Okano-kancho seminars 1/22-24/16, Clinton MS

I kept a daily log for the November 2014 seminar with Okano-kancho in Perry FL which was very detailed. This log is being written after the Clinton MS seminar January 22-23-24, 2016. It may be rude to say, but actual training was of lesser impact. A front kick is still a front kick; basics will not change. Okano-kancho may have done some different exercises and drills than we usually practice, but we have many exercises and drills that he did not do. The greatest impact was exchanging ideas with other Kenkojuku-based karateka, the fellowship of training together, and camaraderie of socializing off the training deck. These are the details I will cover with this log. Please note: I will refer to people by name, not by title. No disrespect is meant; it’s just easier than writing ‘Sensei’, ‘Shihan’, etc. dozens of times. I will write ‘Kancho’, which is more convenient than repeatedly writing ‘Tomokatsu Okano’.

I traveled by bus from NYC to Jackson MS, an almost 30-hour journey with transfers in Richmond VA, Charlotte NC, Atlanta GA, and Meridian MS. The Atlanta-Meridian leg of the trip was ‘local’, traveling along city streets and making stops in towns like Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On arrival to Jackson Thursday the 21st, it was a 20-minute taxi ride to the hotel. The hotel told me they were overbooked, and could not honor the reservation. They offered to find a hotel nearby, but I told them I had no transportation, and my roommate, Jon Abrams, was flying in later that evening. They then offered an upgrade to a suite with king-size bed and pull-out couch in the next room, which I accepted. I didn’t realize how fortunate my decision was; it turned out that this hotel was the same one Kancho, Sensei Tim Neely, and many ASKKA founders had booked. This hotel became the hub of most non-workout activities.

I should point out that Dexter Frank agreed to cover classes for me on Wednesday, Sunday, and Monday. Dex has a key to the dojo, but no keys to the Temple, so Jon Abrams agreed to open and close on Wednesday and Monday. While I was on the road I got a text from Jon saying that he hadn’t finished packing, and he couldn’t open and close on Wednesday, so he sent out a mass email to the students canceling class. Had Jon given me advanced warning, I’d have arranged for Jose, the Temple custodian, to open and close the building for Dex. This was the first time class was canceled for a non-emergency reason in much more than a decade.

I phoned host Don Byington and Dave Mabry to report my arrival, as they had requested. They said they were taking Kancho to dinner in an hour or so, to call John Hinken for details. Hinken invited me to the welcome dinner and even arranged for my transportation. Around 40 Black Belts and a few kyu ranks descended on N’awlins Grill. There were a few other diners there, but we took over most of the restaurant. I sat with Jimmy Bowden and Ashley Gouthro, two good men I befriended at the Perry seminar. I texted Jon Abrams with the restaurant name and address. He was landing in Jackson and would drive a rent-a-car to join us. This was his chance to meet many Facebook friends in person. A last-minute bo seminar was scheduled for Saturday morning, so Jon and I joined our ‘California cousins’ at Home Depot to buy 6’ closet poles. Good fun! On our return to the hotel, we saw that Kancho, Neely, and many ASKKA members were in the conference area, so we joined in for an evening of meeting new friends and re-acquaintance with friends from last seminar. More good fun!

Friday morning was an open breakfast bar with Kancho and many ASKKA seniors. We then traveled to Mayo Gym at Hinds Community College, getting lost along the way. GPS brought us to a vacant lot. Rich and Pat Schmidt pulled up behind us, their GPS bringing them to the same lot. We found the gym with a little backtracking. A lot of time wandering around before the first of three sessions began. We all then took turns at the microphone to introduce ourselves. I commented that January 2016 is my 40th anniversary with Shotokan, and I’m still junior to many others present. Introductions and opening remarks took up most of the first session (10:00-11:30am) and then Kathryn Doi and Stephanie Louie ran warm-ups. We then worked on speed and several belt drills. Nobody watched the clock, so workout broke for less than an hour lunch around 2:30pm. Not familiar with the area, Jon and I stopped at a local gas station for quick prepared sandwiches and drinks. We ate back at the gym to be ready for the last session. The three sessions was now down to two, working on Kanku Dai, ending late, almost 5:00pm, after group and individual photos with Kancho. We then rushed back to the hotel to clean up and prepare for dinner at Crechales, a surf-and-turf restaurant. The food was just OK, overpriced, but there were several ‘complimentary’ bottles of wine at each table. Jon and I sat in a booth with ‘California cousins’ Donny Andersen, Travis Coffman, Josh Neumann, and Rob O’Brien. We were loudly having such a good time that Ted Conway and Charlie Parker spent more time by our booth than their own tables! At the end of the meal, Travis picked up the tab for our entire group. Thanks, Travis!

