This Time…Last Year

I sat down at my computer to write a blog post.

And…

Nothing.

I have no idea what to write. The holiday weekend was nice but busy. I am helping my daughter finish her science project. I attended an excellent training at the Honbu on Saturday. My Mom had a wonderful Easter dinner and it was good being around family. I am having some minor computer problems. I cannot comment on blogs (including my own) from my home computer. I tried to figure it out but no luck (Any ideas?).

Therefore, I wondered. What was I was writing about last year at this time?

I clicked back to April 2008 and read a post called An Uneasy Feeling…Remembering. At the time of that writing, I was approaching one year since my ACL injury. In the post, I am remembering and describing the events surrounding my ACL tear. I discuss my injury, diagnosis and my decision to have the surgery. I sound so sad. I even look sad in the photo.

How do I feel in April 2009?

I do not have an uneasy feeling as I approach the two-year post ACL Reconstruction milestone. In regards to my knee, I feel happy and hopeful. My knee no longer defines me. This is hard to describe but there was a time when it felt like my knee was its own entity. I would talk about “the knee” or I was asked “How’s the knee?” I can honestly report that my knee is good. I am able to practice karate, tai chi and racquetball.

My knee has assimilated itself back to its proper place. It no longer has its own identity.


For those people who are recovering from ACL surgery or have a torn ACL, I wish you good luck and a speedy recovery.

Review: Please Stop Laughing at Me

In previous posts, I discuss the impact of bullying on my nine year old daughter. You can read my Message to mean girls and When is enough...enough?. Over a year ago, I wrote how my daughter was Wiser Than Her Years.


Romilly commented on one of the posts and recommended a book by Jodee Blanco. The book is called Please Stop Laughing at Me. I followed the link to her website and spent at least 45 minutes on her site. The section that grabbed my attention was the Survival Tips For Parents. Jodee answers the question:

Is there a typical profile of a bullied child?

Yes, it is the child best described as “an old soul trapped in a young body.” This is the child who is sensitive and compassionate beyond his/her years, and usually more comfortable in the company of adults than other kids. In most cases, the harder they try to fit in at school, the more they’re singled out for abuse.

I read Jodee's answer and I felt a lump in my throat. I have often commented that my daughter is an "old soul". I bought the book at lunch and finished it before the end of the day.

I was horrified by the abuse that Jodee Blanco experienced during her school days. She was tormented from the fifth grade through high school. The abuse was verbal and physical. I was surprised at the responses by health professionals and school administrations. As I read, I found similarities between my daughter and Jodee Blanco...smart, sensitive, only child, compassionate, loves animals, treats others with kindness and respect, creative and stands up for what she believes. I am sure there are thousands of other parents reading this book only to find their child amongst the pages.

Everyone should read this book...parents, educators and health care professionals. Ultimately, it is a story of hope and strength...Jodee Blanco survived the bullying. Jodee Blanco has written a follow up book Please Stop Laughing at Us that documents her quest to prevent school bullying.

Ten Things Not to Ask a Traditional Martial Arts Instructor

1. I have been studying martial arts videos for years in my basement. What rank does that make me in your style?

2. Regarding testing. Can I test for black belt in one year? Can I double test? Skip a belt?

3. I learned a technique from a video that will make the heart race then stop. Can I try that on you?

4. Can I add a roll fall in the kata? I want to give it more pizazz.

5. I am not interested in learning kata. Can you just teach me to fight?

6. Regarding traditional weapons: Can I hollow out my bo? Can I add reflective tape? Can I use foam nunchaku for testing?

7. Can you teach my kid karate? I want to make sure that he does not get picked on. I want him to know how to beat the other kids up.

8. You are a girl. Who else is teaching?

9. What is the proper kiai for children in a tournament…yelling “kiai” or “kill”?

10. Can I buy a multi-colored gi with the words "Master Blaster Extraordinaire" embroidered in gold on the back?

This is my list of the Ten Things Not to Ask a Traditional Martial Arts Instructor. So…what do you think? Do you have any others to add to the list?

The Year that Karate was a Job

The following post describes my personal experience and opinions regarding my time as a karate instructor at a local dance studio.

In 2003, I was asked to run a karate program at a local dance studio. How I ended up teaching karate at a dance studio is a complicated, unimportant story. This program lasted one long year. I taught at my husband's dojo in addition to the dance studio. I must stress that the kids I taught at the dance studio were great. I liked the parents, too. My problem was with the location, the training space and the goals for the program.

The owner of the dance studio only had one goal. She was in business to make money. There is nothing wrong with that because she was primarily a businessperson. She had a successful dance studio but wanted more students. She wanted to find a way to get the brothers of the little ballerinas in her studio. Karate was her solution. The karate program was ours but we were paid to teach classes. Karate became a job with a set schedule, a boss and a paycheck. It only took a few weeks to figure out that this was not a good situation for me. My feelings about karate did not coincide with her business plan.

The studio was located at the second floor of the local mall. It was right next to the food court. Most parents would bring their child into the classroom then head out shopping especially since there was a Disney Store on the first floor. Some parents would stay and watch (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!). The training space was an enclosed soundproof room with windows. The few parents that stayed would watch from outside. I am used to an open training environment. I want the parents to know what I am teaching their children. The owner often scolded me because I would leave to door open slightly. When the students left the classroom, the owner would stand at the exit and ask in her sweetest artificial voice “Did you have fun?”

