What I learned at the Chicago Seminar
By Jami Kahn

I want to thank Sensei Mattson for coming to Chicago. I really liked the seminar. Even though I am only 8 years old, and most of the people in the seminar were adults, I also learned a lot.

One of the things I learned is: don't pop your knee up when you are doing a kick. You said not to pop your knee up when you are kicking because that way when your knee pops down again you might have a knee injury. I think that is a good idea because it will be a little harder for you to fight if you injured something. I will remember that, and include that into my training because I don't want a knee injury.

You also said that you shouldn't pull your arm so far back while doing chops and hammerfists, because in that time your opponent could attack. You can do a chop when your arm is in Sanchin position. I will include this into my training as well, because if I was in a real fight, I would not want to get hit. You also said to accelerate while doing strikes and punches. If you accelerate then your punches will be more powerful. I think that is a good idea because if your muscles are tight, then it will be harder to throw the punch. I will include that into my training too, because I would not want to have a hard time doing something as easy as punching.

Finally, you also said to be relaxed while fighting and doing kata. I think that is a good idea because if you are not relaxed then you can't be loose and easy, and you won't be able to fight easily. I will also include that into my training for all of those reasons. Again thank you so much for coming and spending your time with us. It means a lot to me to be able to learn from you. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Jami Kahn