Dear Reader and family,

It’s BELT TEST WEEK! 🥋

This Saturday is an important milestone for many of our students. Belt testing gives them an opportunity to show what they have learned, recognize how much they have grown, and take the next step in their Tang Soo Do journey.

Our focus this week is simple: prepare well, build confidence, and finish strong!

🎥 WATCH THIS WEEK’S STUDENT VIDEO

Our students are helping us get everyone ready for Belt Test Week!

Take just 36 seconds and watch this week’s video together. It includes important reminders about Saturday and is a great way to get your student excited about the week ahead.

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⭐ PARENTS — YOUR 3 PRIORITIES THIS WEEK

1. TRAIN & PREPARE​
Have your loved ones attend class this week. Instructors will review Belt Test material and help students prepare.

2. RETURN THE PACKET BY FRIDAY​
Belt Test Packets are being handed out in class. Complete and return the LAST FOUR PAGES, along with the testing fee.

PACKETS ARE DUE FRIDAY

3. GET YOUR WHITE JACKET UNIFORM READY​
Saturday is a formal martial arts event. Students must wear their complete karate uniform, including the WHITE KARATE JACKET/TOP. NO T-SHIRTS.

🥋 WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO TEST?

Students who have been training since July or earlier—including new students who enrolled in July—are eligible for Saturday’s Belt Test.

Our instructors will be reviewing students throughout the week and helping them prepare.

Students should know their material and give their best effort, but we do not expect a mistake-free performance. A student can make a mistake, correct it, and keep going.

That is part of learning.

Come to class this week, pay attention, ask questions, and practice!

⭐ WANT ONE MORE LOOK? FRIDAY SPOT-CHECK — 6:00 PM

If your loved one would like an instructor to review their material one more time before Saturday, Master Williamson and other instructors will be at Starworld on Friday at 6:00 PM for optional spot checks.

This is NOT another Belt Test, and it is NOT a class.

Students can show us something they are unsure about, ask questions, or simply have an instructor look over their material and offer some final advice.

Most spot-checks take approximately 5–30 minutes, depending on what the student needs reviewed and how many students are waiting.

Parents are welcome to wait in their vehicles while we work with students. Since this is an individual review rather than a class, we'll send students back out as soon as their spot-check is complete.

If your student has a few butterflies about Saturday, Friday is a great opportunity to get some reassurance and walk into the Belt Test feeling more confident.

📋 BELT TEST PACKETS — LAST FOUR PAGES DUE FRIDAY

Parents, please take a few minutes to go through the packet with your student.

The LAST FOUR PAGES must be completed, signed where required, and returned to Starworld no later than Friday, August 21.

Please make sure you return:

• The completed and signed last four pages
• The completed Belt Test Question & Answer Sheet
• $50 Belt Test Fee per person
• Student’s name on all paperwork

Family Discount: Additional family members from the same household test for $40 each when paid together.

Please don't wait until Saturday morning. Having everything by Friday allows our staff to organize the testing paperwork before students arrive Saturday.

🪵 BOARD BREAKING REQUIREMENTS

Tiny Tigers & Little Dragons: Starworld provides their wooden breaking boards.

Students testing for Green, Brown, or Red Belt: Bring 1 pine board​
​Testing for Blue Belt: Bring 2 pine boards

Boards should be approximately 1 inch thick and cut according to age:

Age 12 & under: 6" × 12"
​Ages 13–17: 8" × 12"
​Adults 18+: 10" × 12"

⚠️ IMPORTANT — NO T-SHIRTS SATURDAY

We are emphasizing this because students have been training in T-shirts during the summer.

Belt Testing and Graduation is a FORMAL martial arts event.

Every student must wear their complete karate uniform with the WHITE KARATE JACKET/TOP.

NO T-SHIRTS FOR BELT TESTING.

Parents, please find the white karate top now, make sure it still fits, and have it clean and ready. Don't wait until Saturday morning to discover it's hiding somewhere! 😊

🏆 BELT TEST & GRADUATION — SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

St. John Paul II Catholic High School Gym​
3120 N. 137th Ave.
Avondale, AZ 85392
​Approximately one mile from Starworld Martial Arts Academy

8:30–9:45 AM — Youth & Teens Testing
​9:50 AM — Team Demonstrations
​10:05–11:05 AM — Tiny Tigers & Little Dragons Testing
​11:15 AM — Adult Testing

Please arrive approximately 10 minutes before your scheduled testing time, already dressed in full uniform and ready to begin.

👏 FAMILIES — COME CELEBRATE WITH US!

Parents and family members are encouraged to come in, watch, applaud, take pictures, and celebrate their student's accomplishment.

Saturday isn't only an examination.

It is a graduation. It is recognition of hard work. And it is a moment our students have earned.

❤️ IF YOUR CHILD HAS A FEW BUTTERFLIES...

That's okay.

One of the best things you can tell them this week is:

“You've trained for this. Trust what you've learned, listen to your instructors, and do your best. You don't have to be perfect.”

Belt testing teaches lessons that go far beyond kicking and punching:

Prepare for a goal.​
​Stand up when it's your turn.​
​Give your best effort.​
​Keep going when you make a mistake.​
​Be proud of what you accomplish.

That’s how confidence is built.

Our instructors will be working with students throughout the week, and we'll be right there encouraging them on Saturday.

Let's train hard, finish strong, and make Saturday a day our students will be proud of!

Earn It. Wear It. Live It.

Tang Soo!

Master Williamson​
Starworld Martial Arts Academy
​Character • Confidence • Courage