Fall 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!

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.

  922 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. 

  1074 Hits

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.

  1077 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!

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September 27

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

  1063 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. 

  946 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. 

  978 Hits

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.

  1066 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.

  816 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.

  970 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.

  1062 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! 

  895 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.

  804 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. 

  938 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. 

  1057 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. 

  969 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.

  1013 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.

  1038 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 

  837 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!

  894 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.

  917 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.

  1050 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. 

  831 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. 

  961 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. 

  858 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.

  973 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.

  1066 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!!

  987 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!).

  1137 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. 

  866 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.

  1049 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. 

  896 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.

  1007 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!

  1003 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 

  978 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. 

  878 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

  918 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

  941 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. 

  888 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!

  943 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.

  1018 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.

  938 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

  938 Hits

A regular Monday.

Today was a normal old regular Monday fist I went to school then after school and then hyper and then home it was an awesome day today was also my first day doing two jots instead of one jot for homework.  

  1037 Hits

Pretty Normal

Today's been a pretty normal day. Went to school, came home ate and now gonna do some work. Only 2 more days of school left though. Can't wait for my 4 day weekend!

  895 Hits

Today I we...

Today I went to my friends house and played for a good five hours then I came back and saw my cousin do a triathlon it was cool she got 3rd place then I went back home and played outside then came back in did some requirements after that I ate dinner now I'm going to bed

  0 Hits

Rest for a Week

Someone stepped on my toe very badly yesterday, during this Indian festival yesterday. Now I have been told to do R.I.C.E. So i have to rest which means no Tae Kwon Do or Tennis this week. I have to ice it and keep it elevated. 

  946 Hits

Absentee Homework

Since I missed school on Friday with a field trip, I have homework to make up fore my classes. It's not a lot, but it's going to take some time. Luckily though, I don't have much else to do today other than requirements and my online class.

  1027 Hits

September 17

Today I got to sleep in. I woke up at 10. I went to church at 11 and then came back home. After church I did alot of homework for the week.

  851 Hits

9/17/17

Decent training this weekend.  Yesterday I upped my burpees by 1 (28 in a row - but still a bit slow) and hit the other PT targets with a lot of rest in between.  Didn't run though - got my 10 miles in two lots of 5 earlier in the week.  Got all my poomsaes in then treated myself to an afternoon of football. This morning I had one goal - get completely through my new staff form at least once without messing up.  Took me a little over an hour but I did it. Mission accomplished. Now I get to focus on polishing and remembering rather than learning - a huge mental step.

  955 Hits

Busy Day

I have had a very busy day. This morning I went to Sparring and Black Belt Class then came home and played with my new puppy an did some cysle stuff. Tonight I went to Scarawinds and had alot of fun. It was really busy but fun. Now I have to go to bed.

  0 Hits

Saturday

Today I woke up at 5:30 AM because I thought that it was a school day. I went to black belt and also sparring class as well.  I also went to a party after that so I was super tired after all of that.

  748 Hits

Kicking Elbows

Today was the second time I kicked someone's elbow during sparring class. The person I was sparring blocked my kick with his elbow and of course, it hit the soft part of my ankle. It's not a serious injury, but the pain can be distracting at times especially while doing difficult kicks or walking up and down the stairs.

  847 Hits

Today I wo...

Today I woke up then I went to Belmont then after that I came back home then I went I went home and went on my phone for one minute after that I did my requirements then I went home to watch tv then I ate and now I'm going to bed good night

  0 Hits

September 16

Today I woke up early and went to sparring class. After sparring I went to Black Belt class. After Tae Kwon Doe I went to dance. When I came home I had piano lessons.

  998 Hits

Friday

Today was a normal Friday. I went to school then went to after school then came home and played with my friend across the street.  

  1074 Hits

9/15/17 - late nights and mid-afternoon workouts

Getting home from a business dinner at midnight makes 5:30 am alarms hard.  Treated myself to some extra sleep because I knew a trip to the DMV was something I needed rest for.  Car tags acquired and lots of tension worked off at the gym.  I'm still surprised how I am maintaining my lifts considering I am doing far more multi-rep exercise like push ups and sit ups and pull ups.

  890 Hits

Thursday

Today I helped out for the family class and then went to black belt class. besides from that i didn't do much today except go to  school.

