Mr. Gerald Sisco, V Dan from Casper was Black Belt Instructor for February. He taught a class working on some things we are NOT so good at: Step Sparring and Self-Defense...

Class started out with a review of three-step sparring, working on format. It was determined that the hands should not drop after the final attack and block.
Note: Step-sparring teaches appropriate angle and distance for attack and defense, challenging the student to choose proper tools for specific targets. It allows students to use their imaginations, and to experiment with techniques.

The class then worked on beginning ho-sin-sul, releases and joint locks.
Note: When being grabbed by two hands, it is effective to treat it as a single handed grab; it is not necessary to deal with both hands.

Two-step sparring: It seemed to be a challenge for the attacker to return forward, and the defender to return backward after an exercise.
Note: A student must keep all techniques at the appropriate level of step-sparring - no Black Belt techniques are to be used in three- or two-step sparring.

Back to ho-sin-sul: Throws vs. Take-Downs - A throw must have both feet off the ground. It can be executed slowly and still be effective...if you get in a hurry, technique suffers. Mr. Cunningham demonstrated this by throwing Mr. Fay SLOWLY over his shoulder from back to front. However, the rest of us were given no chance in our classtime to show our unrestrained potentiality by throwing Mr. Fay from one to another or over the shoulder!

One-step sparring: Target selection becomes critical to demonstrate General Choi's idea of ending a conflict with a single blow.

We also worked briefly on semi-free sparring.

We closed class with Master Martin's birthday gauntlet...the class came to attention, dropped facedown and did push-ups while Master Martin walked the gauntlet. Then everyone had cake!

Wyoming Black Belt Class, February 3, 2008

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