More often than not I was assigned to the fish bowl room. This soundproof room was in the center of the studio and had windows on two sides. People walking the mall could stop and watch. Each wall was a different bright color…purple, yellow, green and red. Inside a small trampoline was set to the front corner. Gymnastic tumbling equipment was spaced throughout the room. The room was fun and fabulous but not for teaching karate. I had to move the equipment out of the way and make a small training area. I was competing for attention with a room that had too many distractions.

The students were young…very young. My husband and I worked on creating a pre-karate program for the 3 – 4 year olds. This program focused on balance, co-ordination drills and the very basics of karate. There was no uniform or belts. The next group of kids were 5 – 6 year olds. We took the requirements for 9th kyu and broke them down into smaller pieces. Uniforms were worn and belts were earned. At the end of this program, the child was the equivalent of a 9th kyu white belt.

I want to say again that the kids were a great group. Many were disappointed when the karate program ended. Several transferred to our dojo to continue training.

The program ended because the owner of the dance studio could not fit karate into the schedule. She added dance classes because they generated more revenue. She wanted to schedule a karate class at 4:00 then 7:00. I had a toddler of my own and did not want to be away from home that long. I was glad that the program ended but with mixed feelings. I missed the students but not the studio.

I learned a lot about myself that year. Teaching young students was challenging. I needed to find unique and creative ways to convey the material. I would make up drills and games that would teach karate basics. I had to change the way I described the moves to make it easier to understand. The kids had fun and I hope they learned something too.

Brushing Off The Dust

I attended an instructor's training session at the Honbu dojo on Saturday. We worked on the open hand (21) and weapon kata (30). There were a few kata that I have not practiced since last Summer. Shocking! How is it possible that over six months have passed and I neglected to practice several kata? Easy!

Most of my dojo time is spent as a class instructor. I teach beginner and advanced students. The highest kyu rank students are 2nd kyu brown. The students are working on Pinan Godan, Seisan, Odo No Tunfa Ni, Suiyoshi Nokun Ichi and Odo No Nunchaku. In addition to kata, we are working on bunkai, drills, and sparring. There never seems to be enough time. Every once in a while I take my kama, eiku or tekkos off the wall and practice.

Finding time for my own practice is challenging. Although I have immediate access to training space, I rarely get a chance for independent practice. The last kata we practiced on Saturday was Gojushiho Ichi. This kata needed more than a light dusting. Gojushiho Ichi is the kata I practice the least. It is a cool kata but it is one of those kata. I learned it at a training camp. I forgot it. I re-learned it. I forgot it...again. I had to know it for testing. I learned it and it went on a shelf to collect dust. We went through the kata a few times before it felt...o.k. Barely o.k.

Inevitably, I left the training session wanting to work harder.

Is their a kata/weapon/drill that you do not practice often? Do you have one of those kata? How do you find time for independent practice?

Pictures on the Wall

I spent all day yesterday at a training session at the Federation Honbu. I left the event exhausted, grateful and feeling incredibly lucky. During a small break, I took the opportunity to look at the posters and pictures on the wall. Inspiring teachers, history, friends, memories and events are depicted throughout the dojo. I have looked at the photos many times over the course of my training. Each time I am at the Honbu, I make sure to walk around the dojo and take everything in.

I have wonderful instructors and I am so glad to be part of the Federation.

I am having some computer issues. I can not leave comments on my own blog (only on my home computer) and have yet to figure out why. Thanks for the recent comments and I will respond soon.

Martial Connections

Tuesday night is my Tai Chi class at the gym. Tuesday is a karate night at the dojo. Last night before I left for Tai Chi, I was popping in and out of the dojo. I was checking our computer and running the latest virus scan due to impending release of the conficker worm. This worm was first seen November 2008 but the payload is scheduled for April 1st.

In karate class, the group was sparring. The focus of the first part of class was sparring footwork. The group kept asking me to join in but I was getting ready to leave for Tai Chi. I told the group that we will work on sparring again tonight. I was about to leave and a drill caught my attention. We usually start sparring with two feet of space between opponents and each person in his or her fighting stance. The class instructor was having the students begin their exchanges in a different way. They were starting close together, two hands up on guard and connected. I can see this drill progressing to grabs and take downs from this position. I wanted to give this a try but I glanced at the clock and it was time for me to leave.

Twenty minutes later...I was at Tai Chi class. There were two new students in class. The instructor reviewed the basics and had us go through the first section of the Yang long form. It was a great class because in the first section, I can focus more on moving from the dantien which is the physical center of gravity. The class has been working on the second and third section of the form. I am happy when I can just follow along in sections two and three. At the end of class, we worked on pushing hands. I watched the instructor and the senior student push hands. As they moved, there was a moment when their body position looked similar to the karate students at the dojo. Their hands were up and connected.

After class, I talked to the Tai Chi instructor about the karate drill. (I am fortunate because the Tai Chi instructor has training in Kenpo and Tai Kwon Do. Every once in a while, he will talk about his martial arts background. I found out that a major influence in his Tai Chi was Grandmaster Jou Tsung Hwa. My instructor attended seminars held at the Tai Chi Farm in Warwick, NY.) I mentioned that I saw similarities in the body position but remarkable differences in the approach. In the karate students, the weight distribution was heavy on the back foot. The students would cut angles and execute their technique. In Tai Chi class, I saw the instructor redirect the force and sink his weight. Both approaches were effective...but different.

Very cool!!! Of course, I had to try this at home. I worked on the technique with my husband. It is nice to be able to walk up to someone and say "Can I borrow your arm?" and they know exactly what I mean.