31 for 21 Day 16: Getting Back into Karate

When Colin transitioned from private lessons after first starting to class lessons, it took some time for him to build up to making it the entire 45 minutes without needing breaks. The private lessons were 25 to 30 minutes depending on how it was going and then the classes were 45 minutes. He would go through cycles where he would make it the whole time and then times when he would need more breaks. 

 

However through the summer, he was in a really good place. He would be able to complete the entire class without ever sitting down or needing a break and was really following directions well. I could sit and hang out with the other parents and actually have a conversation without it being a distraction to Colin.

Unfortunately when school started again in September, a switch immediately flipped and he would cry and wouldn't go into class (we know it was due to exhaustion and the big change that was taking place). We stuck with it and with each week that ticked by, it would slightly improve. First he would go INTO class, and then start participating a little bit again, and then we at least got to a point where he would do a couple of segments before needing a lot of breaks. It got to a point recently where it was extremely frustrating because he was out more than he was in and although we knew he would need this time to transition back, we didn't think it would take this long.

 

However, we are finally started to see a shift happen where he is back to the old ways; he will make it a solid 25 minutes of participating before needing a break and the break is typically short before being able to finish the rest of class. Today was the best class he has had in 6 weeks because he only needed one five minute break, a few redirections, and he made it the entire 45 minutes. It was kind of like letting out a slow breath watching it transpire.

Colin's recent success is due to teachers who are extremely patient and understanding and keep pushing KNOWING that Colin can get back to the place where he was. It has been a really slow road BUT we know that he is progressing in the right direction and are seeing improvement little by little. The only downside is that we had to temporarily bypass testing for the next belt (mostly our decision) because he missed so much of class time recently that we did not feel he was ready (and probably would not have a successful testing session).

Looking forward to seeing him finally get back to a place we know he can be!