Karate Therapy

I have written several entries about Alex's experiences in karate, but as it continues to amaze me how therapeutic this sport has been to his left (disabled) side, I need to keep writing. This week, there were three instructors for three children in karate. So, the instructors were able to work individually to help the children improve the precision of their karate moves. In particular, they worked on punches and kicks (all done against a kick pad).

The punch is one of the best movements we have found to strengthen, lengthen and turn Alex's left arm. He has trouble extending this arm, which due to his CP is chronically bent. He also is virtually incapable of punching his arm out straight. Instead of going straight, it turns inward, forcing his hand into a twist. Because of this awkward movement, Alex can not feed himself with his left hand. He can't use it to pick things up off the floor or use crayons. This is a serious disability. The repeated movement of punching forward, against a target (the pad) which adds a level of focus to the movement, has helped Alex to begin to gain some control over that arm. He fights against the tendency to turn inward, but he succeeds to some degree to keep it straight. The instructors did fast punches last week, which meant that the children had to punch their right arm against the right pad when it was held up, and the left arm against the left pad when it was held up. The pads were held up at random, and the children had to react. It required great concentration and focus. After about 10 punches, the children had to take breaks, then regroup and go again. I was amazed at how much better Alex's left punch became over the course of the 7-8 minutes of this exercise.

Alex's balance is still poor. Two of the main objectives of this class are coordination and balance. One way to work on balance is to balance on one leg. The instructors allow the children to hold onto the instructors' shoulders to help the children gain a sense of the balance needed to perform a one legged stand. They work on raising knees. These knee raises and balance help with their kicks. Alex's grandma, Gigi, gave Alex a punching bad last week, which we hung from the ceiling. Over the course of the first part of the week, Alex tried to raise both legs up high enough to kick the bottom of the bag. He practice was noticeable in class on Wed. The instructors all commented that his kicks were much higher and more controlled. His left kick is finally turning into a real kick, as opposed to a slight movement of foot off the ground.

More importantly, Alex is gaining a sense of self-confidence over his body. The instructors are truly awesome and they praise when they see hard work and improvement. They emphasize "doing your best". For the rest of this week, Alex has been repeating what his beloved instructor, Ryan, said about his work in class, that he was improving through hard work. Alex is so proud of himself and for this reason, he loves karate and continues to practice and slowly push beyond his physical limitations.