On Saturdays, dojo practice starts at 9:25am. Although the students are still sleepy, they gather on time. This morning, there was a moment when I felt the students’ growth. During the kata practice, I asked the students, “What do Neri and abdominal pressure have in common?” The eight- and nine-year-olds raised their hands. They answered, “It improves my posture!” I continued to ask them, “Is there a difference between Neri and abdominal pressure?” They answered with shining eyes, smiling faces and raising their hands. 「In Neri, the upper and lower parts of the body rotate in opposite directions. It’s like wringing out a rag. When the wringing returns to its original position, a fast rotation is created ♪」 The parents, watching as their young children spoke one after another, were amazed and delighted with their children’s growth, just like me. Nationality, age, gender, etc. are irrelevant. If we walk the path of reason together, we can all live in harmony with heaven, earth, and mankind. “Ten, Chi, Jin no Ri Dou ni Wa suru”
I thought and felt about “two sides of the same coin” and “attack and defense as one” on Friday night’s practice. Master and disciple, teacher and parents, parent and child, husband and wife, old and young, man and woman, offense and protection, blade and sheath. Things that at first glance appear to be conflicting or separate are actually closely related. The outside and the inside are one. working together as one with those who are active in the public eye and those behind the scenes. I think that Improving educational outcomes is possible when teacher guidance and family cooperation are two sides of the same coin.
When translated into English, the Japanese word KEIKO 稽古'' is expressed as practice,” but KEIKO 稽古'' means thinking about ancient times.” I like that KEIKO 稽古 because thinking about ancient times allows me to face myself deeply. Learn from ancient times, apply it to modern times, and make the future better.
I received a question from a student who studied Kendo during his school days. “What is the difference between Kendo and Kenjutsu?” Rather than me telling the students “about the differences,” I hoped that the students themselves would be able to touch the sword and have the sword speak to them. I have considered that Sword Defense No. 2, Knife Defense No. 1, and Basic Kumite No. 3 have techniques that can be applied to each other. and used them in free kumite.
When children’s pure hearts, curiosity, and creativity are added to their efforts to apply and research what they have learned in karate, new discoveries are born.
On Friday, there are 4 classes in 6 hours, and the last is an advance class with only the black belt. High school students, college students and working adults gather and study together. The theme of this time was “Hanmi-Nekoashi-Dachi and physical movement” and tried various things. The moment when we can find common points and share them is fun.