Back at the hotel, John Hinken gave me some devastating news. Kancho did not bring rank certificates for our six Dō Gakuin members and for Jimmy Bowden’s four members. It seems Kancho’s computer crashed, losing our ISKKA request forms and all copies of our previous rank certificates. Kancho was very apologetic and promised to write out our rank certificates immediately on his return to Japan, providing the necessary paperwork was re-sent. I went back to my room, where I had my laptop, and spent the next three hours searching old emails and re-sending all paperwork to John Hinken, Jimmy Bowden, and Tim Neely. I was cautioned not to contact Kancho directly; this would be seen as a breach of protocol. I then emailed our dojo members postponing our 30th Anniversary luncheon which was scheduled for the next weekend, since certificates would not arrive in time. Finally went to sleep at 3:00am on January 23rd. Happy birthday to me.

At breakfast Saturday morning John Hinken told me he found the missing paperwork on his computer. I didn’t ask if he searched his old emails as I did, or if he got the information I re-sent him late last night; all I know is he now had it and forwarded it to Kancho. We then went to Mississippi College Alumni Gym for the day’s two sessions. Donny Andersen led the group in warm-ups. We did not start with bo training as promised, instead we worked on several sparring drills. Towards the end of the first seminar, Kancho spent a few minutes demonstrating some simple bo basics so that novices could follow. He then picked Ted Conway to demonstrate a 2-man drill. Of course, Ted fell behind Kancho pressing on faster and faster. Jon and I smiled and immediately recognized the exercise as Riinbu no kumi-bo, a kobudo requirement at Black Belt Academy and Dō Gakuin. The first session ended very late, and most people went to lunch. The ladies from Quan’s Bushido: Kathryn Doi, Stephanie Louie, and Jodie Asher, wanted Jon to work Yamanni Ryu sai with them. He gladly obliged, and I worked Riinbu No kumi-bo with the CSK crew: Ted Conway, Donny Andersen, Travis Coffman, Josh Neumann, and Rob O’Brien. During the second session Kancho finally explained the importance of our working Kanku Dai. His father, Tomosaburo Okano-soke, began a tradition of all Kenkojuku Black Belts assembling and performing Kanku Dai in unison to the ‘dojo song’, a poem called ‘Ji Fun Shi’, written by Funakoshi and set to music. It is Kancho’s wish that we could perform Kanku Dai to the dojo song as tribute to his father and to Funakoshi. The song was then played and we followed Kancho’s performance.

Saturday evening was the annual Mississippi Karate Association Awards Banquet. In addition to presenting awards to MKA tournament champions for the previous year, awards were presented to several Kenkojuku and ASKKA dignitaries. Kancho performed a bo kata in honor of the event, and then was inducted into the MKA Hall of Fame. John Hinken was also inducted for his long, illustrious career. All ASKKA founders were presented with special jackets (except for Joe Butrim, who could not attend the weekend), along with Kancho, Tim Neely, Wayne Wickizer, and Ted Conway. Then the surprise… 78-year-old Wayne Wickizer was awarded 7th Dan by Kancho, which was met with thunderous applause, warm handshakes, and hugs. Well deserved!

Good will still glowing, we went back to the hotel conference area for good talk and, thanks to Ted Raitch, good drinks. The tech-savvy crowd sat in a group, smartphones in hand, connected to Japanese translation sites, communicating with Kancho. Brenda Hill presented Kancho with a photo album from the 2014 Perry FL seminar. We took group selfies. Ted Raitch invited me to his room down the hall, where he had a full bar laid out with top-shelf alcohol. Jimmy, Charlie, Ted, and I made many trips down that hallway. All the while, the conference area TV was covering the top story - the weather. Flurries were in the Mississippi area, a rarity for this part of the country, and New York/Long Island was paralyzed by the biggest blizzard in many years. I decided to cancel Sunday’s class and notified Dex and the students. We’d wait on a decision for Monday, but would probably cancel due to impassable roads. Ted Raitch, Jon, and I were the last to call it a night, as Raitch told great stories of the early Kenkojuku days.

