Green Belt!!

I earned my green belt last week! It was a long test, three hours with only a few seconds here and there for water. So it was pretty much non-stop. And all my Senpai (teachers and partners) pushed me pretty dang hard. I was exhausted at the end, but I had my green belt so I was very happy.

For those who don't know, green belt is in the intermediate levels, so I'm no longer in the 'junior' ranks. I'll be learning how to take someone down, be taken down, roll and fall without injuring myself, defend against a knife attack, and so much more. Basically, it's taking everything I've learned up to this point and bringing it to a new level. I'm SO excited!

Here are some pictures from the test. Enjoy!

Spirit Challenge Week: Soul Survivor

Last week, I posted video of the board breaking events during Spirit Challenge week at Thousand Waves. Today, I've got pictures and video of the Soul Survivor event.

In the past, this event has consisted of a bunch of people getting together and doing lots of fitness challenges, like push ups and sit ups and who knows what else, and the last person standing is the 'Soul Survivor.' This year, it was different. We divided up into teams of four. Here's my team.

We went to the beach, and then basically ran something like a fitness obstacle course. I had no idea how much running was going to be involved, and, frankly, I'm glad I didn't know because I would have chickened out. :) I hate running. I mean, I hate running. And the event was pretty much all running.

First, we ran from a big hill all the way to the beach (I have no idea how far that was, but it felt like an eternity--and running on the sand was killer), where we put a PVC pipe on our shoulders and did lunges in the water. Then we ran back to the hill (aka 'home base') and did 25 push ups. Then, we ran back to the beach and held horse stance (kind of a low squat) while the person in the back crawled under everyone else until they became the first person in line.

We had to do that for a good stretch along the sand. Then, we ran back to home base to do 50 sit ups.

Next, we ran up the hill carrying a car tire, passing it off to the next team member at specified places until we were back to where we started.

Then we ran back to home base and did 10 partner-plank-high-fives: two people holding plank position facing each other, then you slap hands low, middle, and high. Both hands for each level, which counts as one...we did ten of those.

After that, we had to tie our legs together and walk for a good stretch along the grass. Then we came back and held a V-sit for one minute (sit on your butt,  then raise your feet to head level while keeping your legs straight--from the side, you look like the letter V).

The last thing we did was a relay race up the hill, gathering bandanas which we had to tie together and pass off to the next team member. When we had them all, we had to run up the hill and back down as a team, then back to home base.

This whole thing was a timed event, and the two fastest teams faced off in a 'Tug of Peace' (Thousand Waves is all about violence prevention, hence the renaming from tug of war). The team who won the Tug of Peace is the Soul Survivor team.

Guess who won? My team!! I thought my running was going to slow everyone down, but apparently not. We took second place in the timed event, but then won the Tug of Peace. So we're the Soul Survivor champions for 2012! Woohoo!

I could barely walk the next day from all that running, but it was so worth it. :)

Here's a video of all the Soul Survivor events, and pretty much everyone who participated, if you'd like to see it. There's a map of our obstacle course, and the Tug of Peace is at the end. Enjoy!

Spirit Challenge Week: Board Breaking

Last week, I posted pictures from a couple of the Spirit Challenge events at my dojo, Thousand Waves. Today, I've got a video to share from the board-breaking event. This was my first time breaking, and it was quite the experience... Lots of fun, and I broke four boards! :)

My kids shot the video, so that's why the angle is so low (and why some of it is a bit shaky). But I think they did a pretty good job, so here you go.

And here is a video of those who have been breaking for years and are quite good at it. The challenge this year was to blindfold those breaking, arrange the people holding the boards around the room, then remove the blindfold. The person breaking has 30 seconds to basically run around the room and break as many boards as possible. There are some really amazing breaks, and I think fun was had by all. So here's a video if you'd like to watch it. Side note: it's about fifteen minutes long. :) Enjoy!

Spirit Challenge Week!

Spirit Challenge week at my dojo, Thousand Waves, has come and gone. And I'm happy to say that they exceeded their fundraising goal! Which means that they can keep doing all their violence prevention programs. Woohoo!!

For me, Spirit Challenge week was quite challenging! Instead of regular class, we did fitness challenges. Some were class-like, but longer and more strenuous. Others were completely different, and even more strenuous. :)

Here's some photos of the first two events: Karate Boot Camp and Kata Endurance (and, yes, they were exactly how the titles sound :) )

Next week, I'll post a video from the board-breaking event. At which, I broke four boards!!

Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center

As you all probably know, my kids and I train in Seido Karate. I just earned my advanced yellow belt, and this weekend my kids will test for their green belts. We're all really excited!

