2025-04-28

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

In tonight’s class, I gave out results and feedback for those who took the kyu grading last Wednesday. I think everyone in attendance was pleased with the results.

A common theme for examinees is carrying too much tension, which causes techniquest to be smaller and slower than they need to be. The other judge had an excellent recommendation, so I introduced the class to what I call “smear kata.” That’s where you perform kata slowly, with as little tension as possible, and never allow yourself to stop moving. (i.e. Each technique just “smears” into the next one with no kime at the end of each technique.)

It’s more challenging than it seems, because the “don’t ever stop” part and the “go slowly” part live at opposite ends of the spectrum. Then, just when they get that part figured out, they tend to stand too tall in their stance because moving slowly in a low stance is hard.