|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
I enjoyed the team atmosphere and the respect (for the sport, for the sensei, and for each other) of my karate training. The katas were fun and necessary, but the most fun from my perspective was the sparring. Sparring and weapons.
So when I moved to Illinois I sought out a club whose focus was sparring and found a TKD school. This was fun and a great workout, but I grew frustrated with my lack of flexibility in kicking. Then I moved to Colorado.
I've checked into several schools but haven't made the move yet to join one. Then I found this list and have really enjoyed the community and the quality of information represented.
I just broke my ankle snowboarding and will have a screw
put in next week so I won't be able to do much training for the next several
months, but it does give me some time, and a good excuse, to visit schools
in the area.
Aysha
Harnekar - South Africa
My name is Aysha, I am 25yrs old and live in Retreat(South
Africa). I have training Ashihara Karate since 1991. I started doing it
to keep fit and think that I still do it for that purpose and probably
for the physical and mental stimulation that the dojo environment provides.
Mike
Harriman - USA
Thoraiyah
Hassiem - South Africa
Randy
Haskins - USA
Through my personal experience in training as well as
life, I felt the need to express my beliefs through
a modified fighting form. With that in mind the SEIGYO
DO KARATE KAI was founded in early 1996.
Seigyo Do Karate translated means, " The way of control
with empty hands." This system was designed
with the smaller practitioner in mind. We rely on blind
spot positioning, off balancing techniques and
pressure point attacks to achieve our goal. We do not
go against our opponent's natural directions or
reactions; we help them along.
Now, being the only German kids in about 5 miles, my older sister and my life, was shall we say cautious. Everywhere we went, we were tormented. School was difficult, friends were few and far between, beatings were always around the next corner. Junior High wasn't any better!
When I was 14, I saw a Karate demonstration inside the local shopping Mall. I was amazed by what I had seen, and I saw my chance to learn to protect myself. But despite my efforts, my parents could not allow it due to my Asthmatic condition, I knew it was more a case of money, or lack of it! I saved and saved to pay my own way, but it wasn't enough. No sports, no Karate, just School.
One day, in the School Library, a new shipment of books came in, I found amoung them a strange coloured green book, called "The Plum Sugared Fist". It was a detailed descriptive hand book for a Chinese Martial Art. Oh, I read it every day, over & over again. Covering first the human body, presure points, hand and foot positions, striking, joint manipulation. I kept it all a secret! I used my dog as a training partner, he was very well trained so I was able to play fight, just to learn avoidence if you will, like a Matadore avoids the bull. That book prepared me for a fight I could not avoid. It was with a very arrogant neighbor, every year on my birthday, he would come over to wish me well, my parents always said to be polite. He'd shake my hand, then kick me between the legs. For once I was ready, but he didn't even reach out this time, he just wanted to dish out some punishment. Up came his leg, down went my cross block, knuckles together. Our bones made contact, to my surprize, and his disbelief, his shin bone shattered. That was the last time anyone bothered me or our family.
Since then, I've read several books, and studied many cultures. When I finshed High School, I joined the Army for some adventure, ended up in an Armour Division. That was when I started my formal Martial-Arts training. Despite my Asthma, which was controlled to the best of my ability, I pushed on. Savate, French Boxing was what was taught at the time. I excelled in hand techniques, but lacked flexibility making high kicks impossible. I ended my service in the Forces in 84, and also never trained again due to poor health.
When I turned 30, I was already a father, Husband, Engineer,
Saleman. My best friend at that time was bored and desperate to try something
different.
One day I was in a bank, had his tall slim gentleman
behind me. He made comments about a weird acting guy in the mall, just
in front of the bank and we watched him pace back and forth until he entered
the bank. He started towards the front of the line, pushing his way past
waiting clients. His hand reached into his jacket, he was 5 feet from me.
