A Couple of Hachi Kyus

It was review night at karate tonight, and my son and I have been promoted to hachi kyu, or gold belt. At our school this is two steps past white, and it comes just before yellow belt in our style, Shuri-Ryu. While we have a long way to go, I feel we’ve come a long way, too.

Just a couple of weeks ago I wasn’t sure the Midget would be able to nail down the footwork required for our first kata, Taikyoku ichi, but he can now run it by himself, without prompting. Practice pays off, and now he experienced the benefit firsthand (score one for discipline).

When I started this in March, I never thought I’d be able to land a kick above my waist, much less as high as my head. Yet during my own workout after class this evening I was getting mae geri (front kick) to my chin level.

Before class, Sensei showed us some new shirts for the school, and the one I was eyeballing is a size smaller than I normally wear. He thought it should fit me anyway. I said “Even if it doesn’t, I’ll shrink into it. You’ve already taken 10 pounds off me.” Hearing it aloud surprised me as much as it did him.

I don’t know why I waited so long to do this. I’m having a blast, it’s good for me, it’s something to do with my son, and I’m already looking forward to signing up my second son in a couple of years. It’s pricey, but it’s worth every penny.