Golden Hands

09/17/2026

WEEK 7 — TRIALS OF THE HERO ⚔️☀️

We back with another episode!

The week’s theme was Trials of the Hero: learning to use our skills under pressure, developing perseverance, and discovering what happens when things get uncomfortable.

And we definitely put that into practice!

We explored the Austin Central Library with a scavenger hunt, games, plenty of wandering through its amazing floors, and lunch outside on the deck. Then we hopped back on the Golden Hands bus and headed to Barton Springs Pool for a refreshing post-lunch swim.

Easily one of the favorite field trips of the summer. Our kids really do love to learn… especially when learning ends with jumping into Barton Springs!!

Back at training, we took our Tang Soo Do and standing meditation practice outdoors. Working outside in the Texas summer tested our students’ Ineh (endurance and perseverance).

Music brought its own challenge as we practiced improvisation, changing tempos, listening, and adapting on the glockenspiels.

We wrapped up with Wheels Day, a hilarious game of “Can Sa Bom Nim Holt Guess Your Voice?” and one of the best songs we could have possibly chosen for this theme:

“I’m Still Standing” by Elton John. 🎶

The hero isn’t the person who never struggles. It’s the one who keeps showing up and going!

martialarts peacefulwarriors

09/17/2026

WEEK 6 — SHADOW TRAINING 🌑🥋

We’re finally catching up on a few of our summer camp memories, and looking back at these photos has us seriously missing the energy, adventures, and beautiful chaos of summer. ☀️

Week 6 was our short four-day week leading into Nationals, but we still packed it full!

Our theme was Shadow Training: Mastering the Self: exploring solace, space, restraint, and self-awareness. Shadow work isn’t about finding everything “bad” within ourselves. It’s learning to notice the parts we avoid, hide, or react from, then understanding them well enough to choose our response with greater intention.

Rain canceled Rattan Creek, so we adapted and headed to Austin Ninjas, where the kids climbed, jumped, problem-solved, and challenged themselves in all kinds of ways.

The staff may have challenged themselves too. 😂

And because every Golden Hands camp week needs music, the students voted on and learned “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears — somehow the perfect soundtrack for a week about control, awareness, and mastering ourselves.

Missing these summer days. ❤️

“Surprising things will happen when you meet your opponent” and sometimes our greatest opponent — and greatest teacher is ourselves.

mindfulmartialarts peacefulwarriors

09/11/2026

MUSIC LAB: PART 3 — INTO THE STUDIO 🎙️✨

5 days of listening, learning, rehearsing and creating led to this…

Friday morning, we loaded the van and headed to Purple Bee for our first-ever Golden Hands Music Lab recording session!

Our young musicians stepped inside a professional studio (watching their faces light up when we walked in was my favorite part) and recorded THREE tracks—two covers and one original song created during camp. 🎹🥁🎸🎤 

They learned what happens behind the scenes of a real recording session, experienced the patience and focus it takes to capture a performance, learned DonkToss 😂, and got a glimpse into an entirely different side of making music.

And after 6 hours in the studio? We celebrated right down the road from the studio… at Volente Beach. 🌊

Our first Music Lab was an experiment in creativity, courage, collaboration and community, and watching these students grow into a band over the course of one week was something special.

The recordings are currently being mixed and mastered, and we cannot wait to let you hear what they created!

Year One is officially in the books. Music Lab will be back, and we’re already imagining bigger for Summer 2027. 🎶

09/09/2026

NATIONALS 2026 — PART 2: SPARRING ⚡🥋

Sparring day brought plenty of surprises.

Some students who don’t normally love sparring stepped onto the mat, took a chance, and surprised themselves. There were wins, tough matches, close calls, and a whole lot of learning.

We also had our first Men’s Team Sparring debut with KSN Sparsh Palankar, KSN Murphy Sasser, and Mr. Abhinav Kumar! As a team, I couldn’t have imagined a better attitude: focused, supportive, composed, and ready to rise to whatever calls.

People think tournaments are only about performance…They’re also one of our greatest teachers.

A loss is only a loss if you leave without learning from it. Otherwise, it’s preparation for the next round. 🔥

09/09/2026

Our Golden Hands family grew by one! 💙

Congratulations to our wonderful staff member and counselor, Mr. Z (Zachary Sherman), on the birth of his baby boy, Javari Jeremai Sherman!

Mr. Z brings so much patience, kindness, protection, and heart to our students, and we know he’s going to be an incredible father.

We’ve created a GoFundMe for anyone who would like to support him and Baby Javari during this beautiful new chapter. Any little bit, prayer, share, or word of encouragement means a lot. ❤️

Our Golden Hands family has something beautiful to celebrate! Our w… Holly Holt needs your support for Welcome Baby Javari: Support Mr. Z and Family

09/03/2026

NATIONALS 2026 — PART 1: FORMS 🔥🥋

Friday was all about forms + team forms, and what a show it was!! Definitely my favorite day by far.

I had the honor of performing Yong Hyung Cho Dan publicly for the first time — a form created by Master Richard Kopf (K-1) of the Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan. Its history and symbolism are something I’ll keep learning from and continued to be inspired by for years to come.

