Yellow Belt for Ben

Ben is one of our the younger members of the Buntingford Karate Club. He is always fired up with enthusiasm and gets desperately disappointed when he gets things wrong. But he has all the equipment necessary to become very good at his Karate as he progresses along the “Way”. Sometimes he seems to invent things…like how to do Shuto Uchi. Shuto Uchi should always be delivered with the blocking arm bent at the elbow. This famous “karate chop” is powered by the abdominal (stomach) and Latissimus Dorsi (back) muscles. Without tensing these on the imagined impact means that you are just waving your arm around and wouldn’t squish butter! The proper tensing of these muscles means you deliver downward power into the arm. Ben had been struggling with this, and kept giving me a straight arm. The deal was….bend your arm and you can grade. 

So he went for his Yellow Belt last week. He has worked at his bent arm and he delivered a very good grading. Well done Ben!

Sensei Bill.