Thursday, September 10, 2020

The karate teen


Last night, Dave and I settled down to watch Cobra Kai, a Netflix show based on The Karate Kid. Dave wanted me to see it because he's gotten Max into it—and it's inspired Max to bust out karate moves.

"Kick!" Dave will say, and Max gives a kick. "Do Cobra Kai!" Dave said, code for "throw a punch," and Max does. And then for good measure Max will give a big "hi-YAH!" and he punches and kicks at the same time with a huge grin on his face. 

This is all kinds of cool. When Max was a little guy, we tried to take him for karate lessons—we figured it would be a very fun kind of physical therapy—only he ran wailing out of the place. And here he was, karate-ing all over the place. We are going to have to figure out a way to get him lessons. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind some, either: HI-YAH! TAKE THAT, CORONAVIRUS!!!

Max actually has a lot of force in his arms and legs—it's the cerebral palsy spasticity, and it could work in his favor for karate. Maybe it would help him up his coordination game, too, although boyfriend does land a mean punch.

I'm going to start with YouTube videos, I found a few good beginner ones. It would be quite awesome if Max got obsessed with them, because he could really use a new video obsession (fire trucks with wailing sirens OMGeeeeeeeee). Maybe we'll find a virtual class. Maybe, just maybe, I can get someone to come to our backyard for lessons. In the next couple of weeks, I have a teen coming to give Ben a softball lesson and a hair stylist coming to give my mom a trim. Backyard karate seems entirely possible and as I well know from raising Max, you'd be surprised what people say yes to if you just ask. 

4 comments:

  1. Ellen….
    ‘We are going to have to figure out a way to get him lessons. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind some, either: HI-YAH! TAKE THAT, CORONAVIRUS!!!’ Crack. Me. Up!! ;-D
    Right, now, I would like to learn karate, so that I can take some moves not only against the Coronavirus, but also against forest fires, as it is currently smoky outside around here…. You know what? I want to karate chop 2020!! ;)
    Peace and Love, Mary Lou

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  2. This is so adorably awesome. We just finished binging Cobra Kai and loved it. Too mature for our 5-year-old but one day!

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  3. Dunno if it would be suitable, but the Tiger Schulmann’s Karate near me has a giant banner outside it advertising virtual classes. I’ll try to remember to take a picture of it the next time I drive by.

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  4. I found the local Aikido dojo very accomodating. They were super welcoming and happy to work with my needs and even gave me a few free classes so I could see if it would work for me. A few current students sat with me after class and discussed their own physical issues and how they adapted to the movements. Sadly my back can't handle it but definetely impressed me with their willingness to be inclusive. Might be something Max would like.

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Thanks for sharing!