Fighting Distance

Today for both the after-school program at Lewis Elementary and the 4’s and 5’s class at The Academy of Kung Fu, the theme of the day had to do with distancing yourself from your opponent. In Mo Duk Pai Kung Fu, the distance at which you are at risk (or not) of being tagged by a technique is called the “Critical Distance Range.”

Students drilled an extension kick, then took the time to analyze range of technique by “stopping” an oncoming partner when they felt they were in jeopardy of being tagged by said technique (or a soft foam bat to the belly button in the case of the 4’s and 5’s).

Keeping hands up, and adopting a martial attitude and confident voice in facing one’s partner were key componets as well. Once students were finally invited to spar, even my youngest gal today at age 5 was able to synthesize all this to explain that [you] “Want to stay away so you don’t get hit!” And that [being close to your partner can be good] (said with big grin on her face) “because you can score a point then!”

From the mouths of babes.