I was just thinking on “life’s coincidences”….there sure are a lot of them. I have a pretty good memory and discovered a long time ago, that if you remembered things and reflected back on them, life was sure full of “coincidences”. Today, as a Christian, I have a different view on how things happen, but back then, I couldn’t see that there was any kind of long-range plan that consisted of so many intertwined weavings that these were so easy to overlook at chalk up to coincidence. On Saturday, the ministry was blessed when two of my old time friends and fellow karate sensei, both came to visit for the first time ever, on the same day. Sensei Wayne had last visited sometime during the summer (before football season began, haha) while Sensei Peter had come twice before, the last time, perhaps a year ago. We certainly enjoyed their dual presence and Sensei Wayne gladly taught for me during the second half of training, while Sensei Peter joined me in the training line like we used to, over thirty years earlier. A good time was had by all, and I am truly glad for their friendship and the fact that [...]

In the midst of our recent promotions, I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to really congratulate two of your sempais who just made shodan, and one who has made made dan several times over. Of course, I’m talking about sempais Doreen, Wes, and James. I think some time back, I wrote about the heart of a black belt, so hopefully you won’t find this repetitive in any way, haha. In my mind, the several years it takes to normally make it to one’s first dan ranking is such a special time in one’s experience with the martial arts. I liken it to learning one’s ABC’s…repetitive, sometimes boring, sometimes frustrating, with emphasis on the “correct way” to form letters while writing, and the confusing way to pronounce a hard or soft “c”, or the “th” sound, or how about the silent “g”? As children, we hang with it and after many, many repetitions and trials, we finally get our ABC’s down. Similarly, when I share the basics of Shotokan with white, blue, green, purple, and brown belts, it is a continuing focus on basics and the most “correct way” to execute techniques. It’s a multi-year journey that only a minority [...]

Pant, pant, boy I’ll have to think twice the next time I ever say, “I’ll write some short bios about the senseis up the line who helped bring karate down to us”. I’m getting close to finishing this term paper, though. When asked who taught them karate, many practitioners have a tendency to cite the names of various famous senseis that they may have gotten a chance to listen and train with at a particular seminar. The real influence, however, is the first line instructor(s) who they trained with week after week, year after year. As you know, I’ve had the chance to train with a great many senseis over the years. The two who influenced and taught me the most are Shihan Kenneth Funakoshi and Sensei Ed Fujiwara. I was lucky enough to train with Funakoshi for about seven years, beginning in the rough old “special training” classes back in the early seventies. I began training under Sensei Fujiwara for a similar length of years beginning in the early eighties. Both share a lifelong love for the art, and yet, are extremely different, as individuals. Funakoshi is a burly, powerful, naturally athletic, extremely charismastic Farrington HS grad, while Fujiwara [...]