First day, karate school, Ken Nagayama martial arts

(all photos by Myra Lambino-Ramos)

Note to Jaydon, age: 4 : Dear Jaydon, what a coincidence i saw a rerun of Karate Kid Part 3 (the least-known of the Karate Kid sequels) on HBO (or was it Star movies). An ordinary movie viewer might not appreciate the last fight scene where the main character executes a simple judo move and the movie was done, “The End”.

But it’s the “getting-there” that counts. He was down and out (these are formula movies, they repeat the same plot), had been kicked and punched in the nerve centers because his opponent played dirty and committed foul moves. He told his teacher he was afraid; and didn’t want to get up (formula, Hollywood)  his teacher tried to knock sense into him… then he started to see, get it in his head, and he stood up.

Then, this is where he does those many succeeding karate poses — you could almost hear his long breaths…. This is what i wanted to write about. Now that i’m taking up ashtanga, i get it — it’s a simple scene, showing the motions going to the poses…but it’s being executed in a moment when the character is surrounded by chaos. Those were probably the equivalent of  “meditation in motion” — almost like watching yourself move — watch your motion and “revel” in the movement like your body were part of the atmosphere you are inhaling, it’s like“ssshing” yourself up (hushing yourself up) and being able to prepare and face whatever it is you are duty-bound to do…

Then his opponent charged; but he was alert, watching, and anticipating; and he simply followed through the natural trajectory of his opponent and pulled and pushed him down with a simple judo move, nothing fancy like the crane pose in Karate Kid Part 1 or the angular hip movements in Karate Kid Part 2.

and he won the point. But most of all, he understood. The End. in these photos, i can see you are the most diligent and independent, Jaydon — your classmates are being handled like babies while you are already executing the poses from your teacher; and on your first day! ……I’ll do my best Pat- Morita- Japanese- accent- impression: “FIGHTING, NUU GUD (NO GOOD)!…. BUT IF YOU MUST FIGHT TO DEFEND — WIN (you win against the “bad guys”)!