Helping out, and going over the Radar

I went to my son's class yesterday, and at my Sensei's request, put on my Gi to help him run the class. I spent a lot of time working with my son and the 4-6 year old group in teaching them some of the basics of throws '1,2, and 3' (one of our Sensei's teaching methods, which I like, is that he numbers throws. Ultimately, each student will need to learn the names, but for the little kids, the numbers make it easier to learn. 1= O Soto Gari, 2=O-Goshi, 3=Ippon Seoi Nage). Of course, my son is the hardest to get to listen. Still it was very fun to participate, and challenging, because I needed to take moves that I have been doing for years and do without thinking, and then break them down step-by-step for little kids. (For example, I was teaching them Zenpo Kaiten - the forward roll- and I had to remember which hand to use with which foot forward.

I want to think that I was helpful. One of the parents, who is an on again off again player in our club, indicated that he hopes to get to practice more often, and thinks I could teach him a thing or two. Judging by his son's (a 7-year-old white belt) abilities, he must be a pretty good teacher himself, and I don't know if he was being polite or serious, but it was nice ego stroke nonetheless.

Another parent, who also is/was a regular at Oishi's, said he went to a birthday party recently and learned about my blog. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, as I am sure that what I write here can affect some people's opinions about me and my Judo abilities. The talmud says that silence is a sign of Intelligence, because even if you're an idiot, no one can tell until you open your mouth. I've had my mouth running on this blog for almost 3 years, so I must either look like a genius, a fool or a little bit of both.

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The Catch-all Post for April

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The Road to Nidan

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