Tuesday 11/11 - the final day of travel

We arrived at Savannah GA, then on to Fayetteville NC, then arrived in Richmond VA at 5:15am. The Richmond to NYC bus was scheduled to leave 8:00 and arrive at the Port Authority at 3:20pm. A 2-3/4 hour layover. Yeesh! Then a wonderful thing happened - an earlier bus headed for NYC that should've been gone by now arrived late. My 2-3/4 hour layover was cut to 15 minutes! We were on the road a little after 5:30, took an hour rest in Delaware, and still got to NYC around 12:30pm.

Had a short visit with that pal o'mine, Ralph Kramden. We formally addressed each other, "Hello ball", then Ralphie boy and selfie boy parted ways. The LIRR Babylon branch train was already at the track when I got there with a whole 4 minutes to spare! I was home in an easy chair with pillows by 1:45pm because yes, my knees and hips still hurt.

And so ends this blog on my Tora no Maki trip to Flurduh back to Noo Yawk.

Monday 11/10/14- starting for home

Woke up this morning at Sensei Bowden's beach house, 'The Manor', cleaned myself up, packed my bags and came out to voices in the den. Shihan John Egan came over. Seems Sensei Bowden is starting Shihan Egan on his way home to California after dropping me off at the bus stop. We had nice conversation before leaving 9:30am for my 10:30 bus. I had prepared a 'thank you' card for Sensei Bowden's hospitality, put some money inside so he and wife Gerry could go out to dinner for his birthday. Saying good-bye at the bus stop, Shihan Egan showed me the 'official' California bow/hug between friends: bow, left step forward, grasp right forearms, and left hand on the back. It seems we bonded.

Paul, a green belt from Georgia, was taking the same bus to Tallahassee as I. He's a nice, simple kid in his early 20s and his company was welcome. I went on solo once he transferred to the Macon bus. The trip itself was uneventful, other than following the homeward-bound progress of our NJ and CA friends and lots of photos posted on Facebook by many friends. Sensei Bowden called me at 6:30pm to say he and wife Gerry just finished his birthday dinner at Mama's Italian Family Restaurant, and he thanked me. With stops and layovers, I was on my way to Savannah as Monday ended. Oh, and yes, my knees and hips hurt a lot.

Tora no Maki Sunday 11/9/14

Final day of the Tora no Maki weekend. Sensei Jimmy Bowden and I went to the Forest Capital Hall to open up, go back to the dojo for some items, and then return to the hall before 10:00am. Did I mention that my knees and hips are sore from the previous two days of workouts? That they're very sore? That ... OUCH!

After some working out, we reviewed Heian kata. It seems that many changes occurred over the decades, as some of the older karateka pointed out. A few of them were giving Okano-kancho a difficult time, challenging at almost every turn, so things were slow-going. We broke well after the scheduled noon end time after only getting through Heian Sandan.

Lunch was provided for us by Mama's Italian Family Restaurant, as was Friday, where we socialized and networked some more. A few people were leaving before the 1:30pm seminar; others right after seminar at 3:00pm, including the Schmidt brothers. I thanked them for making this weekend so special and memorable. They probably had the strongest impact on me, which speaks volumes considering the level of karateka present. Special thanks to Sensei Ted Conway, who secured some special hachimakis from Okano-kancho for my crew back at the dojo.

The second seminar began very late. Did I mention that my knees and hips hurt? We went through Heian Yodan (or as they call it, 'Yondan') and Heian Godan. Again, it took a long time getting through the questions and comments from several 'old-timers'. Little time was left, so we went through a couple of taijutsu moves. After the seminar we again took group photos and picked up the mats. The ASKKA founders and technical advisers then had a meeting with Okano-kancho and Sensei Tim Neely. After seeing some of the resistance from old-timers I knew this meeting would take a long while. Stephanie Louie and Kathryn Doi offered me a lift to the hotel. Even though I was no longer a guest there, I went to use the computer and internet access in the lobby. Thank you, ladies. At almost 6:00pm I started walking back to Forest Capital Hall to meet up with Sensei Bowden. Sensei Faupel and Jeff Golia saw me and offered to bring me to the restaurant so Sensei Bowden didn't have to come get me. That worked out great, since the meeting was running very late. Thanks, men.