Sunday morning breakfast saw Ted Conway in a corner talking with John Hinken and other ASKKA founders. I thought nothing about it, but a couple of weeks later ASKKA announced that Ted Conway has been appointed as a Special Advisor as of January 23rd. Tim Neely had to take care of some business, leaving Kancho without a translator. Everyone left to prepare for Sunday’s session, leaving Kancho alone for a while. Jon and I did our best to communicate with him, mostly via mime, with limited success. We then went to Alumni Gym for the final session. It began with a warm story from Wayne Wickizer, self-proclaimed ‘Grandfather Sensei’. Everyone enjoyed it. Certificates of Participation were then handed out to all. Kancho then demonstrated and led the group through Chi-no-kata and Jin-no-kata. He finished up with taijutsu, a favorite of his father. We ended with group photos, and Kancho gave gifts of workout towels to students, and gave to senseis a Kenkojuku book written by his father in July 1991 and artwork from his father. He then obliged everyone who wanted his autograph by signing almost everything in sight. We left the final session, scheduled for 10:00am-12:00pm, around 2:30pm.

We went back to the hotel to clean up, and for me to pack. Jon’s flight was canceled, but my bus was leaving on time at 10:15pm, due to arrive in NY Tuesday 6:20am. It was assumed that roads would be cleared by then. Ted Conway invited us to dinner, so we went over to his hotel where he and I exchanged SD cards with all the photos and videos we took all weekend long. Charlie Parker joined Ted, Brenda, Donny, Travis, Josh, Rob, Jon, and me in the hotel room. Jon then came up with the idea to record a 6-man Tekki Sho in the hotel corridor. Good times! We then trekked over to a not-so-nearby Cracker Barrel that the Quan ladies went to earlier in the day. They would join us there for dessert after some shopping. After dinner Charlie Parker led a 9-man group in Jion in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. More good times! We then went back to Ted Conway’s hotel lobby, where we reminisced about the weekend. Jon and I left around 9:30pm for my 10:15 bus out of Jackson.

While on the road, I checked how the snow cleanup was going, then sent out a group email canceling Monday evening’s class. The storm had been a Category 4 blizzard, the 4th worst storm on record. The trip home was to be almost 32 hours, but snowy roads up north made it a 34-hour trip. I got off the train in Baldwin to walk to the Temple, passing 20-foot high snow drifts in the LIRR parking lot.

Update: Kancho being a man of his word wrote out our rank certificates and shipped them express mail immediately on his return to Japan. The package arrived on Monday, February 1st, just after our 30th Anniversary luncheon was originally scheduled. He included gifts for the six of us and something for the dojo as a way of making up for the confusion. The 30th Anniversary luncheon was held on Saturday, February 13th, where certificates from the Kenkojuku honbu were presented to our members. Among the toasts we made, we raised a cup to Okano soke and kancho. Further evidence that our certificates were written immediately on Kancho’s return to Japan - Wayne Wickizer’s 7th Dan certificate was posted online, showing issue #720199. The six certificates we received are issued #720200 to 720205. Domo arigato gozai mashita, Kancho.

New 332 Area Code for NYC in 2017?

Just heard on tonight’s news that NYC will be getting a new area code, 332, in 2017. Gimme a break! Not too long ago all five boros of New York City used 212. In 1984 area code 718 was assigned to Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Bronx became 718 in 1992. Since then 347 became another area code for the 718 area in 1999. In 1992 area code 917 was created for NY area cellphones, and Manhattan added area code 646 in 1999.

