Reflection of time for me

 

My story goes back over 50 years now, back to when I first knew karate existed. Of course then I had no interest in pursuing karate but gradually that changed.

Then one day working on a construction site at the Salisbury State College Physed facility in Salisbury, Maryland, I heard of a karate school outside of town, the school was in a building that looked like a barn. Then my story began there.

I met Tom Lewis and he choose to allow me to join the program. No one wanted me to train there. I choose to do so on my own volition. That same reason remained through my remaining life.

So for the next 25 years I trained, competed, taught and experienced what ever martial arts were in my area.  I enjoyed my martial experienced.

Then in the late 1980's I entered the internet age.  Soon I met Joe Swift who lived in Japan, we became friends and  suddenly things exploded. I had access to an increasing amount of martial materials on many arts. Eventually this grew to You Tube where there was more and more to see. As i entered many discussion groups and joined those discussions, I found myself communication with other martial artists from around the world.

I learned ever so much more, to add to my context of what the martial world really was.

Before long something new occurred. Martial Artists from around the world choose to visit me. That was a very new experience.

Worldwide they came from Japan, Australia, South Africa, Great Britain and Canada. There were also those who came to visit from so many different states in America.

This was something I never imagined and truthfully it was quite an experience. It certainly gave me an interesting view of what was occurring around the world, than just running my own dojo.

Probably the most important thing I noticed was the incredible diversity that existed in the martial arts world.

Just take karate. What I found in each location the karate arts were quite different from each other. While they might use the name Karate, they encompassed so many different standards and practices. Okinawan karate was very different from Japanese karate, as was American karate, Australian karate, British karate, French karate, South American karate, Israeli karate and so forth.

Then within each country there were vast differences between their own karate systems.

Even more so within any countries systems there were also vast differences between their systems schools.

Incredible variety in incredible diversity.

Now most alone, as I was in my beginning, reflecting on those many individuals who took their time to visit me, I remember each of them.  I have seen so many systems come and go for many reasons.

So many precious experiences to remember.