The final dinner at Mama's Italian Family Restaurant had no agenda, just fun. We all sang 'Happy Birthday' to Sensei Bowden, as it was finally his actual birthday. After a couple of hours we said our good-byes and went our separate ways. Sensei Bowden took me back to the beach house where we had more sangria before getting ready to turn in.

Saturday 11/8/14 - a long, busy day.

Saturday once again began with breakfast at the hotel with fellow Kenkojuku folks. We then ‘caravan-ed’ over to Forest Capital Hall just in time to see the kihon (basics) competition. The tournament had close to 100 competitors in kata and kumite. Things ran smoothly and it finished up around 2:30pm. Sensei Andrew Faupel saw a familiar face in the stands and we went over to meet Sensei Peter Spence and son. We've been Facebook friends for several years and even did a transaction on eBay, but this was the first time meeting him face-to-face. Sensei Spence bowed and hugged as if we were long-lost pals. I guess that's part of the Kenkojuku experience: we all came through the same type of training and share common background, so we are pals whether we've met or not.

Short break and then we had a training seminar with Okano-kancho 3:00-5:00. A lot of strength training and conditioning, followed by us pairing up and working some techniques. I had the pleasure of working with Sensei Jimmy Bowden. He’s an easy-going guy in his mid-70s, but I could feel the power in his techniques. The man has a lion heart! We then worked various taijutsu techniques. Cute story: We took more group photos and the photographer asked for more people to kneel in front. Shihan John Egan told me to kneel. I really couldn't, but not wanting to disappoint, I dropped to one knee (and I do mean dropped!). Shihan Joseph Butrim saw my difficulty and asked me to get up. I said my usual comeback - as long as I'm down here already let's take the photos, but have a kid named Derrick on standby to help me up. After the photos Shihan Butrim, chairman of ASKKA, 8th Dan, 76 years old, hooked his arms under my armpits and hoisted me to my feet!

Sensei Bowden took me to his house to clean up and dress for the banquet dinner. He saw I had a blue blazer, grey slacks, white shirt, and tie and mentioned that this banquet was ‘business casual’. I thought I was business casual. He said the founders were wearing blue blazers, white polo shirts, and Levis. I guess that’s just another difference between NY and FL.

The banquet was simple and fun. Around 80 participants. Special award/memento certificates were presented to many people there, including me. It was an overall good feeling experience. I saw some of the kids (and then adults) asked Master Miyazaki, Kancho Okano, and other dignitaries to sign their shirts or posters. I’m a big kid and didn’t want to be left out, so I got many of the high-ranking dignitaries to sign my certificate. Kancho and Sensei Neely also signed one of my dojo patches. That will go on the patch bulletin board in a place of honor.

I would stay at Sensei Bowden's beach house, The Manor, Saturday and Sunday night. On the way there we stopped off at another beach house where several Kenkojuku seniors were staying. Had a good hour-long talk on politics, techniques, and history. I became more and more impressed with the Schmidt brothers. As funny and fun-loving as they are, they're equally knowledgeable and dedicated to Karate. Sensei Richard Schmidt is 7th Dan, a professor at the University of Nebraska, and has many good ideas that would help strengthen the ASKKA.

We got to Sensei Bowden's beach house after midnight, had a large glass of sangria on his deck overlooking the Gulf and enjoyed a good half-hour long talk. A great way to end the day!

Friday, 11/7/14 – day 3 (or is it day 1?)

