Many of our Branson Karate students attended their first virtual karate or tai chi class this week.
Overall it was a success! In the days of Corona virus and self-isolation it’s nice to know we can still practice the martial arts and teach our students virtually. However, there was one common challenge that was shared by many of our students. The collective challenge was how small the display appeared on their phone.
It was difficult to practice along with us in their living room because they couldn’t easily see what we were doing. The screen on their phone or tablet was just too tiny.
Some of my more technically savvy students said, “Oh! We just casted our phone to our smart tv so it was big enough to see.”
“Wow, how convenient!” I thought.
My next thought was, “How in the heck do you do that?”
On a personal note, my family and I do not yet own a “smart” tv. We are not big tv watchers and literally only have one television. The TV we do have is housed in our living room, is small enough to fit inside a 3.5 foot wide media armoire and is at least 20 years old. Dare I say, we don’t even have cable or satellite. I “cut the cord” on that monthly subscription in 1998.
Yeah. We are behind in the times. Obviously.
But, I digress.
For those of you who happen to have a Smart TV, you may be able to cast you phone’s screen to your television. Here’s how to do it:
If you have an Android phone/tablet:
https://www.techbout.com/connect-android-phone-to-tv-wirelessly-40501/
If you have an Apple device/ iPhone:
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-connect-your-iphone-or-ipad-to-your-tv
If you are like us, and don’t have a Smart TV, the next best thing is to log into the Zoom meeting from your computer. Most computer screens are bigger and easier to see. Of course, this requires you have relatively good internet access on your computer.
Either way, don’t let technology stop you from training. You can always practice the basics like punches, blocks, kicks and stances. If you have learned any Katas or Taolus (Tai Chi Forms), those are always good place to start in your practice!
If you’d like to join us in our virtual karate or tai chi classes, we’d love to have you! Here’s a link to our Facebook page where we post our schedule of online classes.
http://www.facebook.com/bransonkarate
Once there, comment on the one you want to attend and we will get you the link and instructions.