Bonk! High block & my boys

[joesteph]

A short light stick was in my apartment; whatever had been glued to one end had fallen off. Patrick was playing with the stick, but I explained to him that it's not something that's to be played with, that it can hurt somebody. Then I had an idea, thinking of a common karate drill.

As he's only 8, I was in an upright position on my knees, so that it was as though a bully (about his age) with a stick were in front of him. I showed him how a bully could use the stick to hit him on the head, then had Patrick hold the stick to do the movement against me, with his twin brother David watching. He did the proper arc, tapping me on my head. I then had Patrick do it again, and I did high block--but remember that I'm standing on my knees, so I'm blocking while staying in place.

Bonk! When I high-blocked his forearm, his little hand bent forward at his wrist, and Daddy got it right on the head. I hadn't moved, and so though I'd blocked, I'd also remained in the arc's path.

Undaunted, I told Patrick that now I was going to do it the better way, which was to move in. When he came down with the light stick, I "walked" on my knees (actually one knee) to move in, and though his hand bent at the wrist again, the stick didn't land on my head. We changed roles and worked on that he could do high block against the stick coming down, so long as he moved in. He also gave me a punch and kick to the midsection. I did the same with David, this time knowing I was going to get hit on the head at first, and then we did it the better way, which was practiced along with the punch and kick to Daddy's midsection.

It just goes to show you that you wind up knowing--or remembering--something better when you teach someone else, even if it's an eight-year-old.

[bushido_man96]

Ah, good stuff, Joe!

[ps1]

Nice little story.