Friday, the third day of my adventure, but the first day of seminars with Okano-kancho. The day began by going to the complimentary breakfast area. I walked in to Sensei Andrew Faupel and his crew from Kenkojuku of South Jersey and Sensei Ted Conway and Brenda Hill with their California Shotokan Kenkokai group having breakfast. Great catching up with them. While we were there Kathryn Doi and Stephanie Louie from Quan's Bushido-Kai Martial Arts in California came in. I’ve been Facebook friends with many of these people for a long time; now we are actual face-to-face friends. Louie and Doi were kind enough to bring me to the event location, Forest Capital Hall. Many thanks.

10:00am came. We seminar participants spent time stretching, meeting, greeting, taking photos, and waiting for Kancho’s entrance. He and his translator/assistant Timothy Neely did not disappoint. Kancho has wonderful technique and Sensei Neely provided excellent translation and further explanation as needed. Many of the senior ASKKA members actually trained at the Kenkojuku honbu in Japan with Okano Tomosaburo and son Tomokatsu over the past 50 years or so, and they asked thoughtful questions on basics and techniques that changed over time.

Lunchtime was more for continued socializing than eating, but both got accomplished. Among the many martial artists I spent quality time with was Donny Anderson from California Shotokan Kenkokai. It was a real treat sharing ideas with you, sir. The afternoon seminar included footwork and speed drills used in kumite. We then reviewed details in Taikyoku Shodan and Kanku Dai (now that covers the spectrum!). Formal photos followed, and as always, took forever to get done. I understand that everyone wanted photos taken on their camera, so literally dozens of each pose were snapped, but I can’t understand how martial artists, trained in following instructions and holding poses, can take forever to assemble for each shot.

Shihan John Hinken and his friend Wendy brought me back to the hotel after the seminars to clean up, rest, and prepare for the luau that evening. They even brought me back at evening’s end. Domo arigato gozai mashita, shihan. Sensei Bowden introduced me to his lovely wife Gerry; a friendly, caring woman who seems to suit him perfectly. Before the dinner began, ASKKA founder Ted Raitch arrived with Master Miyazaki and Shihan Kai Leung. The luau itself was great! The dojo was set up with banquet tables and chairs, and a wonderful food selection was presented. Of course, instead of choosing, I said ‘yes please’ and had some of everything. Spent dinnertime with Rick and Pat Schmidt from Nebraska. They’re both great company, interesting with long, impressive pedigrees. They’re trying to convince me to visit Japan and train at the honbu dojo. Would it be an adventure of a lifetime? Yes. Is it my nature to travel? No, but then again, even this Florida trip seemed out of the question a few weeks ago. My mind is open to the possibility, but my bank account is closed. We’ll see.

Tora no Maki - day 2 - 11/6/14

Thursday 11/6: still on the bus. At least my odyssey is almost half over. ALMOST HALF OVER???! After stops and layover in Jacksonville, Lake City, and Tallahassee, I finally arrived in Perry at 2:30pm. A few minutes later Sensei Jimmy Bowden came by in his pickup truck to take me to the hotel. He said there was a tournament prep class later that day. I asked if he'd mind my getting on the deck to stretch out some kinks from the ride. He agreed to pick me up at 5:30 and then we'd hang out/socialize with the others.

Sensei Bowden came right on time accompanied by Pat and Rick Schmidt, brothers from Nebraska Kenkojuku.Two easy going, fun loving big 'kids' with easy laughs. At the dojo it seemed everyone knew of my epic bus trip. Sean Padgett, a senior black belt and doctor of chiropractics, brought in his table and gave me an adjustment. Those who know me will be skeptical, but I can now claim to be a well-adjusted person. Met Jackie Koeller; she's the black belt apparently organizing the weekend events. More than a dozen dojo members introduced themselves. Sorry to say that the mind-numbing bus trip made my usual mind of mush incapable of remembering names. It was an honor working out with you all, watching your kata, and 'mirroring' shobu kumite. The class then surprised Sensei Bowden with a cake,as Sunday is his birthday.

