This is the first night I’ve been at karate in awhile because of school and other commitments. It’s also the first night I’ve seen Abby in her kumate stuff: head gear, hand pads, foot cover. (Note to self: Get the mouthpiece molded so her new teeth last for a few years).
The sparring in the dojo is light and friendly, except for the upper belts (purple and up). Those folks are quite competitive. One little boy took a strike to the mouth (he HAD his mouthpiece) and ended up with a minor cut on his lip.
Although it looked as though Abby was taking it easy on sensei, I know better. She punches like a champ. I’ve felt ‘em and baby can hit.
I can’t believe she’s so into it. She still kind of shy, but she seems to be enjoying it so much. I don’t even have to push her to go anymore. When I’m late, she chastises ME because she really wants to be there.
It’s been a tough transition. First, they’ve moved from their old building on Chapman and Spring Garden to a new place on North Market. Then, only a few months later, they moved again, just up the street on North Market. My wife hates the newest place because the parking is awful. The lot is always full and on that part of Market, there’s no other place to park where you could walk from and not get killed. They do have their own little room, but the music from the gym sometimes drowns out the kids.
Second, her old sensei left – I hear out of state. It wasn’t a great transition from him and he decided to move on. Too bad. He was wonderful with the kids. But his second-in-command has taken over and is just as good and makes the workouts even more intense.
I’m excited that Abby’s taken such an interest in it. Besides swimming, karate is the one sport she’s absolutely, positively enthralled with. And the good thing is, karate and swimming are two things she can do for the rest of her life.