Master Hopkick: Beginnings
There is a legendary character named Master Hopkick. He is one of the greatest martial artists ever to throw a kick. In Master Hopkick’s Beginnings, he was a young boy, living on the island of Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands. There, he met a man named Mr. Tung, who gave him his very first lessons, and his love and passion for learning everything related to martial arts. That young boy grew up to have many adventures, and teach students of his own. His name was John Ramo, and this is one of his stories.
The Lesson of Training at Home
It was a beautiful, sunny fall day. Ten year old John Ramo had been training for nearly two weeks with Mr. Tung, a Chinese man who knew many different martial arts. John was eager to learn everything he possibly could; everything about martial arts absolutely fascinated him.
Mr. Tung was a wise man, and a good teacher. He spoke several languages, and had traveled to many places before arriving in the Solomon Islands. Now, he spent several hours a day, several days a week, training his small, passionate student.
“Mr. Tung, what are we going to work on today?” John eagerly asked, as he set his backpack full of schoolbooks aside.
“What you work on yesterday?” Mr. Tung asked.
“Well, we didn’t have a lesson yesterday.” John reminded his teacher as he began to stretch.
Mr. Tung raised an eyebrow. “So? What you do yesterday?”
“After school, I just went swimming and fishing.” John answered.
Mr. Tung nodded his head approvingly. “Ah, good. You have canoe?”
John nodded.
“You can use canoe for training. Work on balance; stand in canoe and practice kicks.”
John looked at his teacher, surprised. “Practice kicks? In my canoe? I can do that?”
Mr. Tung chuckled. “Of course, you can do. Must make everything part of training. In all of life, many ways to practice. Come, I show you.” Mr. Tung motioned for John to follow him into his small home.
John kicked off his sandals and followed his teacher into the house, wondering what sorts of things Mr. Tung had in mind. It seemed he was always surprised by the man’s lessons, and today would prove to be no exception!
Opening the door to a closet, Mr. Tung pointed. “Close door with kick. Not strong, don’t break my door.”
John stepped close, then concentrated as he lifted his leg and balanced, focusing on using his foot to push the door closed. It was more difficult than he’d thought it would be! He wobbled, trying to maintain his balance and at the same time control his kick. He pushed the door, but wasn’t able to fully close it before having to set his foot down.
“Wow. That’s hard!” John spoke, and earned a grunt from his teacher. “Try again. Focus, think about distance and control.”
John tried again, and a third time. Finally, he heard the satisfying click of the door latching, and he smiled. “I did it, Mr. Tung!”
Mr. Tung gave him a short nod, then reached out and opened the door again. “Now, other foot.” John had to try more times with his right foot, but he was finally able to close the door, and he smiled. “I will close all of the doors in my home this way now!”
His teacher gave him a small grin. “Good. Now use foot to open cupboard, there.” Pointing to a small cupboard in his kitchen, Mr. Tung crossed his arms and watched John assess the task. The small handle on the cupboard door was just below eye level for the boy. John spent the next several minutes raising his foot, balancing, and reaching out with his toes. Mr. Tung took this opportunity to correct his form, and help him as he attempted the task which, to the boy, seemed nearly impossible. After several more tries, Mr. Tung called John over to a table across the room. “You practice open cupboard more at home. Now, come, use block to clean table.”
John came over to his teacher and took the small cloth that was offered. “You clean table at home? And windows?” John nodded. “Yes, sir. I help my mother with everything I can.”
Mr. Tung nodded and motioned with his hand as he spoke. “Good. When you clean, use blocking motion. Practice blocks as you move hand.” John used the cloth to wipe the table, and Mr. Tung showed him how to move in a circular motion, then stop, just as he would if he were blocking a strike. “Yes, like this. Every time you clean, you do.” John nodded his understanding and practiced wiping the small table. After a moment, Mr. Tung spoke again.
“Good. Now use other hand.” John transferred the cloth from one hand to the other and then continued wiping the table.
“It’s harder with this hand, Mr. Tung.” John said.
“Yes. Always harder one hand than other. Practice more with side that is harder. Whether hands or feet, must be able to rely on both sides.”
After John had wiped the table for a few moments more, Mr. Tung spoke again.
“Enough blocking practice. You do, when you are home. You go to school, must read books, yes?”
John grinned. “Yes, sir, I have a lot of reading to do. I am one of the best students in my class!”
Mr. Tung nodded his approval. “Good. When reading, stand in deep stance, build strength in legs. Hold book out, like this.” He held his arms out straight, in front of his chest. “Also build strength in arms. Come, you practice now.”
Mr. Tung and John worked on stances and posture for a few more minutes, before finishing the day’s training.
As John picked up his backpack and prepared to leave, Mr. Tung spoke again.
“All of life is practice. You do things we do today, and also, find more ways. When you come for next lesson, tell me what you think of.”
John nodded. “Yes, sir! I am excited to think of things. I will be back on Thursday, and I will practice every day until then!”
Discussion Questions:
- If you only ever practice martial arts when you are at class, you will have a hard time growing in skills and strength. Do you practice at home?
- Mr. Tung told John some different ways to practice martial arts with ordinary, every-day tasks. What are some things you can do?
- If you were to make up a training routine using only things in your bedroom, what sorts of things could you practice?
- What about using things in the rest of your house?
If you enjoyed this story, please share Master Hopkick: Beginnings with others! Consider reading this series and discussing the lessons using the questions, as a part of your classes with younger students, or even over zoom! Let us know if your students enjoyed it!
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