I understand - we’re quickly running out of phone numbers, but it’s getting to the point where you must dial another area code to call your coworker at the next desk. The solution is amazingly simple: It’s time for 8 digit phone numbers. I can hear the complaints now, “I can’t remember 8 digits”, “It’s too much trouble”, “My business number ends in 2500”. Nonsense! You keep the same phone number you have now, just put a ‘0’ on the end. A business ending in 2500 now ends in 25000. It’s a lot easier to remember and dial 7 digits +0 than a 3 digit area code and then 7 digits. Once the ‘0’ ending numbers are exhausted you issue the same 7 digits adding a ‘1’, then ‘2’, etc. You’ve just increased the current phone number combinations tenfold. And don’t tell me it’s too hard to revamp the phone system. Everything is computerized. Program the computer and anything can be done. Hey, we handled Y2K, didn't we?

In my lifetime the US population grew from around 160 million to currently around 320 million. Besides the population doubling, families had a landline phone in the house; now people have a home landline, a cellphone for almost every family member, a dedicated computer line, a fax line, etc. Of course we run out of 7 digit numbers.

Phone numbers used to have 6 digits up into the 1940s. Area codes came into being in 1947, using 86 different 3 digit codes. Area codes with ‘0’ in the middle meant the code was used statewide, while area codes with ‘1’ in the middle meant the state had multiple area codes. Today, there are upwards of 290 area codes with no apparent rhyme or reason behind assigning them.

Can we get ahead of the curve? Let’s make 9 digit phone numbers. Your present phone number would end in ‘00’. This would increase the current number combinations a hundredfold. Hey, maybe your home number can be 7 digits and end in ‘00’, your cellphone the same 7 digits and end in ‘05’, your computer line the same 7 digits and end in ‘07’, etc. By the way, who still dials a phone?

UPDATE: It's now 2018, and no further mention has been made of a 332 area code. Perhaps they realized how ridiculous the idea was.

Macho in the Dojo

I’m known for ‘old man rants’, but this is not one of them. This is an ‘observation’ how things change over time.

At my sensei’s dojo and mine for many years, there was the macho idea that males didn’t wear anything under their gi jacket. Females, for obvious physical differences, would wear a shirt or body-stocking under their jacket. This would occasionally verge on bullying, when seniors would harass a T-shirt wearing young man: “Whaddar ya? Sum kinda gurl?” In recent years I’ve picked my battles, mentioning that females wore shirts but males routinely didn’t. I wouldn’t push the issue and I wouldn’t let seniors make a big deal over it. I’d rather the student felt comfortable training than feeling pressured by someone into quitting over a shirt.

An interesting development the past few years is that many old-time traditionalists who would mock others for wearing a $3-$4 undershirt under the jacket now ‘equip’ themselves with $30-$40 Under Armor under their jacket. Years ago males were ridiculed for wanting to feel comfortable while working out; today’s tough guy doesn’t want to chafe.

Please hold your negative comments. I’m not calling Under Armor wearers wusses. I’m just ‘observing’ how the idea of macho in the dojo has changed over time.

RIP Mike Davis

I sent out two Facebook ‘friend requests’ a few weeks ago to longtime Black Belt Academy classmates: Ken Muller and Mike Davis. Ken accepted my request a couple of days ago and gave me the sad news that Mike passed away June 10, 2015. Kenny and Mike started training together, came up through the ranks together, made Black Belt together – you get the idea. They were both good at kata, strong fighters; some considered them the ‘twin towers’ of the dojo. Mike visited my Westbury dojo, sat on a Shinsa examination board, and offered keen insights to my students.

Mike Davis joined the NYPD in July 1984, working his way up to gold shield detective. He was a first-responder for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Mike retired in July 2004, and then joined an insurance firm in December 2007, becoming assistant vice president, US facilities and security.

Unfortunately, Mike developed a 9/11 related cancer. From what I gather, complications were rough. Even so, Mike showed strong will and good spirits, often kidding around, right up to the end. Rest in peace, my friend.

Sensei James Zoubantes: 7/15/1932-9/4/2015

Sensei Jimmy Zoubantes, longtime Judo instructor at Black Belt Academy, passed away last Friday, September 4th at age 83. Jimmy was a student of Joe Turchino, now 8th Dan, and was a sensei to Walter Dean, now 9th Dan and Board member of US Judo Association (USJA). Jimmy was 4th Dan, Bronze Life Member with USJA and 5th Dan, Life Member with National Sport Judo.