  867 Hits

Katy Perry

Katy Perry has some heat music I'm telling you. I listened to my throwback playlist from the 9th grade in the car today and some of her songs are stuck in my head again. But anyways today was productive. I got a lot of math done and still made it to Black Belt class this evening.

  951 Hits

Sparring

So today I went to school that was great then I came back home and 3 hours after that I went to tae kwon do I did a mentie session that was fun I did sparring I sarred like 4 times then grand master kann made want to do way more sparring so then I came back home and now I'm going to bed good night

  879 Hits

September 14

Today was tiring. I had a long day at school and after school I had dance. I also had a lot of homework to get done too. I almost finished my essay. 

  832 Hits

Long and Tiring

Today was super long. I had school and my bus super late, then I had a tennis match from 3-6:45. I got home changed and came to TKD. TKD was pretty chill today not a lot of hard work, but I am still very sore and tired. I have so much homework left to do also. 

  945 Hits

The struggle bus

Today it was even hard for me to even get out of bed because I was so sore. By the time I got to school I was ready to go but before that I still felt like I was in bed. it was a good day at school the very first thing we did was specials. Todays special was gym so I started to wake up even more. after afterschool I did sparring with grand master Cann. it was a fun but tiring day.   

  1087 Hits

9/14/17 - AM workout

Banged my right knee Tuesday night and sat out most of TKD class.  Knee much better Wed morning so got a workout in.  27 (slow) burpees in a row.  A new record.  About 1/3 through learning new staff form - they look so difficult on film.  Just breaking it down piece by piece till I get it.  Off for this morning's workout.  No more TKD this week.... work dinner meetings :(

  914 Hits

Tired

Today, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to Taekwondo, I was extremely tired. I almost fell asleep during school, and could barely manage to stay awake. Luckily, when I went to Taekwondo, I was moving around, so that woke me up. Other than that, I did some more requirements.

  1171 Hits

So today w...

So today was a nice day I went to school then came back and then I went to tae kwon do I did leadership1 at the class before sparring then after that I did sparring that was fun because we did drop kicks and then we did turning side kick sent then I went home and ate and now I'm going to bed good night

  0 Hits

Sparring class

today I had an awesome day in school. after school I went to after-school in after school every two months the kids do an election for president. this time the president is Quinten Lee. I feel like he will be a great president of after school. in sparring we worked on our drop and turning side kick it was a fun day. 

  867 Hits

September 13th

Today was very tiring and will be becuase I may have to pull an all nighter :(

  857 Hits

September 13

Today I had a normal school day with the exception that it was picture day. In art I kept drawing my dog. 

  819 Hits

Gloomy Day

Today should have been great. Two hour delay, the rain clouds lifted, I had plans to hang out with some friends and today was a special date as well. But somehow everything took a turn for the worst as soon as I left school. My entire mood changed even after a nap. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. 

  999 Hits

Tuesday

Today we had a two hours delay so I got two extra hours of sleep. Though I was still very tired i don't know why. other wise it was a normal day except I got extra sleep.  

  904 Hits

Delayed School

Today was a delayed start to school because of the weather. It was nice because I wasn't as tired as usual when I woke up. However, after I came home from school, I had to start on my requirements immediately because I had stayed after school for clubs. Then, I went to Taekwondo, helped out, took class, and got a mentor session in.

  1026 Hits

September 12

Today we had a 2 hour delay at school because of the Hurricane. It was nice to sleep in a little bit. School was normal and after school I went to dance.

  945 Hits

Delayed

Today school was delayed because of the hurricane. that threw me of a little bit because it was not our normal schedule. after school was fun because we played a lot of mat games. in black belt class we worked on our kick for the majority of class it was a great day.  

  976 Hits

9/12/17 - two a days

Today is a day with gym workout in AM and TKD class in PM.  I was able to do 26 burpees in a row - albeit kinda slowly.  However, progress is progress.  Today was my once a week traditional weight workout.  Hoping my legs stay with me through TKD class in 30 minutes. Two=a=days are a bit harder now that I can see 50 around the corner!

  926 Hits

Happy Day

Today was a very happy day. We had a two hour delay and so all our classes were shortened. I am very happy. 

  941 Hits

Monday

Today was A Normal Day I went to school. Then I went to help out class.

  906 Hits

Today I we...

