Whenever we do martial arts demonstrations for schools, we always encourage the children to ask questions. This can have mixed results. At one recent event, for instance, a school teacher came up to us afterwards and commented that the students seemed to be going out of their way to ask the most ridiculous questions possible.
But this was not the case this week, when one group asked some quite insightful questions.
Bear in mind also, that these were babies. Not literally babies, but very young students; grade three maximum, possibly grade one. I cannot say for certain, as all children look alike to me. But they were all quite young for their age.
After showing some of our basic open hand techniques, one child asked, “If that is basic, what are your advanced techniques like?”
Another asked what if your attacker also knows martial arts; I may have made some inappropriate and disparaging remarks about karate, but it was a good question, nevertheless.
One wanted to know how we would deal with two attackers, one in front and one behind.
And my favourite question, or rather comment, was from a student who thought what we did was very much all about the timing.
It was a good day.
Plus there were baby ducks, hopefully asking equally intelligent questions of their adults.
At the end of the last demonstration of the day, a child gave me a flower.
Kai Cho