Jimmy was a great dojo friend and mentor. We did many self-defense seminars and programs together in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. He was hard-working, usually at work in food services before 7:00am, but very easy-going in nature. He was just as fast with a joke as he was able to throw you. I will miss him. RIP.

I asked others to share information, stories, and anecdotes. Here are some of them:

Lisa Devine Kamhi: That is such sad news. I loved Jimmy. He trained me in Judo on Saturday mornings at Black Belt Academy. Such a kind and funny man. Rest in Peace.

Joe Turchiano: Jimmy was with me for 7 years during my contest years and took many high speed falls. He became a strong judoka. He taught in my old dojo for over 25 years under Black Belt Academy. He was a true brother; the only student who outsmarted me with a combination I taught him – right fake to right kosoto gari. He impacted many young lives, what a good sensei does...

Nick Roseto: I spoke with Jim last year just to let him know I didn't forget about him and thanked him for being such a big part of my childhood. I'm glad I did. May he rest in peace.

Sensei Clifford R Wolff July 1, 1929-August 21, 2015

Two days ago the Judo world lost a quiet giant: Sensei Clifford R. Wolff, age 86. Quiet? He loved to talk, but what he said was worth listening to. He was against ‘kuchi waza’ (mouth techniques), or running off at the mouth, and could back up what he said. A giant because he began Judo training in 1943, at one time headed the largest USJA club in the nation, was a published author, taught/mentored/friended thousands of martial artists over his 72 year martial arts career.

Sensei Wolff was a proponent of ‘shibumi’, simple elegance. An excellent example of this was that in a martial arts world where people crave to be called ‘master’, ‘grandmaster’, ‘soke’, 11th degree black belt, etc. Wolff was simply called ‘Sensei’, ranked 3rd Dan at the Kodokan and 4th Dan with the USJA until 2014. On May 9, 2013 an informal testimonial dinner was held to celebrate his 70th anniversary in the martial arts. ‘Informal’ was Sensei Wolff’s style. Months before the dinner several of us martial artists started the ball rolling to get Sensei Wolff’s 5th Dan with the USJA. It took about a year, but he was awarded Go Dan in 2014. The paperwork and financial responsibilities were taken on by us, as he never cared about rank and would never have put in for promotion himself.

Sensei Clifford R. Wolff will be sorely missed in the martial arts world. Rest in Peace.

-Steve Gottwirt, USJA Patron LM #3070

Don’t Turn Into a Block, Turn Away From It

I often see martial artists make wide, exaggerated folds in kata and when trying to block an opponent’s attack. This usually doesn’t work because a straight-on attack lands before it is perceived, a large fold can be made, and the block comes out. A simple solution is to parry the attack. While an effective defense, parrying doesn’t damage the attacking limb like a good, hard block could.

Another alternative: instead of swinging your block into your opponent, turn away from the attack. You can fold straight on, or at a 90 degree angle, and turn your body sideways in the opposite direction as you block. This gives your block up to 180 degrees rotational power without exposing yourself during much of the turn. The block travels a straighter line while your body twists off the attack line, improving the chance of intercepting your opponent’s oncoming strike. This end position also sets you up to countersink your hips 90 degrees for a forceful counter attack.

Think of the hub and spokes of a wheel. Do the spokes rotate on their own, or does the rotating hub cause the attached spokes to rotate? Your twisting body, the hub, will bring your attached arms around to block more effectively than flailing your arms with large motions. Think back to your geometry lessons. A semi-circle is 180 degrees. The diameter, a straight line, is also 180 degrees, but is much more direct and covers much less distance than a half circle does.

The primary purpose of any block is to protect the individual. A punch won’t harm you if you block it. Makes sense. It also makes sense that smashing the attacking limb with a strong block greatly reduces the likelihood of any more attacks from that limb. A fast, hard, body rotational, 180 degree linear, strong block could even defeat your opponent. An old Okinawan maxim says, “There is no first strike in Karate.” True, we don’t start a fight, but if he strikes first, we’ll block/strike his body. He attacked us first, but we damaged him first.