The students had a great last class on Wednesday! Be sure to check out John R. Venson and Reginald L. Venson at themartialartsuniversity.org and follow them on Facebook. Thank you so much for a great ten weeks at Bennett Day School!
Last week, the students practiced some more of the the Wu Shu positions. At the end of class, the instructors incorporated balls. The balls helped to keep the children focused and balanced. They challenged themselves to keep the ball in control and not have it bounce on the floor. During week 8, the students practiced different punches while going through an obstacle course. Each dot represented a different punch, and with repetition and with the help of the instructors they really got the hang of it! Below you will find the Wu Shu steps or positions that the students have been practicing each class. Feel free to practice them at home with your child! Click HERE to learn more about Wu Shu.
Last week, the students worked on a new drill that required a lot of focus and coordination. Dots were placed in a row on the ground and each child was first asked to side step on the dots while maintaining eye contact with Mr. Venson. Then they were asked to do it again, but this time they added two alternating punches. While still maintaining eye contact with Mr. Venson, he guided each student by saying, "Punch, punch, step over, punch, punch, step over." Everyone did a great job! During week five, the students worked on a team and confidence building drill, which included obstacles that helped build coordination and enhance sensory motor skills. They also reviewed the basic self defense postures, which they learned in the first two weeks of classes. Mr. Venson and his father report that the students are exhibiting a high level of retention even for the challenging pace they have kept them on! This past Wednesday, the Martial Arts students took turns going through an obstacle course. An obstacle course is a popular game where teachers set up a course that requires several physical activities, such as walking, jumping, crawling, and maintaining balance, and the students cross all of these obstacles to reach the end. The obstacle course gives them an opportunity to test new skills and understand more about their physical abilities. The students enjoyed cheering their friends on as they went through the course! The main focus for this class was to practice sitting down and standing up without using hands. It was quite the challenge! The children also continued practicing the basic foundations/stances and performed various agility movements. Theme for Week 2: "We're really on a roll" Below is a list from Mr. Venson of what the children have been practicing in the class thus far:
Theme for Week 1: “Look Mom, I’m doing Kung Fu” In our first class, we covered a basic and fun introduction to martial arts techniques, while showing each student “I can do it”. Although none of our classes will teach the students to hit one another, we did show them some real martial arts techniques that they will later learn are quite effective in developing their coordination skills. You can liken Mondays drill, and many future drills, to the way “The Karate Kid” was learning techniques without knowing what skills he was actually developing. -John Venson |