On Sunday, June 26^th, Metairie resident, Todd Huddleston, was promoted to the rank of 8^th Degree Black Belt by the World General Tang Soo Do General Federation in South Korea following a formal testing.

Huddleston, who started training in the martial arts in 1978 with his father and brother, was tested on kicking and striking applications, defensive and offensive movements, self defense theory and martial arts philosophy. He was also given an oral examination, and required to submit a research paper on the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do.

"What made the test difficult was the fact I wasn't quite sure what was going to be asked of me. At this level, I could have been asked to do anything and been expected to know it perfectly. If not, I would have not passed. The testing committee looks at things in black and white that way," says Huddleston.

Huddleston currently runs the Yonsei Martial Arts Academy which he started in 1999 after returning from Korea. Huddleston moved there after graduating from Northwestern State University in 1991. In addition to being promoted, Huddleston was also asked to be the federation's representative in Louisiana.

"It was a real honor when asked to represent my home state", commented Huddleston.