Our dojo is called Thousand Waves, and it's amazing. I'm biased, of course, but I'm convinced it's one of the most welcoming communities ever. The environment is nurturing (NOT to be confused with coddling, cause they don't...at all), which provides people with a safe place to venture out of their comfort zones. This is the perfect recipe for building confidence and empowerment.

Before Oldest started training, he was painfully shy. At seven years old, he couldn't even make eye contact with strangers, let alone speak to them. In fact, on his first day at the dojo, his teacher actually asked if he was capable of speech(!).

This shyness hindered him in so many ways. He had difficulty making friends, joining new classes and groups in activities, and he was often on the outside looking in. All because he was too scared to take that first step toward connecting with other kids.

Part of the curriculum at Thousand Waves is learning how to speak up, that your voice counts and you have every right to use it. It's two of their Five Fingers of Self-Defense: Think, Yell, Run, Fight, Tell. Through consistent training and encouragement from his teachers, Oldest has acquired the confidence to use his voice, both to make new friends and to set limits with existing ones. He's almost a different kid than he was a year ago, so much happier and easy-going, and he's enjoying life so much more. A huge, new door has been opened for him.

When Youngest was in junior kindergarten, one of his classmates tried to shut him in his locker. Yes, junior kindergarten!! Thousand Waves gave him a whole set of tools to deal with this bully, and there hasn't been an incident since.

This is why I train there. This is why I believe Thousand Waves is worthy of support. They have given me and my family far more than I could ever give in return, but I will do my best to try.

Mine is not the only family they have touched. Thousand Waves has several violence prevention programs, which they bring to to schools and neighborhood organizations. They have an Adapted Seido Karate program for kids with disabilities, which has no fees for those kids who train. They also have a scholarship fund, which ensures that anyone who wants to can train in karate, and have access to the many Thousand Waves programs.

For an organization to do as much as this one does, they need help. They are a not-for-profit, and all of their scholarship funds come from their annual Spirit Challenge fundraiser. This includes the Adapted Seido Karate program for disabled kids. I have pledged to do my part this year. In addition to donating, I have signed up for four fitness challenges. These events take place all week from Monday, June 11 through Sunday, June 17. I've also pledged to raise $200, which will go toward keeping their fabulous programs going.

If Thousand Waves sounds like an organization you'd like to see thriving, I would love your help in reaching my goal. You can make a donation here, of whatever amount you like. Every little bit counts--"One wave can set a thousand in motion."

Advanced Yellow Belt!

I earned my advanced yellow belt last week! I was worried I wasn't going to be able to because I tweaked my knee slightly last sunday. But all was well, and I made it through the 3 (ish) hour test. :) Here are some pictures.

Yellow Belt Test

This blog is sorely neglected, I know. I have so many great things to share, but not enough time to share them. I'm planning to set aside one day a week for it, though, so hopefully it won't be months between updates. :)

Anyway, in the past four months, I've earned both my advanced blue belt and my yellow belt. I don't have photos of my advanced blue belt test, but here's some photos from my yellow belt test. Enjoy!

I'm in the middle

Again, in the middle



 



Everyone I tested with.



Blue Belt Test

Back in April, I joined a dojo in my neighborhood. I've always wanted to learn a martial art, ever since I was a kid. But it never worked out, and as I got older it was easy to shrug it off.

Then I had to have knee surgery. That scared the crap out of me, mostly because my body has never given out on me before and there's still lots I want to do. I realized that if I never tried to learn a martial art, I would seriously regret it. So, I signed up to learn karate as soon as my doctor and physical therapist gave me the go-ahead. This was back in April.

A few weeks ago, my teachers asked me to test for my blue belt! I was so excited, and I felt ready, so I agreed. And I passed! Here are some pictures.

Blue Belts!

My kids got their blue belts in karate last Saturday!

They are so happy. Their test was quite the challenge, but not because of the material--all the kids knew their stuff. If they didn't, then they wouldn't have been invited to test. The challenge was that there were so many kids there! I'm guessing around fifty, all between the ages of five and eight. There were four different ranks, and the groups of kids got smaller as the ranks got higher. The two largest groups were the two lowest ranks, which is where my kids were.

The teachers did a great job of managing all of them, but, really, it was like herding cats. They had a mind to go in all different directions, and keeping them on the same track took a lot of effort. If I'd been running this event, I'd have needed a nap immediately afterward. :)

Out of the twenty or so in my kids' group, I'm guessing there's only two who've truly been bitten by the karate bug. They're the ones who will continue on to the higher ranked belts. They're always so focused on the teachers, doing exactly what they've been told, and trying as hard as they absolutely can to get their technique right. There isn't an ounce of laziness or tiredness in their training.

