2023-11-22

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

Attendance was sparse (the day before Thanksgiving), so I made sure to tell the students who did come how much I appreciated their dedication. In the adult class, we worked on tai-sabaki and fundamental kumite combinations again.

We started with basic footwork moving forward: yori-ashi, yori-ashi, then ayumi-ashi. Next, we added some kihon, with a kizami-zuki on the first count, gyaku-zuki on the second count, and mae-geri keage on the third count. Then we switched to moving backwards: 2 x yori-ashi straight back, one more to the rear diagonal, and then stepping back onto the line (which will make more sense in a minute.) Next we added the kihon to the backwards set: jodan nagashi-uke, gedan-barai, and gedan-barai/gyaku-zuki on the diagonal.

Finally we put it together with a partner: The attacker moved forwards, attacking with punches to the face and body, and then a front kick to the body. The defender moved backwards, blocking the face, then the body, then moving off the line and blocking to avoid the kick, before countering with a reverse punch and stepping back on to the attack line to prepare for the next set. This drill alternates sides on every set. It was a lot, partiularly for the white belts who’d just started, but I wanted to do something different for the day before the holiday, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.