Ki-ya!

Look out, hooligans!

Nerdy and I wanted to enroll Sasha in a class or two for the fall.  We discussed soccer (too boring), swimming (too infrequent), gymnastics (too far away), and then Nerdy thought karate was something we could check out.  So I took him to a 3-class intro course and from the minute it started, he was in love.  He has a smile on his face from the moment he gets to the studio to the minute I drag him out (he always wants to stay and watch the big kids class).  The first class included an assessment, which for a 3-year-old I assume means a kid should be able to jump, kick, duck, and understand English.  The Bub had just woken up from a nap when we walked in the studio, but as soon as the teacher/sensei spoke to him, he was on high alert.  It may have helped that Sensei Alex is also Alexander-call-me-Sasha.

You might be thinking, "Karate for a toddler?  Seriously?" but the place makes it clear that classes for the 3-4 set focuses primarily on acrobatics and discipline.  Very different from the herding cats style of soccer class where the main focus seems to be keeping children within the boundaries of the park.  In karate class they don't mess.  If the kids aren't doing their kicks or jumps properly, they don't move on until they get it right.  I suspect that the discipline aspect is part of what Sasha loves.  He likes the challenge of learning something new and then being expected to do it properly.  And maybe also because the classes are taught by older boys and men.  Who are loud and tough.  And who also demand that he kick harder, punch faster, and yell louder.  Like heaven to an active child like our beloved Bub.