Gold Coast Master Class April 2011 – Sparring – Michael Young

Master Class April 2011 – Sparring

Master Classes have become a regular event in the Il Shim Organisation, and seeing Master Daher 8^th Dan, at the front of the class so often shows how much dedication and commitment he has. Being a part of these classes is always inspirational as it’s not often you get the tutorage of someone that can pull the front splits at anytime even without warming up first. 

The subject this time was sparring, in particular speed. Of course we all know that in a sparring situation it is the faster one that gets the point. This is achieved by foot placement and taking the least number of steps possible. It’s quite often you see lower belts at tournaments bounding around the ring slightly out of rhythm with their bodies awkwardly throwing kicks and punches at what seems to be random targets in front of them. This is contrasted by the senior belts that seem to calculate that next move taking careful steps, putting themselves in the right positions to execute the next point scoring move. It’s one thing knowing this in your mind but can your body follow suit? That was the point that Master Daher was trying to brand into us, it’s all about muscle memory. If your body knows what to do that’s one less thing you have to think about.

The 2^nd half of the Session comprised of the April grading. This time 2 of the Students Justin Cernoy and Sebastian De Vianna were being graded for their 1^st degrees. From the black belts point of view it should have been an entertaining to watch, But Master Daher then requested that all black belts were to participate as well. At first our hearts sank a little at the thought of being put through a grading situation without any notice, but in hindsight it was a good thing…. who wants to be an incompetent black belt?

All in all the April master class was a success and hopefully we all took something with which we can better ourselves, I know I did.

Key Highlights of the Day:

• Congratulations to Justin and Sebastian our new 1st Dans; welcome to the club!
• Special mention goes to Sarah Brereton who achieved a double grading from 9^th to 7^th gup. Awesome effort!
• Last but not least, congratulations to all the other students who were promoted to their next rank. Well done Guys! Bring on the next one!

Check out the photo’s here

Michael Young – 1^st Dan

Il Shim Gold Coast