2025-10-13

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

I’m trying something new when it comes to teaching blocks: Point where you’re going to block with one hand, and block with the other. This is an attempt to help students learn to use both arms when they block, and to use them fully. This is a big struggle with beginners, particularly when blocking while turning during kata. But worse, if they don’t habitualize using both arms fully as beginners, that lack-of-habit becomes its own habit and becomes harder and harder to break as they progress.

The idea is simple: Each of our five “basic” blocks begins by reaching out with the non-blocking hand as the blocking hand chambers, followed by a block and hikite. Okay, great, but how do you teach that to a beginner? My idea (new to me) is to have them chamber the block while pointing at the thing they’re going to block with the non-blocking hand. Hopefully that’s self-explanatory. We’ll see how it goes.