count! That's okay though, because hopefully I'll be able to get credits from the PMAA Beach Training this weekend (I'm super hyped!).

  1048 Hits

Fast Day

Ok so today was a really fast day. I went to the temple today. Then I came home and exercised. Then I came to TKD to help out and take Black Belt class. My dad let me drive home. I had a mentee session and had Taco Bell. 

  793 Hits

Today

Today I did not have school I worked on alot of black belt stuff. I have been helping my mom with our new puppy to. I am going to greenville this weekend to see my grandma and and some of my old tae kwon do friends there. No school tomorrow so it is going to be another good day.

  982 Hits

Today I we...

Today I went to school with was fun then I went to my house after I did some requirements my mom got me a rollercoaster set then I built a loopty loop so then after that I went to tae kwon do I did a sparring class it was really fun then I came back home ate now I'm going to bed

  0 Hits

September 21

Today was a normal day at school. I had Chemistry, Spanish, and English. I have an English Project due soon. 

  826 Hits

9/21/17

Two days on the road makes for difficult training.  Got my lifting in this morning.  About to go to a black belt class.  Nothing special today.  Just plugging away.  I did squeeze in 30 min to study French which was a nice treat.

  934 Hits

Quizzes and Tests

Today I had two quizzes and a test in school. My quiz in Physics was a little worse than I expected, but Economics was a bit better. Then, in Calculus, I was initially stressed out, but I did a lot better than I thought. However, I was actually really close to getting a perfect score! Then, I went home and did some requirements. Ready for the 4-day weekend ahead!

  938 Hits

sparring

today was the last day of school for the week the rest of the days are teacher work days in after school we colored a paper. in sparring we worked on cut kick combinations it was fun 

  913 Hits

Wednesday

Today I had a good day at school. I got in a mentee session and had a good class. I am excited that there is no school tomorrow. 

  811 Hits

Wednesday

Today was basically a Friday for me since it is the last day of school for the week. We well have a 4 day weekend but I still have tons of homework to do. Other from it being the last day of the week that I have to go to school today was pretty normal

  850 Hits

Soure

Today I went to school then I came back and after that I was doing some sit ups and I notice that my abbs were herting from yesterday in black belt class so after that I went to do leadership 1 and 2 afer that I went to sparring then I went home and now I'm eating bye

  876 Hits

September 20

Today I woke up early and went to school. School was normal and at lunch I ate a sandwich. I finished most of my written test I just have a few questions to ask my mentor. 

  825 Hits

9/19/2017

Today was really painful. My pinky toe is still badly bruised and sprained. I went to TKD class today and we focused on kicks which I couldn't do to the best of my ability due to my toe. I'm getting exercises done. 2 more weeks!

  878 Hits

Ouch!

Today was an awesome day. Well, not really. it was a perfect day every thing was going perfectly fin intill I got to black belt class it was HARABLE! the first thing we did was Tabata then we did supper man that really work out my core then we had to do push-ups and sit-ups then after we were done with that we had to do stretch kicks and on my third time kicking I pulled my hamstring it really hurt. It was an awesome but painful day.

  936 Hits

9/19/17

Still plugging along.  This week I am focusing on speed.  Yesterday I did 1.5 miles at a 9.03 min/mile pace. Today I did it in 8.82.  However, once I do that I wipe out my burpees.  Yesterday only managed 17 in a row.  Today I got to 20.  Still working on staff forms.  Knee is much better so going to a TKD class tonight.

  873 Hits

Ok so toda...

Ok so today was really interesting because I went to school and I fell asleep on the bus and the bus went by fast then it's like every thing went fast today after school I went to tae kwon do then in there I did leadership1 then I did hyper we did a hyper staff form then I came back home ate and now I'm going to bed

  870 Hits