Once upon a time I had an idea

 I was living and teaching in New Hampshire.

When I was a yellow belt in Salisbury, Md, I was a member of a yellow belt team that prepared for a local demonstration at the Salisbury Civic Center and we were trained to do a group performance of kata Seiunchin to the music of the song the Hustle.

 

In fact we were so intensely trained by Lewis Sensei that for the rest of my life I always hear the Hustle playing whenever I so the kata.

 

A few years later tournament performances of kata being done to music became another event.  Some were good, some were embarrassing. I never did that but the best I ever saw was Gary Michak doing a personal kata to the music of the opening of Superman. His performance was exquisitely times and executed.

In 1983 Gary performed a  demonstration of his Superman Kata for the kids of my 2^nd youth tournament. You could of heard a pin drop as the kids watched.

When I moved to Derry New Hampshire and began my program again, I slowly started moving my program away from tournaments. The one we mose frequently attended was a local one near us.

 

One year I saw their upcoming notice they were going to have a musical kata division. That set me to thinking, for I always wanted my students to have some fun with their karate.

At that time my adult program and 4 brown belts training with me (Each of whom would later move into Dan training with me for many, many years.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sAsNPCro-M

So one Saturday morning after class when all of them were in the locker room, I told them of my idea.

 

I wanted them to enter the upcoming musical forms competition and perform the Hidden Stick form as Teen Age Ninja Mutant Turtles.

My idea was to have them enter the gym floor and one of when  they drew together one of them would say “Ah ha, Fellow Stickers”! Then the music would begin and they would do their form.

 

I thought they could all wear green boxes that had been painted green as well as wearing masks and headbands, and the music would come from the movie.

 

I thought it was a grand idea.

 

Unfortunately none of them was willing to do so, no matter how I entreated them.

Then I countered if they would do so they would receive instant promotions to black belt.

Of course none of them was training just to receive a black belt.  They were instead training to train and see where it would go.

 

So my dream was shattered, for I thought it could be fun.

 

Oh well,

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men.

Gang aft a-gley”.

Robert Burns

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHk0CNnUNag