Technique of the Week (April 19th, 2009)

From Sensei Kurt Tezel, Shihan, Ueshiro Titusville Karate Dojo

-------------------------------------------------------------- 

Onegai Shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei and Deshi,

Before a recent class I was helping a newly minted Yon-Kyu work on Pinan Shodan. I was going in great detail about the intricacies of each and every move to this student who was just beginning to learn the kata. Hanshi shrewdly interrupted my minutia filled lesson and suggested that I get her to “splash water” before essentially fine tuning her swimming stroke. I greatly appreciated this much needed reminder that when a student is being introduced to a new kata, the first priority is to get them to face the right direction, remember how many steps and what technique they are executing. When instructing it is crucial to consider the rank of the student and how long they’ve been working on a given kata. If I had been working Pinan Shodan with a Ni-Kyu my detailed instruction might have been more appropriate. As a student it is important to understand this principle as well. We should all expect different levels of instruction depending on our rank and familiarity with a given kata. When learning a new kata, we should not expect to learn it overnight. Be patience and content to splash water at first and in no time we will be striving for Olympic caliber technique.

Domo Arigato Gozaimasu,

Sensei Tezel

Ueshiro Titusville Karate Dojo