Our color belt team forms were a HUGE hit:
🟠 The 4 Peaceful Warriors
🟢 The Wavy Greens + The 3 Green Beans
🔴 The Flaming Ninjas + The Elements

And our Black Belt teams:
⚫ The Golden Three
⚫ The Golden Sun Trinity
⚫ The Golden R.A.T.

So proud of the work, creativity and courage every team brought to the event!! I can’t tell you that now (after 2 months…the experience has made them skyrocket!)

Oh… and Golden Hands team, The Golden Three took 1st place in Team Forms for the THIRD year in a row, officially retiring the cup. 🏆🏆🏆

Not a bad way to kick off Nationals.

08/22/2026

🥋 BLACK BELT PROMOTION | JULY 7

A little overdue, but some moments deserve their place on the timeline.

In July, we celebrated 4 new Black Belts, 6 new 2nd Dans, and one student stepping into Kyo Sa Nim — Certified Instructor. Years of training represented in one room.

It’s always an honor to learn from my instructor, Master Ben Johnson. Some stories I’ve heard many times and somehow they still land differently. And every now and then, he surprises us with one we’ve never heard before. That’s the Moo Do Way…the longer you walk it, the deeper it gets.

Our promotees shared powerful demonstrations, then we closed the evening the Golden Hands way: community, laughter, food, and music. 🎶

To our next group preparing for the October Black Belt Test: watch closely. Your turn is coming. Keep training. 🔥

Moo Do isn’t a destination. It’s a way of life.

08/19/2026

MUSIC LAB: PART 1 — PREPARE THE INSTRUMENT 🎶

Before we ever picked up an instrument, we started with the instrument we carry everywhere: the body and mind.

Our first-ever Golden Hands Music Lab began with movement, light stretching, Yi Chuan standing meditation, singing bowls, breathing techniques, intonation and vocal syllable exercises. We learned how awareness, listening and relaxation affects the music we create.

And because rhythm should never be boring…we finished with Jump Bands, using full-body movement to feel the pulse of a song. …call it “band bonding…” 😂🎵

Music is not all about playing the right notes. It’s about learning to listen, move, breathe and become present and open enough to create something beautiful together.

This was only the beginning…I couldn’t think of a better way to start my mornings! Stay tuned for Part 2: Becoming a Band 🎸🥁🎹

07/31/2026

✨ Week 5: The Clan ✨

What better way to end Session 1 than by writing our very own song? 🎶 Our campers collaborated to create “Champions of Light,” celebrating friendship, courage, and the community we’re building together. From a day at Barton Springs and music around the “campfire” with ukulele and hand drums, this week reminded us that the greatest adventures happen when we collaborate together.

Here’s to a summer filled with creativity, kindness, and becoming champions of light. 💛

07/25/2026

🏆 GOLDEN HANDS NATIONALS RECAP 🏆

What a beautiful tournament, an incredible turnout, and an unforgettable experience for our Golden Hands family!

Our students returned from the All Tang Soo Do National Championships with:

🥇 26 Gold Medals
🥈 26 Silver Medals
🥉 17 Bronze Medals

That is 69 medal finishes, along with two Grand Champions!

🏆 Ko Dan Ja Women’s Grand Champion: SBN Holly Holt
🏆 Adult Forms Grand Champion: Mr. Abhinav Kumar

Our team forms competitors also made Golden Hands history:

🥇 The Golden Three
Bhavyaranjan Sinha, KSN Sparsh Palankar, and Mr. Abhinav Kumar
Their first-place performance officially retired the Dan Team Forms National Cup after three consecutive National Championship victories!

🥇 The Wavy Greens — Green Belt Forms Team
🥇 The 4 Peaceful Warriors — Orange Belt Forms Team

🥈 The Flaming Ninjas — Red Belt Forms Team
🥈 The 3 Green Beans — Green Belt Forms Team

🥉 The Elements — Red Belt Forms Team

Every single one of our Gup team forms groups placed. Each team filled the room with confidence, unity, and some of the strongest performances we have ever seen from them!!

Medal Breakdown by Rank:

⚪🟠 White & Orange Belts
🥇 3 | 🥈 2 | 🥉 2

🟢 Green Belts
🥇 6 | 🥈 8 | 🥉 2

🔴 Red Belts
🥇 6 | 🥈 6 | 🥉 7

⚫ Black Belts
🥇 8 | 🥈 8 | 🥉 4

Beyond the medals, I am most proud of the character our students displayed. They supported one another, remained attentive, handled victories with humility, and treated difficult moments as opportunities to learn. 💪🏼

Some students competed at Nationals for the very first time. Others stepped into new divisions, performed unfamiliar forms, or faced strong opponents in the ring. Every one of them returned with more experience, greater confidence, and a clearer understanding of where the next stage of training can take them. 💛🙏🏼

Throughout the weekend, instructors, families, competitors, and senior masters continually approached us to praise our students and our school. That recognition belongs to this entire community….to the students who train, the families who support them, and the instructors who continue pouring their knowledge and hearts into the next generation.

We are incredibly proud, but the training never stops! Many students were back Monday night after Nationals!

Sometimes winning is winning. Sometimes losing is also winning, depending upon what we choose to learn from the experience.

Congratulations, Golden Hands! I’m so incredibly be proud to be your SBN. Let’s carry this energy, connection, and encouragement forward!🥋💛

(Videos to come soon!)

Full Nationals results: https://www.tsdmgk.com/2026-nationals-results