Kickstarting an Engineering Project

This summer, while training for an international Taekwondo competition, I noticed a small but frustrating problem: the wooden boards we used for our performances wouldn’t stay in place. We had to tape them to flimsy extenders before every practice, which wasted time and sometimes failed when in use. Instead of ignoring the issue, I treated it like an engineering challenge. I designed custom board extenders in SolidWorks, a computer-aided design (CAD) program, and fabricated them with a 3D printer. What began as a small fix for training turned into a set of lessons about how to start and sustain a project—lessons any engineering student can apply.

Why Start a Project?

Starting a personal project can feel intimidating, especially when you don’t know where to begin. But you don’t need a fully formed plan or expensive resources to make it work; just curiosity and a problem worth solving. Personal projects let you apply classroom knowledge in real situations while teaching what assignments often can’t: working through setbacks, balancing trade-offs, and sticking with an idea until it’s finished.

For engineering students, these projects aren’t just hobbies. They can grow into evidence of your skills, interview talking points, or even real-world solutions that improve how people live and work. Most importantly, they prove that you can take an idea from frustration to solution. For me, that idea came from something simple: fixing a piece of training equipment.

The best project ideas don’t always come from textbooks or labs. They often come from everyday annoyances. A good way to start is to ask yourself: What keeps getting in my way? What tool could I make better? My answer appeared during preparation for the 2025 Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Hanmadang Competition. Our team had to tape boards to weak board extenders for our acrobatics and high kicks, which was a clumsy and time-consuming process that sometimes failed mid-practice. It wasn’t a major problem, but it slowed training and hurt performance. That was enough to make me treat it like an engineering challenge.

Designing and Iterating

I started with the tools I knew best: CAD modeling in SolidWorks and 3D printing. The first prototypes looked fine on screen but failed in practice—grips were uncomfortable, prints warped under heat, and some designs took far too long to produce. Each failure forced an adjustment—sanding edges, experimenting with infill, and tweaking tolerances.

Refining the design depended on more than just my own testing. In addition to my teammates, members of other competition teams helped me test the designs. They kicked boards attached to the extenders, exposed weak points, and pointed out flaws I wouldn’t have noticed alone. With their feedback, I improved the design until it was durable, comfortable, and reliable. I experimented with different infill patterns to balance material use with durability, adjusted dimensions for a more secure grip, and filleted or reshaped edges to reduce impact in case a kicker struck the extender. That process showed me something important: iteration isn’t a setback, it’s progress. Every prototype, even the broken ones, moved the design closer to the final solution.

And just as importantly, I learned that collaboration accelerates learning. Don’t hesitate to ask for input from classmates, professors, or anyone familiar with the tools you’re using. What feels like a small question can save hours of trial and error. Engineering rarely happens alone, and seeking help doesn’t take away from the work—it makes it stronger.

Showcasing Results

By the time of the competition, the extenders were ready for their biggest test. At the Kukkiwon World Hanmadang, my team used them during team demonstrations, and every board supported by our custom extenders was successfully broken, performing consistently under intense kicks. Our team placed first in the Arirang Division (19+ age category) and third in the Elite Division (all ages). Beyond the medals, it was rewarding to see the extenders perform flawlessly under competition conditions. Watching a design I built in SolidWorks succeed on an international stage showed me how far a small idea can go when you see it through.

For students starting their own projects, success doesn’t have to mean winning medals. It could be as simple as solving an everyday problem, refining a prototype, or figuring out a solution that works. What matters most is proving to yourself that you can turn an idea into reality. Along the way, your work might inspire someone else to start their own project.

Main Takeaways

Looking back, this project wasn’t just about Taekwondo. It was about proving to myself that I could take a problem from frustration to functional design. I learned lessons that extend far beyond one competition.

The best projects start with real problems. Everyday frustrations can be powerful sources of inspiration if you’re curious enough to fix them. Once you find that spark, use the tools you already know and don’t wait until you’re an expert to begin. Progress doesn’t come from having the perfect plan; it comes from taking the first step and adjusting along the way.

Failure became part of my process. Each broken prototype taught me something new about design and persistence. Iteration isn’t wasted effort; it’s how good ideas take shape. Collaboration also made all the difference, since  involving  others  revealed blind spots I could never have seen alone and turned the project into something stronger.

Most importantly, I learned to share my results. Whether a project succeeds or struggles, putting your work out there can motivate others to start something of their own. Engineering isn’t only about solving textbook problems; it’s about applying creativity and persistence to the real world. For me, that meant blending Taekwondo with 3D printing. For you, it might mean improving a club activity, fixing an everyday annoyance, or chasing an idea you can’t stop thinking about. Whatever it is, the best way to start a project is simple: just begin.

Custom board extenders, fabricated in different sizes to meet the needs for a mid flip board breaking at the 2025 Kukkiwon World Hanmadang. Photo By @kukkiwon_official on Instagram.