We went out to a Chinese/Japanese buffet place. Good food and plenty of it. Surprisingly, nobody new was there. Seems Okano-sensei, California, NJ, and the other Kenkojuku contingents were coming in well after 10pm. I'll meet them tomorrow. I didn't know that the Chinese and Japanese buffets were different. The waitress apologized and said she'd have to charge me double. The total bill came to $15.08! Florida prices are certainly different.

Many photos from this Tora no Maki trip can be found on our dojo's Facebook page next week.

Tora no Maki weekend

Taking a cue from Jerry Saravia, our Black Belt who kept a daily log on his cross-country bicycle trip this summer, I decided to write a post each day of my Florida adventure for

the Tora no Maki Challenge and special training.

I booked my trip with Greyhound. What?! Not flying?? Sadly, when you're broke and have time on your hands, the bus is the way to go.

My day started Wednesday with the 8:56am L.I.R.R. train to Penn Station, then a short walk to the Port Authority. Said 'hello' to the statue of Ralph Kramden (Hiya, Ralphie boy!) and boarded the 11:00am bus to Richmond VA. 1/2 hour rest stop in Baltimore, then changed buses making stops in Raleigh and Fayetteville NC. Changed buses again and stopped in Savannah GA.

Having fun? Whoopee! I did get a text saying the dojo had a great class without me :-( They worked all kicks, including crescents, hook, wheel,and spinning kicks, then worked kata from Bassai on up. Good turnout, too. Black Belts Abrams, Frank, Kamhi, Saravia (that's what reminded me to make this entry), Conanan, and blue belt Edvin Cruz. Maybe I should get outta town more often.

Bunkai in Kata

I was shown a blog with a very long article on bunkai (analysis, or disassembly) in kata (form). The writer presented some good ideas, but the main idea he stressed was, in my humble opinion, very flawed. He said that any movement in any kata has one, and only one, interpretation: e.g. If you’re doing a middle block, it cannot be a middle strike, or back-fist, or anything other than a middle block. He felt that martial artists who say the movement could mean hundreds of different things are trying to be self-glorified, too clever, and are wrong. While I agree that some martial artists read too much into their techniques, this author is being too narrow-minded when he says that any one technique cannot be anything but the obvious.

Kata is taught at one level; kata is practiced at various levels, depending on the proficiency of the practitioner. There are new lessons presented in each new basic kata, along with review of lessons from previous katas. Students are given the ‘official’ meaning for every movement in their kata, often the simplest, most basic interpretation possible. There are no ‘hidden’ moves, grabs, throws, take-downs, etc. in a kata, but one can actively discover these moves as their abilities grow. Am I saying that a movement has more than one application or not? Not dozens, but more than one is very likely.

Kata is like an onion, or a rose. Peel away one layer (or row of petals) and there are other layers underneath. If a Black Belt never learns that the four shutos (sword-hand) ending Heian Shodan are anything other than four mid-level blocks, s/he is nothing more than an exalted Yellow Belt. Heian Nidan has the same four shutos in the middle of the kata. If that once again means four mid-level blocks and nothing else then why repeat the lesson? Yes, it reinforces prior learning and it shows tai sabaki (body shifting), but a shuto could be a block, a strike, a shove, escape from a wrist grab, etc. Should the novice first learning kata know all this? No, but if the kata is practiced/studied as the student attains more abilities, these alternate bunkai can be realized.

One of my senior Black Belts often comes to class and says, “I was thinking about (some kata series of techniques)…” He then shows how, if you give an alternate application, it sets up the following moves in a whole different way than the kata originally shows. Is he being self-glorified? Too clever? Wrong? No, he’s just using a different application. The fact that this man is a tournament grand champion many times over is not impressive. The fact that his kumite (sparring) is also excellent is not impressive. The fact that knowledgeable, highly revered martial artists respect his ideas and opinions; that he can help mold students into better martial artists; that’s what’s special about him.

