Tae Kwon Do Tutors | A Martial Arts Blog

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

I had a student who asked me that, and my answer was a rigorous schedule. I mean VERY rigorous. I was reminiscing about my first demonstration team with my students, and they asked what training looked like. I didn’t have the time in my teaching schedule to explain my schedule to all my students. So I wrote it down. Now I share it with all of you!

8:30 am – Beep, beep, beep! Wake up!

Sleep is key to being on the demo team. (You did sleep, right?) Not sleeping might limit balance, coordination, or technique, and that can’t be happening! (As a side note, I know a few black belts who make the bed after getting up as a way of making sure they wake up. I don’t know how scientific it is, but they swear by it!)

8:35-9 – Breakfast

A nice healthy breakfast. Not too much though. It wouldn’t be great to throw up on the dojang floor! The only gross things that should be hitting that floor is sweat. And possibly the pieces of wood boards you break.

9-9:15 – The Commute

Just like any normal job, calculating your arrival time and planning out the commute is important! You get their on time. Early? Sweet! Warm up and stretch. Late? Better not be. Obviously for some it might take longer than it does for others. Unlike the coach, not everyone lives in a 15 minute radius of their dojang.

9:30-11 – Class

You warm up and train. Your instructor drills you hard. Today you’re covering hook kicks. And back kicks. And butterfly kicks. Oh boy! You must be precise, the coach tells you. After all, it would be kind of embarrassing to get it wrong during a performance. You practice those kicks over and over.

11-1:30 – Lunch

Yay! You get a break and your instructor treats you to lunch. Almost makes all those roundhouse kicks, back hook kicks, and every other kick worth it. Boy, taekwondo can be hard. Hey, at least there is food right?

2:00 – Demonstration

Today your demo team is headed to do a performance. Just a small one. Only, like, 100 people. No biggie, right? You rehearse the choreography and your board break in your head. You gotta get it right. You pack into a carpool with some of your friends. To be honest, it reminds you a bit of a can of sardines . Really packed tightly. After arriving at the demonstration location you all set up. Then, once you have a set crowd, the show starts. Have you got that board break down?

4:00 – Private Lesson

The show has ended successfully, and now you’re back at the dojang. Everyone else heads out for the day. Now you get to practice with your instructor alone. Finally, you can work on that technique you’ve been struggling with! After watching you do your demonstration break (a triple roundhouse, how fun!) Today he wants you to practice your power break. You can break 6 boards easily. Now to answer this week’s big question: Can you break 8 boards?

4:45-5:15 Home Time

You get to go home now. Lucky you! Best to relax, right? Kidding! Unfortunately that’s not how it works when you work in taekwondo! You don’t have enough time to head all the way home. Thankfully you do have enough time to relax before work starts. Probably should do that.

5:30-8 – Teaching

Your training might have concluded for the day, but now you have to do the job you’re paid for… teaching! At least it’s an enjoyable job. Hey, think about it this way: at least you’re not training for the next competition, like some of your fellow demo team members are! They exercise, a lot. No shame in it but it does look a little painful.

9:00 – Shower

Honestly this feels so good. All that work and now for a nice cold shower. Hey, it’ll be nice to sleep, but it’ll be even better to sleep all cooled down.

9:30 – Bed Time

Oh finally! An opportunity to rest! How nice. Now to relax and prep for tomorrow!

What do you think? Did I miss something? Leave a comment down below!

Disclaimer: This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. All martial arts techniques and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized. The information on these pages and videos is meant only to reinforce and supplement the instruction given at your martial arts classes. To properly understand these techniques, you need to learn them from a martial arts instructor who can provide you with an in-depth explanation of the technique, help correct your mistakes, answer your questions and detail how the technique should be utilized. In addition, all martial arts techniques and training should be used safely and responsibly.