In our dojo, we offer a few weeks of introductory lessons for potential students. We want the student and/or parents to experience a typical karate class. We want parents to meet the instructors and learn about our teaching philosophy. During the introductory period, the potential student attends class in street clothes. They usually wear shorts or sweatpants depending on the season.
Once the decision is made to sign up for lessons, we determine what size uniform to order. We always fit the jacket because the pants are almost always too long. There are times when we have to order uniforms because we do not have a specific size in stock.
Last night, I handed out three new karate uniforms. There is something special about the first karate uniform. The look on the kids faces was priceless as they were handed their gi. They were so excited. They stepped on the dojo floor with their heads held high.
Do you remember the first time you wore a gi?
Update...What's Going On?
I am finally feeling better!
Last week was crazy because I had to buy a car. It was not something I planned and was definitely not in my budget. I have been dealing with a cursed car since 2008. I do not like dealing with car salesmen. I researched several cars and contacted dealerships. I reviewed the article Car Dealer Tricks, Strategies, Scams and Tactics. One dealership pulled all the tricks over the phone. I told the sales manager I would not set foot in his lot to be bombarded by the sales team and limited time deals.
I was able to practice karate last Thursday for the first time in two weeks. We ended up spending 45 minutes discussing a U-Punch. The discussion was prompted by the kata Passai. Good times! :)
6 comments:
Hi, Michele. Sounds like you've had a very busy week. How are you liking your new car?
My first gi was memorable because I had the hardest time with the obi. It challenged me to no end! No matter how many times I tried it, my know never looked as crisp and neat as anyone else's. I felt like an absolute idiot. I finally figured it out in time to advance to 8th kyu - which meant a stripe was added to my white belt - which meant I had to figure out which side it needed to start on to end up on the correct side. It was a mess!
But I think you are right about that first gi being something special. It seems like many a student not only looks a little sharper in his/her gi, but stands a little straighter, puts a little more umph into stances and forms - all that. Yeah - we see it, too, and it's pretty cool :-)
That should say "my KNOT..." - gheesh...
Felicia: Thanks for commenting. The belt is a challenge. We have belt tying sessions for the beginners. My husband is pretty strict on how the knot is supposed to look. He ends up re-tying the younger students belt.
The new car is great but it makes me a bit nervous. Our other car has been in the garage for over a week with a check engine light on. I am crossing my fingers.
My first uniform was actually not all that special to me--it was one of those super-cheap, super-thin things that made me look sickly (I'm tall and somewhat thin). My second uniform, on the other hand, was my first GOOD uniform (Tokaido) and I still use it, 4 years later. It didn't hang limply off my shoulders and it gave me the feeling of being bigger and stronger than I was, plus the heavy fabric snapped really well when I worked full speed.
Hi Noah. Nice to hear from you! I hope all is well.
Thanks Michele! I've been out of the dojo for way too long, and the sporadic judo training I've been doing since I moved out to AZ just wasn't cutting it. I'm really happy to be back in a karate dojo, where I belong :P
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