Hi-Ya!

Punching, kicking, throwing, grappling? Sounds like the outburst of a belligerent six-year-old, doesn’t it? I knew absolutely nothing about the sport of karate before attending Zhak’s class and, even though I got a crash course from the instructor’s wife, admittedly don’t pretend to comprehend what it’s all about. I do know, however, that among other things it focuses on self-control and respect. Definitely good things for Zhak to know.

I learned that the only one who really says, “Hi-ya!” is Miss Piggy when she’s thrashing Kermit with her signature karate chop. In non-Disney martial arts they use the shout of spirit: “Kiai!”

All beginners start out as white belt students. White signifies a birth or beginning of a seed, the search for knowledge of the martial arts. Karate cannot be learned overnight, but takes years of practicing techniques and forms to advance through the ranking system. Students move from level to level by taking graded examinations and are awarded with colored belts. The colors used and the color order varies from school to school, but the rank always starts at 10 and ends at 1.

Zhak did an awesome job with his test, and graduated from 10th gup to 9th gup. He traded in his solid white belt for a white belt with a purple stripe. Way to go ... but promise you won’t practice on your brother!