Today I went to school early then I came home and do some requirements for one hour s ok then I went to tae kwon do it was really windy there then I came back home and ate so now I'm going to bed good night

  0 Hits

Somber Day

The past two days have been a roller-coaster of emotions. From celebrating my daughter's birthday yesterday, to keeping tabs on my family in Florida with hurricane Irma looming over them, to all of the 9-11 memorials and thinking of those first-responders that I knew who lost their lives as well as today being my youngest nephew's birthday. Celebrating life while remembering those that left us had me feeling like the rope in an emotional tug of war. 

  1040 Hits

Hyper

Today was a great day. we had a great day in school. after school I went to after school and after afterschool I did hyper .hyper was fun we jumped over bags and did jump kicks it was a really fun day

  1013 Hits

9/11

Todays 9/11 and words can't express how emotional I am. I lost some family members during the 9/11 and I didn't get to see them. I wasn't even born yet. But other than that, I've been doing all my exercise and recording it in my book but I just don't get time to get it uploaded onto here. I just did it though since I got some time on my hands today. Hope everyone as a nice and warn rainy day :)

  0 Hits

September 11

Today I woke up for school and school was fairly normal. After school I got a message that dance was cancelled. At about 5 I went Tae Kwon Doe and then came home and did some homework. 

  823 Hits

9/11 - remembering

Woke up to beautiful 45 degree morning in a Marriott in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Got most of my workout in - gotta double up on pullups tomorrow - no pull up bar at hotel.  However, there are more important things than a workout. 9/11 - words are inadequate to express what the world saw that day. If you have never been to the 9/11 memorial please make it a priority to do so.  I was surprised at how much it moved me.  Time does not heal all wounds.

  968 Hits

My computer is working

My computer is working! Its all set up and ready to go. I'm so happy.

  1011 Hits

Mayhem at Concord Mills

Last night at around 9, I was at concord mills celebrating with a big group of friends. One of my buddies is moving to CA in two weeks so we wanted to all get together one last time. We had a great time, it was real fun. We were hanging outside the mall just talking and taking pictures when all of a sudden everyone started DASHING out of the main doors. People, shopping bags, and soft drinks were falling all over the place as people ran away from the mall and onto the parking lot. Throughout all the chaos, I lost my group of friends and was left only with one friend who also was confused. At the time we were not very concerned at all. In fact it was quite hysterical watching a stampede of people. We were recording the whole thing on snapchat and being stupid, but it turns...

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  1009 Hits

September 10

Today I had an audition for dance. I stretched for a long while before the audition started. It went well I think. After the audition I came home and did some homework. 

  872 Hits

I'm so sore

Today I am extremely sore because of yesterdays class at Belmont. to day I went outside to play with my friends and then I went to run some errands then came back and did my requirements. I am still sore till this moment.

  886 Hits

My new computer

My brother gave me his computer today! I was surprised and very happy. He just got a new one and gave me his. It's only  a year old. I went to the store and picked out my mouse too. Its pretty cool. He gave me a computer!!

  1123 Hits

All but another filled schedule Saturday

Today I  woke up later than I usually do because instead of doing sparring at north charlotte I did sparring a Belmont. I had a blast training with all of my friends it was an awesome day

  1008 Hits

Online Class

Today, I went to Sparring and Black Belt class in the morning. Although my feet got a little torn up in sparring, it was still fun because we did a bunch of sinuales in black belt class. Then, because my parents were both out of the house, my uncle came and picked me up, dropping me off at home. At I ate a small lunch, then prepared for my first online class training for the  SAT (which is in November and unfortunately conflicts with the Kukkiwon Cup). Luckily, this isn't as strenuous os some other courses, and hopefully it doesn't get in the way of school work or requirements. The class for today was pretty fun. Afterwards, I did some requirements.

  1091 Hits

Today Iwen...

Today Iwent to tae kwon do in the morning then after that I went back home and did more requirements that was fun then I played football out side with my brother's freinds then came back in and then I went to my friends house for a birthday party then I came back home and now I am about to go to bed good night

  897 Hits

September 9

Today I went to Tae Kwon Do in the morning for sparring and a black belt class. After class I went to dance. 

  916 Hits

9/9/2017 - 5 miles

Getting closer to PE requirements. Burpees still an issue.  However, I did run 5 miles in 50 minutes on the treadmill today.  First time I have ever run 5 miles.

  946 Hits

2nd Week Complete

Finally Friday! 2nd week of school went by painfully slow, but I'll get use to it eventually. I have to wake up early tomorrow because I'm heading to downtown Charlotte to attend the Eucharistic Congress with a few friends! 

  910 Hits