AKS Quarterly Newsletter

"The Punchline"
Editorial – June 2009

Summer is well under way and the heat in Texas is already passing the century mark. Am I ready for a trip to Michigan! Last month I enjoyed my visit to Muskegon and the trip to attend the seminar in Toledo. Once again Skip with the assistance of Andy Eckhart, Mark Hainen, and Eric Johnson provided us with a superb round of training sessions. The instructors were excellent and their knowledge top notch. It was another great training seminar in Toledo. There will be links to pictures and a write up of the event later.

Many of you already know Mr. Thomas, Mr. Reinecke and I will be traveling to Long Beach, California the second weekend of August to attend Mr. Lieb’s induction ceremony. Mr. Lieb will be the first person inducted into the Master’s Hall of Fame posthumously. We owe a great deal of thanks to Sensei Tony Zimkowski of Toledo, Ohio. Judo Tony, as he known to many, is an ambassador of the Academy of Masters and submitted Mr. Lieb for this prestigious honor.

Also joining us will be Mr. Thurkettle 6th Dan, and Robert Essenberg 3rd Dan. Robert is being recognized by the Academy of Masters as Instructor of the year for 2009. Where the goal of the Master’s Hall of Fame is to acknowledge the years of dedication and devotion of senior black belts to their respective styles and students, the Academy of Masters seeks to recognize excellence in younger black belts and highlight their leadership and dedication. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of these two awards. Both of these individuals more than deserve them. In Mr. Lieb’s case my only wish is that he was here to receive his award in person.

Next month (July) during the weekend of 17 – 19 we’ll be conducting the AKS Annual Summer Camp. We are still working on what seminars will be offered, but I can assure you all who attend will find it most worthwhile. The theme for this year’s summer camp is “Technical Excellence.” I look forward to seeing many of you at the summer camp next month. Please make every effort to join us.

Mike Sullenger 9th Dan
Chief Instructor

The Traditionalism of Budo -

Have we lost it to contemporary fast-food values?

Not long after retiring from the Air Force, I was helping officiate at a local Karate tournament in Edinburg, Texas. I was the center referee of the male junior advance division. The two competitors before me were clearly not an even match. The brown belt was out classed by the more experienced black belt, save in one area. He was a better sportsman with a more appropriate overall attitude. After warning the young black belt about excessive contact and taking away a point after he ignored me, I was prepared to eject him from the competition when time ran out. Just after the two bowed out to each other his older brother, also a black belt, commented in a rude and disrespectful way that I was making too much of the contact issue. He felt the other competitor should have been a better fighter. I told him his brother should have demonstrated sportsmanship befitting a true black belt. I was told later this older brother flipped me off when my back was turned. I found his instructor, a guy who runs a school in Edinburg, and explained to him what had happened. I told him bluntly to his face I didn’t blame his students but him. He was their instructor. They were merely a representation of attitude and teaching style they had learned from him. I was to discover later this instructor, now an 8th Dan, was only a brown belt in the middle eighties.

I share this with you because the experience was resurrected in my memory during a recent discussion with a fellow senior black belt friend of mine from McAllen, Texas. The conversation started with David asking me what I taught my students in an effort to teach them aspects of the martial arts beyond technique. In other words, what behavioral attitude did I want my students to adopt? How did I expect them to conduct themselves at home, in their schools or at work?

Before I answer that question, I’ll give you a brief description of my upbringing and training in the arts. I started at a young age in the early part of the 1960. Finding a school was difficult. The small town of Vincennes, Indiana where I lived lacked any schools or clubs. A neighbor’s son-in-law was an Army Paratrooper and he started me off with basic Jujitsu techniques. Later, I met a young man in his twenties who was a brown belt in Shotokan. He worked with me for a while as well. During my junior and senior years in high school, I was able to train in a newly formed Korean karate club at the local community college. Throughout the training I received during the sixties and seventies, my instructors were hard and instilled strict discipline. If you were late, there was punishment. If you conducted yourself with dishonor or demonstrated bad sportsmanship, there was a price to pay. What I learned, in addition to kicks, punches, self-defense, and katas, was that there was a proper attitude and level of personal conduct that was expected. I was taught that being a black belt was much more than being able to fight. It also included being a person who was considerate of others; a person who looked out for the weak and helpless among us. Being like a Samurai (a servant) who understood the true meaning of Budo. The instructors who taught me walked the walk, and talked the talk – to coin a cliché.

