I published a post on types of instructors that I’d worked with , but I realized something… I forgot a few! The truth is there are so...

Recently I was watching Cobra Kai (yes, I know. sigh. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine) and they talk about Tang Soo Do and how the Cobra Kai school is based on Tang Soo Do, instead of Karate. Even though it calls itself a karate school. (Fun fact: viewers get a hint of this in the first episode when Johnny does a tornado kick) So what is Tang Soo Do and how is it different from Tae Kwon Do and Karate? Karate Unlike taekwondo, karate is native to Japan (or Okinawa, an island of

This is a question I have gotten a lot. Like, rather frequently. The best way to summarize my opinion is this:

Recently, I had a student who asked me why her instructors were taking black belt testing so seriously. It baffled me that a student would ever ask this question. I mean, what kind of question is that? Of course black belt testing is important! The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that it’s a really good question. So, I decided to write a post detailing why black belt testing is such a big deal, and taken so seriously. I t’s a big achievement! Let’s start

First off, congratulations! Getting accepted to college is an admirable accomplishment. Now the question is: how do you continue training? Going to college is a big step forward and certainly an important one to make. Whether or not you continue what you are already doing, such as practicing taekwondo, is up to you. So how do you train while in higher education? This is an important question for this situation, and different black belts have different answers for this. No mat

First off, it’s admirable that you want that. Secondly, they say the first step is always the hardest. That’s not true in taekwondo. At least, it wasn’t for me. I started in taekwondo because I wanted to learn. What was challenging for me was all the subsequent challenges that followed. I have here listed some of the challenges one will face. Doubt Surprised? You thought I was going to pick a particular technique or endurance test. No, the first and most challenging step is c

Okay, so you’ve just started in your new martial arts program and you want to know if you can have any creativity with how you dress? The...

Yes, that’s right. You read that correctly. Taekwondo seminars. They really do exist, but what are they like? Last month I attended a...

Understanding the Importance of Preparation The truth of testing, in my experience, is that it’s about endurance. Every testing I’ve...

“Light contact, free sparring!” My instructor would say, after starting class, stretching everyone, getting us warmed, up and in gear....

Note: This is, of course, just a fun article on the internet based on personal experience and opinion. If you want professional advice,...

Breaking a board is hard! Everyone thinks that breaking a board is such a cool thing that black belts do, but it can be super difficult....

As an athlete with a disability, I can say that taekwondo sparring is not something I'm able to do often, and I need to take extreme...

Let me guess: You've changed taekwondo dojangs and you've discovered that, for better or for worse, the new school is teaching something...

In my last post I talked about some of the general values of instructors. Essentially, I explained what I believe a good instructor...

Doctors have the Hippocratic Oath. Lawyers have ethics committees. Even architects have oaths they take to do their job. What about...

I am so excited. Why, you might ask? The future of taekwondo is incredible. If you’re as passionate about taekwondo as I am, you probably...

Hold on there superman! What do you mean you "want to fight bad guys"? If you want help with that you're going to have to elaborate. Let...

So you’ve likely heard of taekwondo, but did you know that modern taekwondo is actually based on the styles of 9 older versions of taekwondo? It’s true! Now, there is a lot of complex details that differ between the schools, but here is a quick summary of a handful of the taekwondo schools of thought (or kwans).

Those demonstration team black belts are amazing! How do they do those kicks?!