HIS Karate-Do

The other day, one of my friends sent me a link entitled, “The #1 Exercise To Do As You Get Older.” Found at the AARP website, I suppose that it’s very appropriate for your sensei’s we are in our seventies, haha. Well, since I know that leg exercises are especially important for us “karate kupuna”, I was guessing that it might be about Tai Chi. However, it wasn’t about an entire regimen – instead, it was specific to just one exercise…squatting. Now I’d have to say that I could never take up doing this. Even knowing about the great health benefits derived from squatting exercises, I’m sure that I’d get bored after a few reps. With that in mind, I now realize that over the past 53+ years, Sensei Peter, Wayne and I have all been “tricked” into doing hundreds of thousands of these beneficial “squatting exercises”, as every Shotokan zenkutsu/kokutsu/kiba-dachi and keri-waza involves forms of dynamic squatting movements! In other words, when we practice, besides appreciating the beauty and power of kata, learning interesting combinations, bunkai applications, and enjoying working up a sweat with our fellow karateka – we’re all doing the #1 exercise to do as we get [...]

Every so often, I think about an aged martial artist I knew who passed away many years ago. He wasn’t a karateka – he was one of the very first kempo/kenpo instructors. I only knew him as a nice, quiet old man. Sensei Peter, Wayne, and I often talk about just how many more years we’ll be able to continue our journey with Shotokan Karate-Do. I would like to believe that I’ll spend my later days like this fine gentleman did. Our old-time members may remember that I wrote this note back in 2008 and resent it in 2015 – long before most of our active members joined us. So this makes the “third edition”. In any normal dojo, one always notices the sensei, the senpais, the color belts, and the white belts. It’s natural; they’re moving and kiai-ing the whole time. The folks one never really notices are those few who are sitting on the sidelines, just watching class. You know, the parents or older siblings who drove the kids to practice, or perhaps a student from another class, spouses, or friends, etc. Anyways, they’ll faithfully come and watch for so many classes and hours that they end up [...]

Yes, you can probably recognize one of the old trite old sayings that my father would sometimes tell me when he was in a philosophical mood. That means that you’re in for a “Deep Thoughts” note from me, haha. Recently I came across the obituary for an old friend of mine who passed away several months ago. His name was Chester Sasaki who I met in Vandenberg AFB when I was a young 2nd Lt and he was a senior captain. Chet was a missile man who later worked as a project manager at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and led the Genesis space program in the early 2000’s. He was also an excellent martial artist, having attained a Shodan in Shotokan Karate, a Sandan in Aikido, and a black belt in Kendo as well. He received his karate black belt from the legendary Hidetaka Nishiyama, no less. In fact, one of his fellow karateka in the lineup was the actor John Saxon who you may recall, was “Roper” in the classic “Enter the Dragon” movie made famous by Bruce Lee. Saxon passed away in 2020 at age 83. Chet and I used to work out together and exchange ideas [...]