In order for us to be on the same definitional page, Wikipedia gives the following definition of Budo:

The point of this article is to ask the question of the reader. What is your view on how students should be taught the more intrinsic aspects of the martial arts? We all strive to teach our students how to kick, punch, perform kata, spar and defend themselves, but what do we teach them about being responsible people?

Most of you will recall the first "Karate Kid" movie. There were two key lessons in that movie. One was fighting for the right reason. The Kobukai instructor taught his minions to have no mercy, take no prisoners. Miyagi, on the other hand, instructed Daniel the proper reasons and attitude for fighting. The most profound statement uttered by Miyagi was after he had rescued Daniel and the young man had asked him if he was a black belt. Miyagi laughed and said, “oh ya, Sears $3.98,” while pointing to his pants belt. Miyagi went on to tell his soon to be protégé that, “karate is here (pointing to his head) and here (pointing to his heart), not here (pointing to his waist).” Other martial artists have attempted to say the same thing in various ways in other Hollywood movies, but none of them hit the nail quite like Miyagi San.

So where have we, as American senseis, come over the past several decades as martial artists? How many of us truly teach these more important values of the arts? How many of you only focus on tournaments and trophies, with the only character building efforts coming when the student wins? In my nearly 50 years of studying, training, and teaching both here in the states and in Europe, I’ve been fortunate to see really good students who were a credit to their sensei, and sadly those on the other side of the isle such as in the example above. As new fads come forth, and movies continue to drive the changing focus of the public in evolving areas such as mixed martial arts, will the traditional values of the old styles survive? Or will the desire for fame and a fast buck win out? Ask yourself that question the next time you watch the egotistical demonstrations of current day combatants who are now influencing the present and future generations of potential martial arts students.

Choosing A Karate School

Perspective students often ask me how do they decide where to begin training. I always tell them to visit several schools, watch the classes and decide for themselves. I invite them to try our club for week or two to see if the American Karate System fits what they are looking for.

I tell them when they visit a martial arts school to look for the following characteristics:

[1] What are the Instructor’s qualifications?

It is not disrespectful to ask how the instructor earned his rank and whom he trained with. At one time there was an alleged instructor in our area that maintained he trained with in a secret Chinese style and couldn’t divulge its identity. He didn’t last long. A legitimate instructor has no qualms about discussing his credentials and martial arts lineage.

There are a number of reputable organizations that establish standards and requirements for their students and instructors. That was the principal reason Mr. Lieb formed the American Karate Association in 1964 to act as governing body for bona fide martial arts instructors. The “lone wolf” schools can be suspect.

I think it is important to know in the beginning what you are getting into. Some of the styles offered are not appropriate for all ages. I had a young man join my class that came from another school that specialized in school age students. The student had spent two years studying their form of self-defense, no forms and limited basics. I was never able to discern what connection this style had to any recognized system. His mother was concerned when he joined our class because the AKS format was very different from his previous program. But he adapted quickly and his mother was so impressed, she joined class as well. She told me that her son had learned more in one month at our class than he had learned in two years with the other program.

I visited a school and heard one of the most outrageous comments directed toward a student I had ever witnessed. A young girl had received her first belt and certificate that night, and as she returned to line, her certificate slipped out of her hand. One of the Black Belt Instructors walked up to her and said, “You drop that again and I will break your (blank-blank) arm!’ Needless to say, the eight-year-old girl was devastated.

The student’s safety should be foremost in the Instructor’s class structure. One of the preeminent principles of the American Karate System has always been student safety. Over the years, I have seen incidents of serious injury when safety rules were not enforced. I have even had students quit after a serious tournament injury because they couldn’t risk their livelihood for martial arts.

My class is fortunate because we are sponsored through our local community education program. And I understand that commercial schools require cash flow to keep the doors open and the Instructors on the floor. But I caution perspective students about signing up for a multiyear contract; if they quit the program, they still pay for the life of the contract. Just be sure before you commit to a long-term program.

In the best case, a student finds a school to train where they can grow and learn. And the class gains a student that one-day becomes a Black Belt and will be teaching the new students who are searching for what they found.

David Thomas
8th Dan American Karate System

PROMOTIONS!!

Congratulations to all students who have been promoted this past quarter.  Best wishes in your continued training.

The Aging Martial Artist
by E. Jude Gore, 5th Dan AKS

If you are involved in the Martial Arts long enough, you’ll eventually come face to face with the effects of the aging process. It’s really easy to tell when you’re there. If you take your teeth out to spar instead of using a mouth guard… you might be an aging martial artist. If you seem to be shrinking more than your gi does after you dry it… you might be an aging martial artist. If when you Kiai, and the loudest sound that you make comes from the other end of your gi… you might be an aging martial artist. If you routinely start to snore during meditation... you might be an aging martial artist. If you catch yourself bowing before entering Denny’s… you might be an aging martial artist. The fact is, we all will feel the effects of aging some day; I know I have. But it doesn’t mean you should stop training.

