A little practice at home makes a huge difference. Ten minutes a day beats an hour once a week.
Practicing at home means that you practice what you know you need to work on. It also means practicing what you should do every day like forms and stretches… You are what you practice.
Jody Nelson, black belt
✅ Do practice at home
- Your forms (slowly, then with power)
- Stretching
- Stances and basic kicks
- Counting and terms in Korean
- Step-sparring with an imaginary opponent
- Self-control and focus
⛔ Save for class
- Sparring
- Wrist and clothing technicals
- Board breaking
- Self-defense with a partner
- Anything with a weapon you haven’t been approved for
These need supervision — someone could get hurt.
A 15-minute home routine
| Minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0–4 | Stretch from head to toes, then wall stretches for your legs |
| 4–7 | Basics: 10 each — down block, high block, middle block, front kick, side kick, round kick (both sides) |
| 7–12 | Forms: your newest form three times, then one older form |
| 12–14 | Step-sparring with an imaginary partner |
| 14–15 | Count to ten in Korean, then rest in joon bi and breathe |
Challenge: the night of a thousand kicks
Front, side, round and crescent kicks with each leg, inside-outside crescents, step-up side kicks and jump kicks — keep going until the total reaches 1,000. Try it as a family over a week!
The perfect front stance
Back leg locked, front leg bent, hips and shoulders square, counter-hand ready. Why so picky? Power starts in the big muscles of the hips and legs and travels through the torso and shoulders to your two knuckles. Unlock the back leg and you lose half of it. In Grand Master Rankin’s words: practice your stance, “because everyone wants to end up with a KAPOW!”