An Ambush is Almost a Certainty
in a House Full of Karate Kids!
Being proficient in TaeKwonDo naturally leads to some very creative sibling ambushes. The old saying, "boys will be boys" was never more true. And, with a little karate kid thrown in the mix, the majority of time was spent fighting in our household. In a house with three teenage martial artists, our "home sweet home" was definitely a place where quick reflexes were a necessity. We didn't know or even really care, at the time, that all the little taekwondo pranks we played on each other taught us speed and increased our reaction time. The prankster also learned optimum control of kicks and hand techniques soas to avoid the dreaded "whipping from dad" when someone got hurt. The hallway ambush was always the one that I was most wary of. This foreboding corridor was long, sometimes darkened--intentionally of course by the attacker, and had several doors leading to bedrooms and baths. All the doors usually remained opened so as you walked down this dreaded part of the house, you were within striking distance of a well placed round kick or spear thrust from just around the corner. It never failed that once I was in a hurry to get somewhere, late for a hot date or an outing with "the boys", I would pass the bathroom only to be stopped dead in my tracks by a smelly round kick to the face. The round kick would be enough to stop anyone but add the foot odor and WOW! What a potent combination.
SIDENOTE: You Chemists will appreciate this. All the Non-Chemists will still get a kick out of it. Anyway, a Thiol is an Organic Compound that is notorious for its pungent smell. A tiny, head of a needle sized drop, in some cases, could fill an entire room full of STINK!Well, My brother's feet were SO stinky and ugly (like Dracula's Feet) that I dubbed his rank foot secretions a compound that I called "DRACA-thiol". I still kid him about that to this day!
On other occasions, a spear thrust to the ribcage would leave me grasping my side. Now, all this was not without inflicting a little payback. As most of the round kicks were coming out of the doorway, a quick step and front kick to the pranksters solar plexus worked well to temporarily stifle any further barrages of karate moves. Parents, if you have more than one TaeKwonDo Kid or Child Black Belt, PLEASE, let them be kids and use their techniques. These playful Ambushes help young students to learn to use their skills in an UN-structured manner. Which, in turn, helps to prepare them for any real world situation that may arise. It is important to set ground rules though. You can decide these for yourself. Our rule was simple--if anyone gets hurt, its a belt whipping from dad for any and all attackers.
Just some thoughts. I was thinking about how wonderful my parents are and what a great childhood they provided for us. Somehow these days, as a parent myself, it is different, harder, maybe more complicated than in the "good ole days." What do you think? I was thinking back on all the things my brothers and I used to get in to. It just seems to me that people these days, meaning parents, teachers, the manager at the grocery store, the bakery lady, etc., etc. are so overtly worried about child safety (and getting sued). This is important but if everyone hovers around kids all the time making sure they don't get hurt, how will they know what to do When they do get hurt? Kids NEED to get hurt every now and then--physically and emotionally. That's how they learn to handle that natural and inevitable part of life we, adults, call PAIN. So, let kids be kids and have fun even if they do get hurt from time to time. There are way too many adults, parents, teachers, and certain company's employees who constantly scold children for getting into what I call a "What if" situation. People doing this should actually be ashamed because of this "Mother Hen" mentality. While others need a good reprimand themselves for scolding a child directly (never bothering to talk with the parents). This is nothing more than an overt and cruel tactic used to avoid lawsuits to the business, school, etc. These cruel people justify their actions as "company policy","just doing what they are told". What LukeWarm, spineless drones! These people are stealing the youngsters' childhood and instilling fear, cowardice,and killing that wonderfully inquisitive nature our children possess. If this happens to YOUR Child, Do something about it! YOU are YOUR Child's Protector, Advocate, Defender, and HERO!
If you ever enroll your child in a martial arts program, you will be their SuperHero. Most programs provide children with the tools needed for self confidence and offer positive reinforcement on all levels. Most programs require the students to have uniforms. Hey, who can learn Karate without a cool Uniform? If you need one or anything else martial arts related just shoot me an email at OnLineTKD@gmail.com . I'll be sure to get you the best prices I can. |