I often see bunkai demonstrated as self-defense. Some people perform a two- or three-move section of kata, and then execute these moves on a partner, adding another half dozen flashy, dramatic moves. Did they exhibit the kata moves, or did they show the moves cannot stand on their own? We also practice ippon (one-point) self-defense. Many of them are as flashy, as dramatic as anyone else’s, but we also practice self-defense exactly as the kata dictates. These are often shorter, less spectacular, but most effective. To this end I have a senior Black Belt who consistently takes 1st Place in tournament Self-Defense divisions. He is also a police officer with working, practical self-defense skills.

Karate is a martial art. ‘Martial’ as in war-like, but also ‘art’ as in creative; expressive; imaginative. There are sections done slowly, showing tension, stylistically, even though the technique would not be used that way in battle. I agree with the blog author when he hopes we’re learning more than mere dance. I also know by experience that we’re practicing true martial arts on many levels.

‘Thoughtless’ vs. ‘Without Thought’

Good Karate is done without thought. Many beginners may say, “Well, I can do Karate without thinking right now.” They are confusing ‘without thought’ and ‘thoughtless’.

‘Thoughtless’ means you are not putting any thought into your techniques. Mistakes are common as a result, or worse, techniques are performed incorrectly or unsafely. If you repeatedly practice your basics diligently then ‘muscle memory’ is developed and you can automatically perform the technique ‘without thought’. Still don’t get the difference? Think back to when you first learned how to drive a car. Making a left turn required your full attention to every detail. Anything less and you’d veer into oncoming traffic. Driving thoughtlessly could have deadly consequences. Now, you make a left turn without dwelling on every little detail. This isn’t thoughtless. You’re so accustomed to turning correctly that you hardly give it any thought; your mind and body perform the function automatically.

When learning a new kata, great attention is paid to memorizing the new sequence. There may be a couple of new moves, but almost every kata has the same basics (e.g. front stance, walking punch, turning, etc.). Learning the new sequence is easier if you don’t have to concentrate on each individual technique. It’s not good to think about the mechanics of a down block while executing it; you should be able to execute it without thought, if not, you don’t know your basics well enough. Once you are comfortable with the kata you should be able to think ahead. While doing the down block you should mentally prepare for the forward punch. While punching you should mentally prepare to turn into a back stance with a sword hand block, etc. With practice you should be able to think several moves ahead.

The same idea occurs in sparring. If you spar thoughtlessly, you’re likely to get blasted. At the very least, your fighting will be ineffective. While sparring, you should have a sense of strategy, a general ‘battle plan’ in mind, taking various contingencies into account, while reacting to your opponent’s actions. With practice, you’ll increase your awareness, allowing you to anticipate his/her next move. This cannot be done if you’re concentrating on your current action.

The idea of ‘without thought’ is akin to the Japanese/Zen concept of 'mushin' (無心), or 'no mind'. Whether practicing Zen meditation or warrior skills, the state of no-mindedness allows one to be open to anything. An unknown quote I recently read said: “You don’t attain mastery by practicing advanced techniques; you attain mastery by practicing the basics.”

Ten no Kata

‘Ten no Kata’ translates as ‘Kata (form) of the universe’. How e-soteric. How e-thereal. Howww eh..., what does that mean? According to Karate-dō Kyōhan, considered the ‘bible’ of modern Shotokan Karate, Ten no Kata was developed in the mid-1940s for use as matching (kumite) forms. Consisting of two parts, forward (omote) is used for individual training and backward movement (ura) is used with a partner for kumite. The book details ten omote forms and six ura forms. Many students believe these are the only variations of Ten no Kata and must be performed in sequential order as listed in the book. They fail to recognize that these are just some examples of Ten no Kata; many other variations are possible.

‘Universal’ can also be the simple, earthly idea of fitting all situations, as in tools, like an adjustable wrench or a universal joint. With Dō Gakuin, as well as my sensei’s dojo, we practice two other variations of Ten no Kata, 5-count and 4-count. Any basic can be dropped into these patterns for practice. The 5-count form begins with a ¼ left turn, then a ½ right turn to the other side, then a ¼ left turn to the front, then a ½ right turn to the rear, finally a ½ left turn to the front. It teaches the student turns/pivoting in a simple pattern while giving them a sense of 360 degrees of protection. The idea of left turn/front stance/down block is good preparation for Taikyoku Shodan (or Heian Shodan for those Shotokan branches that don't practice Taikyoku). Any basic (kihon) can be practiced in any stance with either 5-count or 4-count Ten no Kata.

