Friday, May 11, 2012

May 6-11

Game of ball and tag combined before the exam.

Exam.
Gabe completed his first year of Judo and earned his yellow belt tonight.  We are so proud of him!  Judo was a huge learning experience for him.  He naturally excels at the athletic aspect of Judo, quickly and easily mastering the moves he's taught.  He also thrived with the ritualistic aspects of Judo: bowing when entering, bowing to instructor and fellow students, folding the kimono, and tying the belt.  The most difficult part of his lessons came with the other students.  He was frustrated with the lack of attention and focus some of the younger boys displayed and after 4 months was given the opportunity to join the older class.  The older students were much more focused (though many of them still struggled) and Gabe met a slightly older boy who partnered with him most of the time.  This boy helped Gabe to learn new moves, correcting his mistakes patiently.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Congratulations to Gabe on achieving his yellow belt! I enjoyed seeing the pictures of Gabe in his Judo outfit. It sounds like it was a wonderful year of developing his skills.