Youngsters introduced to the martial arts o ahead and choke your partners," the man in the dar k robe told 14 tiny faces as they grabbed and squeezed at each others' throats. " But gently," black belt Jeff Soltez quickly added . For the 65 rambunctious children enrolled in university karate classes, Saturday morning lessons meant the chance to learn the art of self-defense. For parents waiting for weekly lessons to end, there was time to do college homework. " There's usually a lot of us parents here," Ronald Glaze said. "Many study while our kids are working out." A special education
major, Soltez said karate classes gave him a chance to practice student-teaching. Joined by instructor Nancy Hrusa and Robert Pierce, a WSU veterinarian student, he taught three classes for pre-teenagers. "We're in training," he said to his pupils, some as young as age six. "Remember - the bigger they are, the harder they fall." According to Soltez, after completing a few semesters of lessons, children knew the basics of hitting, kicking, throwing and falling. "But it takes a lot of work to get good at it," he said. "A lot of my students say they want to be like the Karate Kid. But they know it's just a movie, like God-
zilla is just a movie." Six-year-old Ryan Dudley said his brothers asked to take karate lessons after seeing Bruce Lee and ninja troops on home videotapes. "They make it look easy and like it doesn't hurt in the movies,'' he said. ''The first time I fell down, it hurt." Once children learn to fall properly, Soltez said, there is little chance of injury. "They know how to handle themselves well," he said. "The big reason I probably lose students is that it takes so much time and work. But who knows? Some of these children could be black belts someday." Nine-year-old Brandon Dudley may have been headContinued ..,.
here wa s room for youngsters, parents and karate in• structors on the floor of the Memorial Gym Combat Room. While Jeff Soltez taught children the basics of karate, parents completed college homework assignments on the side. (O'Bryan) orm became an important aspect of karate training for • youngsters enrolled in Saturday morning classes. Washington SJate University student Robert Pierce served as a helpful sidekick during karate practices. (O'Bryan)
Karate
103