There are times a student might have difficulties with a particular move in a new kata. We’ll often isolate that move and use it as a Ten no Kata. This gives the student a chance to repeatedly practice the move without concentrating on the new kata pattern. For example, the right side of Heian Shodan’s top bar has a right down block (gedan barai), shift the right foot back to hourglass stance (sanchin dachi) with a right hammer fist (tettsui), and left step forward with a forward punch (oi zuki/zenkutsu dachi). If the student has difficulty with the idea of a replacement step we might work it as a Ten no Kata: left down block/shift back hammer fist/right step punch, mirror it on the right side, follow through to the front (left block series), back (right block series), and front (left block series). Another example can be seen in Heian Nidan. If a student has difficulty with the complicated top bar of the kata we might pull it out and practice it as a Ten no Kata, doing the left side, shifting and doing the right side, stepping ¼ turn to the front and doing the left side, shifting and doing the right side to the rear, and finally shifting to the front practicing the left side.

4-count Ten no Kata is simply a combination of omote and ura. We step forward with the right basic, return to yoi, step forward with the left basic, return to yoi, step backward with the left foot for a right basic, return to yoi, and step backward with the right foot for a left basic, return to yame (finish). As with 5-count, the actual basics alternate - right, left, right, left.

Kihon (basics) is the most important physical part of Karate training. Kata (form) is nothing more than basics arranged in a specific pattern. Kumite (sparring) is applying your basics against an opponent. Ten no Kata usually takes no more than three or four square feet in area, making it perfect to practice most basics at home, the office, or almost any restricted space.

Telemarketers, Be Advised

Got yet another sales call the other day. As always, I told the caller I’m on the ‘do not call’ list and am not interested in their sales pitch. The new thing is to say it’s not a sales call, that they have ‘information’ for me. Semantics, but still a sales call.

If I’m busy or expecting a call, I just hang up. They’ll occasionally call back. What I’ll often do is put them on speaker and let them go through their entire spiel while I continue doing whatever I was doing (computer work, making coffee, whatever). At the end of their long talk I simply say I’m not interested and say goodbye. Often the caller gets abusive, insulting, and annoyed that I wasted their time. I tell them that they wasted my time by calling against my express wishes, and they chose to keep talking when I already said I’m not interested.

I’ll usually note the phone number and do a reverse lookup when I have some time. It seems the most annoying, insistent, abusive, and nasty callers come from ‘Level 3 Communications’, an American multinational telecommunications and Internet service provider company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado.

It’ll probably do little good, but I’m posting this on my website, Facebook, and every other social medium I can think of. Be advised: I will not, ever, buy anything, even if it’s something I legitimately, desperately need, from a company that employs telemarketers who call expressly against my wishes.

'Box of Belts'

This story is from many years ago, but someone asked me about it just the other day: A couple of decades ago a Tae Kwon Do associate was impressed enough, for whatever reason, to ‘join’ me to his international association. I never asked for it, but somehow found myself appointed to his board of directors and was appointed NY State Representative. He was ordering embroidered black belts for some newly promoted yudansha one day and asked if he ever gave me a belt. I said no, and thank you for the thought, but I already have many belts - some were awarded to me, some were bought, and for some reason, several were gifted to me by others. I said that I have a cardboard box filled with belts, and the phrase ‘box of belts’ for some reason stuck. He doubted me, so the next time I saw him I brought in the box of belts. At that time he handed me an embroidered belt which he ordered anyway. Here is a photo of my box of belts, along with obis I currently wear. There may be one or two more belts floating around that I couldn’t locate for this photo.