New Kyu

Testing with friend, Jalen
Tight and focused

Woo hoo! A green stripe to add to the belt.

The Karate Kids and Sensi Guido (Nate is far right, front row)

The Littlest Dragon was invited to participate for a certificate but lost his nerve when he got up in front of the group. (Sound familiar?) He promptly his his head in my vest and fell asleep - totally an Ian defense mechanism. When all else fails, check out and go to sleep.

The Karate Kid, Part 2 (or Kid 2 as the case may be)

For the past 2 months or so, Ian has been unofficially training with Nate's Advanced Little Dragons class at Karate. We'd show up for class and Ian would do all the moves (or try) in the hallway and one day Sensi Guido invited him in. That sealed the deal, from that day forward, Ian sort of adopted the class as his own.
Tuesday Guido brought him his own Gi (rhymes with key). A size 000, the smallest the make. Ian was over the moon! He knows that you are supposed to be 4 years old to join the class, and you are supposed to start in Little Dragons (we will probably move him down when his friends turn 4 so he can be in a class with his peers), but for now, he thinks his is pretty hot stuff. He stands by Nate, front and center, and does his best to follow along. What I find most amazing is that he has picked up a lot of the Japanese terms and counting to 10 that they do in class, just by watching over the past year and a half.
Special thanks to Sensi Guido if he is reading this, for making this Shuster kid so happy!

An email for Nate

Hi Nate

I was meaning to talk to you on Tuesday to let you know that i would really like you to come and train in the advanced little dragons class. You have been training so hard and been so focused and progressed so much that in my opinion you are definitely ready for the advanced class. So hopefully i will see you at 4:30 today. I have already adjusted my class roster and put your name in the advanced class.

See you later

Sensei Guido

13th kyu - Blue

Saturday Nate earned his 13th kyu in the art of Shotokan-do (also known as his blue stripe). Sensi Guido took a moment to tell the audience how impressed he is with Nate's sudden interest in form and his awesome focus of the sport - I've noticed it too. It's like a light switch has gone off in his head and all of the sudden the details of the moves have really made sense to him. Very proud!

Gasshuku at Cape Lookout

Gasshuku - Training Camp

Yesterday we got up a the crack of dawn to go to a day of Gasshuku on the beach at Cape Lookout. Nate's sensi Guido, organized his third annual camp out and training at the beach. We arrived at 9am and the day began with 3 hours of basics, kata, and kumite on the beach. The Little Dragons, (there were about a half dozen of them) took a few 10 minute breaks, but other wise worked their tails off with the advanced class and the juniors. The kata finished at noon with the traditional Mae Geri (front kick) into the ocean. The whole training was FUN to watch!

Let me tell you this - while it was 85 and sunny in P'town, a mere 70 miles west at the coast we were socked in with fog and chill - about 55 degrees all day. Nate did his very best to get into that ocean, but by about his knees, he was chattering and in pain. I ran in to grab him and boy did that cold water sting!

We were invited to the campsites to spend the day eating and socializing. Thank God for the hot showers!!!

Gasshuku Training Video

An New Kyu for our Little Dragon

Tonight Nate earned his second karate stripe, orange, also know as the rank of 14th kyu in the art of Shotokan Karate-do. (From what I can tell, you don't begin to earn actual belts until after you turn 8 an can truly demonstrate the kata. For now, Nate is a Little Dragon earning stripes for his white belt.) He has been practicing karate for nearly a year at our gym under the guidance of Sensi Guido Fischer. After a rough go earning the yellow stripe (performance anxiety), Nate did a great job and was very excited to be there. Sensi Guido is an amazing teacher and is fantastic with the kids. Nate's buddy Collin also earned his orange stripe.

Shotokan dojo kun

1. Seek perfection of character.
2. Defend the path of truth.
3. Strive to excel.
4. Be courteous.
5. Refrain from violent behaviour