Ms. Pryor

My kids have this thing about Ms. Pryor. They think she is really strict and a hard teacher.

I really like her classes.

Is she strict? I don't know. Often her classes leave me drenched with sweat. But I learn a lot.

Last night, she took over all-belts when Master Hughes had to leave to get his daughter. We worked on slow-motion kicking in partners--and I got to be Ms. Pryor's partner. I was very happy, as I knew she'd really help me. I've been her workout partner before in class: it's like having a private lesson!

I think part of the thing is that we're both the same height, and probably about the same age, though she may be a bit older. We both have two sons who also do TKD. But she is what I call a "Real Athlete:" intense, dedicated, competitive, hard-driving.

We worked on slow-motion combination kicking, which led her to help me with positioning my side kicks (I STILL have trouble with this very basic kick!). Then she decided that everyone needed help positioning their kicks (made me feel better!) so everyone worked on chambering our legs for a side kick, then a roundhouse. They start off differently. I was glad to just focus on that very basic set of moves for a while, even though we ended up having no time for sparring.

At the end of class we briefly went over TKD etiquette. One thing that impressed me was when Ms. Pryor asked the class "Why do we bow when we enter the dojang?" Lots of people said "To show respect to the flag." But Ms. Pryor said "To show respect to this whole place." I would add: and its teachers.