MyungSa Test – August 9, 2025

On Saturday August 9, five candidates tested for the title of MyungSa. To be eligible, candidates must be an adult SUSA (instructor) who is a 2nd degree (Yi Dan) or higher. The candidates for this test were, from Tarrytown, Saya Aizeki-Nevins, Amina Aizeki-Nevins, Nelson Villa, and Jennifer Nguyen, and from New Rochelle, Jonathan Flores.

Instructors and students from our Brewster martial arts location continue to benefit from the leadership development that stems from advanced rank testing such as this.

MyungSa is a rank that sits between SUSA and HyunSa. To better understand the placement, a little more detail into what MyungSa means is needed. Sa means someone who is in deep study of a subject, in this case martial arts. Myung is the growth or brightening of one’s spirit through training which heightens their internal intuition, and through study to grow and expand their ability to use their learnings to draw insights from. This twin growth of internal and external perception leads to a brightening of one’s spirit allowing them to help and guide others.

MyungSa candidates were tested on all color belt curriculum, all poomse (forms), as well as the kicking combinations. The candidates were evaluated on more than just memory. They were also evaluated on energy, focus, concentration, and confidence. The candidates performed the poomse facing different directions as they progressed. This was to assess that the candidates truly knew the forms and were not memorizing the movements based on external cues to remember which way to turn while performing the poomse.

The candidates were also tested on their ability to clearly deliver teaching instructions to students. The test focused on the white belt curriculum because being able to engage and lead new students with no experience is the most challenging level. The candidates were required to teach the entire white belt curriculum during the test, including ready stance, horseback riding stance, basic blocking, kicking stance with all basic kicks, and the white belt poomses. They needed to show the appropriate level of detail, proper demonstration, clear voice, and elevated energy for each part of the curriculum.

The final part was board breaking. Each candidate was required to show the confidence, precision, and power to break one-inch-thick boards for kicks requiring higher levels of focus and aim. These were step forward back kick, spinning roundhouse kick, and either step forward or jumping back hook kick.

Each candidate put forth their best effort and passed the test. With their new rank, they are qualified to lead classes on their own. We congratulate the new MyungSa and encourage them to take their success and use it as motivation to continue and deepen their studies.

Families interested in structured Taekwondo classes in Brewster can learn more about training at our Brewster school.

– written by: Myung Duk HyunSa (Master Drew Vanover)