This weekend was karate grading. 

We were 14 students grading, 
12 kids and 2 adults, including me. 

I passed my 2nd kyu, brown belt. 
In this school of shotokan, there
are only 3 colors of belt, white, 
brown and black. The 2nd kyu is 2
grading from back belt, so it's 
getting exciting. 

I didn't start karate thinking I'd 
get a black belt one day, but after
a bit more than 5 years of practice
(over a 7 years period) it's getting
pretty difficult to dismiss the idea
that I might get a black belt at one
point. It's a nice focus for me, but
this weekend I realized it was also 
a nice inspiration for the students, 
who are mostly kids between 9 and 14
years old. 

And I'm still learning and evolving 
my practice. I've started to practice
a new way to move my body, in a sort
of wishsplash, a sort of wave which 
starts at my foot and goes throught 
my whole body, to give a snappy yet
powerful snap to each move. 

A new teacher was present at the 
grading, he's been doing karate for
over 20 years, second dan black belt. 
He had a different view of my practice
and wasn't particularly impress by my
style. His judgment of my techniques 
really sparked an interest in my 
curiosity how to improve my practice. 

His main comment was about my core, 
and as soon as he mentioned it, it
clicked in my mind. Of course, my core
it was missing from my practice this year. 
Although I often come back to the focus
on my core, on the abdoninals muscle
connecting the lower and the upper part
of my body, in the last few months
I focused on a different part of the 
movement, without including this integral
part of the practice. 

He will be joining our classes for a 
while, as I think he was inspired by 
what he saw there. I think a lot of
parent were also impressed to see their
kid so focused and fully engaged for
a whole practice. 

I feel blessed to be able to help
train a new generation, creating a
foundation in martial art. It's a 
powerful tool, which really should 
be part of all public education.