The Hai-O-Judo Club visited our dojo on Saturday morning and gave a demonstration of "Nage No Kata," one of seven primary kata in the Kodokan style.
To see this kata through my EDS eyes it was very overwhelming, but also inspirational. Is there anything in this kata that looks safe for a medical zebra? I don't know the answer, but we may all be safer if we learn to fall and tumble properly since it's a daily occurrence. Those of us in wheelchairs are not excused from needing to learn how to fall, as curb cuts become more prominent they become less ADA-compliant. Years of technique are on display in this wonderfully polished demonstration.
How can I translate this generous display into something I can use as a zebra and a karateka? Here are some ideas to get started:
- I may fall often. I will get hurt less and recover faster if I fall properly.
- I rely heavily on my vision for information about what's going on around me. If I standardize the ways in which I move I can keep better track of my body's location in space (the word for this is proprioception, which plays nicely with range of motion education from a good physiotherapist).
- Some places on my body are weaker than others. Learning to shift my weight translates to better overall balance.
- Practice on a soft mat is no match for real life, so I need to learn as best I can from both environments and their many opportunities for experience.
- I must know my environment, my surroundings, my functions and my limits, and learn to work within them.
Sensei ni arigatou gozaimashita.
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