Oldest is one of those kids, and a six-year-old girl is the other. Youngest tries hard, listens, and trains to the best of his ability, but he doesn't have the focus that Oldest and this other girl have. I wouldn't be surprised if he lost interest down the road. Then again, he's surprised me with much bigger things, so maybe this will be another one. :)

In the mean time, though, they're thrilled about getting their blue belts. They even slept with the actual belt Saturday night. :)

But I Don't Want To!!

Both the boys started karate last month, and it was quite the convoluted beginning.

When I asked them if they wanted to try karate, Youngest said no. But then he heard Oldest say yes, and he changed his mind. "Mommy, I'll just try it. Okay? I'll try."

I said okay, and signed them both up for a trial class. That way, if one or both of them didn't like it, we could walk away and not worry about losing any money. Well, when the trial day came, we walked into the dojo and Youngest started pulling on my arm and wailing. "Mommy, I don't want to do karate! I don't wanna!" I told him he didn't have to, but for some reason he didn't hear me and kept wailing over and over again that he didn't want to do this. I finally had to take him to a corner, get down on my knees, and put my face a few inches from his.

Me: Hey, sweetie, look at me! No one is going to make you do karate. If you want to do it, you can. But you don't have to. Okay?
Youngest: (surprise all over his face) Oh. Okay.

We went to the classroom, and I fully expected Youngest to be sitting next to me the whole time. But then the teacher led the kids in a few laps around the room to warm up, and the next thing I knew Youngest was running right there with him. He passed by me, smiling and waving, and kept going. When the teacher lined up the kids to start training, he lined up, too, and went through all the kicks, punches, and blocks just like everyone else.

When class was over, he ran up to me practically yelling "Karate is the best thing in the whole world! Can we do it again right now?"
I just stared at him. I mean, seriously?? We went through that whole tantrum, in public, for this?
The teacher heard him and chuckled, then explained the karate was over for the day but that he could sign up and come back another day. So Youngest turned to me and asked "Can we sign up right now and come back tomorrow?"
He asked me that at least five more times, even though I answered each time with a 'yes, of course we can.' :)

I signed them both up that same day, and it's something they look forward to each week. But it's funny how kids will dig in their heels when they think they're being forced into something, isn't it?

You're All Better, Right?

Last tuesday was my first day of physical therapy. It went well, and, as most everyone knows, it was just the first step in a long road to recovery.

My kids don't know that, though. :)

Earlier this year, they discovered karate. There is an amazing dojo in our neighborhood that also has a kids' program. Well, a friend of mine goes there, and we watched her test for her brown belt in January. She'd gone through some major physical difficulties the year before, so my heart swelled with pride watching her complete her test and recieve her brown belt. I still get all warm and gooey inside just thinking about it--watching her was truely inspiring.

I took the kids with me to watch her test, mostly because I didn't have a sitter, and wild horses weren't going to keep me from supporting my friend. :) As it turned out, though, they were interested. Youngest was watching the white belts and trying to mimic their arm movements, and Oldest was studying everyone with an amazing intensity. One of the teachers from the kids' program noticed their interest and came over to say hello. She invited us to come and watch the kids' class to see if it's something they wanted to do for themselves. So, the following week, that's what we did.

After the kids' class was over, I asked the boys if this was something they wanted to try. Oldest said yes, but that he wasn't going to because he'd have to start as a white belt. He wanted to be a black belt. (!) I bit back a laugh, and told him that everyone has to start as a white belt.

Karate is something I've always wanted to try, ever since I was a kid, but I  never had the money or the opportunity. Then my knee gave out. My body has never given out on me before, so this has been difficult to deal with. I don't like it, at all. But as I watched my friend get her brown belt, a new feeling came over me. What she went through makes my torn meniscus look like a scratch, and look at where she is now! It made me realize that if I never got the chance to study a martial art in my lifetime, I would truly regret it. So, I told Oldest that I was going to sign up for karate, and that I'd have to start as a white belt.

His eyes widened at that. "You're going to be a white belt?" he said.
I nodded. "If this is something you think you want to try, then we can be white belts together as soon as my knee is all better. But, even if you decide not to, I'm going to do this."
He thought for a moment, then decided he wanted to try. But he didn't need to wait around for my knee to get better. :) That was last month.

Last Tuesday when I got home from physical therapy, the first thing Oldest asked me was how physical therapy had gone. I said it went well, and he got all excited. "Does that mean you get to do karate with me?" I laughed and said it would still be a while before I could do karate. "Oh," he said. "Well, can you do a front snap kick? Like this?" He demonstrated, and it was so cute that I couldn't tell him no. I did one to the best of my ability (i.e. not very well) then he took me through all the kicks, punches, and blocks that he knows. When he was done, and could see exactly how much I couldn't do yet, he told me I should keep doing physical therapy and that he hoped I could start karate soon.

I hugged him. What a little sweetheart!