The man behind me yelled "He's got a gun" while he jumped high in the air
spinning backwards, landing his heel on the guys chest, sending him flying
backwards. I was amazed, and told him so. He said "with some hard work,
I could learn" Needless to say he became my first Sensei In a style called
Kyokushin Karate.
Well, it has been an interesting 6 years since that day. 3 Kyu in Kyokushin, but have since eased off due to too many injuries. I now train more often with my children as a Blue Belt in TKD & Yoseikan Karate. To further push myself I've begun in the art of Iaido. I still have severe asthma, which makes even the best days training difficult. But as I have learnt, to compete against myself, no matter what, is to gain further wisdom as to what I can accomplish.
I've really learnt to focus, and what strength can flow from you when you do. I've recently experienced an event in which my Ki, my spirit controlled my motion, it was like a dream, a sense of perfection. My fellow Karateka's still question me about it, still not understanding of it.
It has given me the desire to try even harder. My dreams in childhood of being rewarded with a blackbelt for all my efforts, my losses, my achievements, and struggles with my health, is only around the corner, but that day will mark only a new beginning. I understand now, going full circle. To get to the next level, only to start again from scratch.
I have been hurt, I have felt joy, seen crimes against
humanity. I do my best everyday to remain polite even in the worst of times,
and have been humbled by the recent birth of my 3rd child, my second son
that almost never was.
Sharon
Hayakawa - USA
Matt
Henderson - USA
Zaahir
Hendricks - USA
Daisy
Heskett - USA
During my time in karate, in the 70's, the United States Karate Association was the dominating organization in the U.S. We belonged to and competed in the USKA. For many years I never knew there was any other organizations. I was rated 3rd in kata and 4th in kumite by the USKA in 1976.
In December 1980 I quit karate and moved from North Carolina to California, married Rick Heskett, a former 82nd Airborne Paratrooper that was stationed at Ft. Bragg. Rick was one of many soldiers that came into the karate school where I taught.
In February 1995 I got back into karate and have been teaching again since December 1995. I devote my time to a group of kids that couldn't afford to take karate at commercial school prices. For 2 1/2 years I taught for free and furnished the students with their gear. Even though I now charge, the fee is one of the cheapest in town. I enjoy watching the kids develop into really good karateka. They are doing great in such tournaments as AAU and USA-NKF sanctioned competitions. I can say working with these kids has made the come back to karate more than worthwhile. My 16 year old green belt student Yazni Martinez competed in the 2001 USA-NKF Nationals held in Houston. She got silver in kata and bronze in fighting.
Even though I was born and raised in Kentucky and have
lived in North Carolina, Ohio and California I now reside in Bryan, Texas
and since moving here in 1982, Texas sure does seem like home.
Jim
Hoffer - USA
Sensei Iha is Sensei Miyahira's senior student (first
to be promoted to 9th dan). He is in his late 60's, but
I put money he could kick my butt in about 10 seconds.
He is that good. Sensei Miyahira is Chibana's
senior student, and became president of Chibana's organization
when he passed away. Some call this
style kobayashi, which is the kun reading of the kanji,
but this is incorrect, it is shorin-ryu.
Currently I practice in my basement with several others,
with occasional trips to other dojo's and regular
trips to Lansing. Current rank is 4th dan.
I (stupidly) stopped training in 1976 and resumed under Coffman again in 1989. While I have seen many, many karateka over the years, and attended a few seminars, I have never been a student of anyone but Coffman, who received his 7th degree from Kise in 1977, but broke from him the following year.
Today, we call what we practice Shorin Ryu Matsumura Orthodox,
but it is in truth a combination of Kise's original Kyan Shorinji (many
don't realize that Kise was a fourth dan under Shuzen Maeshiro long before
he began studying with Soken) and the Matsumura of Soken -- the karate
that Coffman first learned in the early 1960s. Much of it is quite
different from most
contemporary Matsumura.
Paul
Hucul - Canada
Anil
Hudasinghe -Sri Lanka