If your body doesn’t let you know, everyone else seems to receive great pleasure in telling you. I find myself more and more frequently visiting my family doctor and the physical therapist. I have come to expect those infuriating words that seem to be their first response: “You’re not as young as you used to be”. Of course, they always have a big smile when they give you this eye opening news. I have heard this remark so many times from my doctor that he doesn’t even say it now. He just looks at me with that big smile and says, “You know what I’m thinking”. Of course I never give him the satisfaction of saying, “Yes I know, I’m not as young as I used to be.” I just respond with some off the wall comment like, “It’s hard to believe that I get better looking every time you see me?” or “You think I am starting to grow hair?”. I actually have started turning the table and beating them to the punchline, “Hey Doc, I know I’m not as young as I used to be, but do you think there’s any hope for this sore throat at my age?” I don’t mind his response; I am use to getting stupid looks.

A couple of years ago I was leading warm-ups in a youth class. I was still a 4th Dan at the time when one of the students asked if I would soon be testing for my next belt. In my normal joking manner I responded that at 98 years old I won’t live long enough to test for my next belt. The next couple of days proved to be very interesting. I can’t tell you how many parents came up to me and explained that their kids were telling everybody that their karate teacher was 98 years old and ready to kick the bucket.

I remember a correspondence I had with a gentleman that I will not name (but he’s the Chief Instructor of a very familiar karate organization and his initials are M.S). I was concerned that I was not prepared to test due to some injuries, and I wanted to wait until I could show my very best. He said my problem was that I thought I should be able to keep up with a 26 year old and … yes, he said the magic words “you’re not getting any younger” Ahhhhhhhhh!!! I looked at my wife and read the email. She could see the fire in my eyes, and with a big smile she said, “He’s right.” I thought for a few minutes and responded, “I think I can keep up with a 26-year-old!” At that point she gave the look that I am so use to getting. You know the one. At least she didn’t say “Here’s your sign”. I shrunk in my chair like a wet puppy, and rephrased my last statement, “Well, I sure would like to try to keep up with a 26 year old”.

My dear mother, rest her soul, also gave me advice. Every day of my life I was told to “grow up and act my age”. Well, I have come to accept the fact that I am not getting any younger (even though I am still as fast as the guy I spar in the mirror each morning). However, I am a Martial Artist and plan to remain one. When the Martial Arts have become part of your life, there is no way to give them up. They are part of what you are.

Once you come to grips with the fact that you are getting older, there are things you can do to perform at your best, no matter what age you are. It is said that you’re only as young as you feel. So do your best to feel good:

• Get plenty of rest. (You know us old farts are crabby when we don’t get our nap!)
• and take a multi vitamin.
• Start taking Glucosamine with Chondroitin. (Even if it doesn’t help your joints you will think it is and that’s half the battle.)
• Keep yourself hydrated, especially when working out.
• Cross train. Ride a bike, take a walk, lift weights….etc. but keep yourself active. (Weight training helps to keep your bones strong.)
• Push yourself to be your best, but not to the point of injury. Know your body and your abilities, and train wisely. (After all at your age you should know better.)
• Rest your injuries, but don’t stop training. If you hurt your leg, work on your hand techniques.
• Warm up properly. (At my age. I find it takes about a day and a half to warm up).
• Stretch every day, and always stretch and warm down after a hard work out.

It boils down to taking good care of yourself and using good common sense. Start treating yourself as you would one of your students. If a boy with one arm joined your class, you wouldn’t refuse him. You would help him be the best he could be with what he has available. Teacher… heed thy teachings.

It is important to remember that you have worked hard at developing not just your body, but your mind and spirit. Your mind, supported by your spirit, is your greatest asset. Let the knowledge that you have acquired guide you in your training. Just because your kicks are not as high as they were 30 years ago, doesn’t mean they can’t be executed at a lower level with proper technique. Your punches may be a little slower than before, but they can still be accurate and effective. You may not have the stamina when you spar that you once had as young whipper snapper, but now you have knowledge and experience on your side.

My instructor, John Folsom, would state at the beginning of every class, “You are here to be the best you can be. You are only in competition with yourself. You do not need to prove anything to anyone.” So it really is very simple. What should you do as an aging martial artist? The only thing you can do… your very best.

And of course if that doesn’t work just smile and say, “I’m not as young as I used to be”.

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