AMYLIUTEACHINGKIDSKARATE ATADOJOINBELLEVUE/WA

Vazrik has been an importantrolemodelforme! As a teacher, he is very willing to share knowledge that he has distilled over the courseofhiskaratepractice. It helped me see how there are many layers of knowledge to be discovered in the martial art. It is also what helped me continue withkarateespeciallyduring thepandemic.

When I’m teaching and practicingkaratenow,Ithink back to ideas he has talked about. One of them is the bottleneck. What is something to focus on back stance depth, the direction the feet are pointing that would lead to the biggest improvement in one’s overall karate? I try to get students to focus on bottlenecks by picking segmentsofkatatoworkon.

Related to the idea of bottlenecks is individualized feedback because everyone’s bottleneck is different. I remember Vazrik holdinghishandoutforusto punch during kihon practice. The sound of the impact gives immediate feedback. I try to make sure all of the students have opportunities to hit a target and receive correctionstofocuson.