Karate

Tuesday, November 3 – Today in karate we were told that there would be a belt test on Tuesday, November 18 and that today the instructors would be deciding who was ready to go to the test. We stretched for a while but not as long as usual because the instructors wanted as much time as they could get to decide who would be testing. So they quizzed us on all the things we were suppose to know for the next test. This included wrist grabs, one steps, and most importantly forms. We started with wrist grabs and went through them together as a class to make sure everyone was caught up on what they should know. Then we did the same with the one steps. I did fine with both these things because I knew mine pretty well. However I had more difficulty with the form. But I asked my instructor to help me understand the moves involved and I had it down by the end of the class.

Saturday, November 7 – Today we were told that those of us who were eligible for the next test would be given a form at the end of the class. I was nervous that I might not get one and I stayed nervous all through class. This made it difficult to focus on what we were doing. We stretched out and then we repeated what we had done in the previous class to help us prepare for the test. We did all our wrist grabs, one steps, and forms together as a class, though I was still nervous and did not do very well. But at the end of class I was still given form to sill out for the test and I was very happy that I was eligible.

Tuesday, November 10 – Today we were told that for the next week we would spend our time preparing for the test. We stretched out and then we were broken up into partners and told to practice our one steps. A few times we switched partners so that we could see how other people did their steps and practice on people of all different sizes. We did this same routine with our wrist grabs and we were encouraged to help each other execute the moves correctly. I was able to help my partner bend the wrist in a more affective way and they helped me to understand how close I should be to the person I was attacking because if I was too far away I my moves would not be very affective. It was interesting to see how differently each person executed their moves. Then, for the rest of class we practiced our forms alone.

Saturday, November 14 – Today is the last karate class before testing so we were told that those of us taking the test would get extra attention today. In fact the lower ranks, including me, were teamed up with a black belt for the whole class to critique the moves we had to do for the test. We started with forms and my black belt said that the only real problem with me form was that I was not twisting my boy enough and therefore my moves were a little stiff. He showed me how to be more flexible in my movement and I felt that my form was immensely improved. Then we worked on wrist grabs and one steps and my black said I had them down just fine.

Tuesday, November 18 – Today was the test and I am very happy to say that I succeeded in earning another rank for my karate belt. I now have a purple stripe on my belt and I am more than half way to reaching black belt. At the end of the test the instructor gave a speech about how this test represented a new stage of maturity for us and how he hoped we would use some of the ethical lessons we had learned in class to deal wit the real world. I thought that I would always consider my actions in life before perusing them. This was a very important test to me because it will be my last test before I am done with karate for this school year.

Saturday, November 21 – Today there was no karate class because of black belt testing.

Tuesday, November 25 – Today we were able to take things easy because we had just had a test. So after we stretched we had some fun with an exercise in kicking. The instructor put on a mouth guard and held the body pad over hi front while the rest of the class lined up and did their best to knock is over with different typed of kicks. I did very well because kicking is one of my strong points because I am good at throwing my weight into a kick to make it more powerful. I was one of the few people who was able to knock the instructor over and I was very proud of that. After this we spent some time on wrist grabs but we were able to do challenge each other with surprise grabs to see if we could get out of them. It was very enjoyable.

Saturday, November 28 – Today we began class by stretching and we spent an extra long time on it because we were told we would be working on balance today. We did some new stretches that stretched different muscles in our bodies to make sure we were loose enough to do the balancing exercises. I was glad we stretched that long because it is always easier to balance yourself when you are more flexible. Then we tried the various balance exercises, I found it difficult at first to maintain my balance one foot and I fell over many times. We were shown how to position our center of gravity in each exercise to keep our balance more easily. By the end of the class I was able to maintain my position without much difficulty at all.

Tuesday, December 2 – Today I could not make it to Karate because I was having an interview with MIT.

Saturday, December 5 – Today we began class with some stretching and we did pus ups and crunches. It was time to introduce the new material to be learned for those of us who had been in the last test which included me. We learned new wrist grabs, one steps, and a new form. We started with the wrist grabs and I found my new one very easy to do. Then we tried the new one steps and I had a little trouble balancing for the kick in mine at first, but I remembered the trick to balancing from the last class and I was able to apply it to execute the move correctly. Finally we moved to our new forms and I was very excited for mine. I really enjoyed learning the new form and I had it internalized by the end of the class.

Tuesday, December 8 – Today was my last day of karate class for this school year and I was happy to find that everyone said they would miss me in class. A few people even gave me hugs and the instructor said I could come back for a class whenever I wanted. It felt very nice to be a part of a group that felt like a family to me. We did the normal routine for the rest of the class. We began with stretching and then broke off into partners and worked on our wrist grabs. Then we moved to one steps and finally to our forms for the remainder of the class. I felt that I had accomplished a lot by taking these karate classes and it really helped my self esteem. I am very grateful I was able to make karate apart of my life.