2023-10-30

Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.

I spent last week back in Illinois with friends and family, including attending the fall clinic and dan grading with American Shotokan Karate and some regular training with my old dojo, the Central Illinois Shotokan Karate Association. The dan exam was great, and included a shodan and sandan promotion for two worthy candidates.

Returning to my own students, even after a week, I was pleased to see the progress everyone had made. I joked that I need to go on vacation more often since everyone looks so much better when I return. While I was in Illinois, I picked up a couple of rebreakable boards at a thrift shop, figuring they’d be a nice change of pace for the students. Sure enough, a few students wanted to try breaking them, but most of them weren’t able to do so. Looks like we need to add a bit more impact training to the schedule.