Life Imitating Art...

Sorry for the delay in the update - it's been a surprisingly busy week. I guess my prediction from last week has already been proven wrong - oh well, at least it means interesting postings!

Anyway, I've been rushing all over St. Pete and Tampa this week: seeing my old friends Brian and Jesse from my MBA program, working on my novel, helping others edit their own novels, AND learning Kyokushin Karate.

I've been wanting to take up martial arts for a while now. For strength and flexibility, discipline, and frankly, just to look cool. So a few weeks ago, I started doing research into local dojos. The are literally dozens of them in the area, and it seems overwhelming at first, especially when trying to factor in quality of the dojo, as well as distance and likelihood of attendance.

To narrow my search down, I started by looking only at dojos with websites. I figured that a dojo with a website could signify both a greater commitment to success in the area as well as provide me with greater knowledge that just a yellow pages listing. With that new criteria, my list shrunk dramatically, and I started going through the websites one-by-one. A few, I quickly realized, were nowhere near me, and thus removed immediately, but the defining characteristic of most of sites seemed to be a prominent picture of two twenty year-old guys beating the living $&#* (insert profanity of your choice) out of each other. Although this idea did have a certain amount of appeal, it conflicted slightly with my impression of true martial arts, namely restraint and discipline.

And then I happened upon a site for the Meigetsu Dojo and "Sensei Joe". He discussed discipline, setting a good example, and the importance of his family. And the only picture was of some old Japanese guy! So I decided to give it a shot, figuring if I was wrong, I could always just go join one of those testoterone-fueled dojos.

Calling up Sensei Joe and making an appointment for Thursday, I arrived to find the dojo was the back room of an art gallery, where they had a crafts camp earlier that day. I found a somewhat dimunitive man who was clearly foriegn, although not Japanese (perhaps Eastern European). I was struck simultaneously by two thoughts - 1) I've made a terrible mistake and 2) Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge, maybe this is "the hidden school". A sort of movie-like state where the unassuming student stumbles upon the great master. Well, there is always, hope, anyway.

Sensei Joe, gave me a uniform, lined us up (surprised that he had so many new students today - a total of three) and explained that he wants us to communicate to him if at any time we feel ill or sick or need to rest. I nodded politely, secretly laughing inside. pssh...Like I'm going to feel sick. I run for miles, do dozens of pushups with a weight vest, work out every day. This is going to be some easy introduction class that won't tell me anything. Another new student and I exchange a knowing look.

30 minutes later, dripping with sweat and desperately trying to suck in the sweet, sweet air, the Sensei (who isn't breathing hard) informs us that we have almost completed our warm-up. We just have a little light cardio to do before we move onto forms. Right. Light Cardio. Light. Nothing like dozens of leaping, kicking, push-ups to get the heart rate up a tad.

After a brief respite, we were lined up again, this time for kicking. The kicking stance, Sensei Joe explained, was critical for its stability. He demonstrated several kicks for us to start with, and then lined us up to practice them. Doing the slow count of Japanese as we kicked, he walked between us, examining our forms. He came up beside me, looked at my feet, and BAM!

Catching me by my sleeve as I flew sideways, he said: "See! Not stable!"

It only took about three or four more times for me to manage it.

We then moved onto punches. Oh yes... it gets better. We changed stances, and this time he brought up his top belt to demonstrate the new form. Circling his student Jacob, he explained the horse stance, pointing at his legs. "See how his legs are positioned. In this stance, one pushes their legs muscles inward. Why?" Sensei Joe's leg shot out and swept the feet from under Jacob. "Because when one doesn't push inward, that is what happens." Needless to say, Jacob got it right the second time.

Finally, Sensei Joe, demonstrated the correct method for punching, describing the angle of the wrist in detail, the reasoning for it (support), and where to aim to take down an opponent. "Not the stomach, there is too much muscle. Not the chest, too much bone. But right between them." He came to stand in front of me, showing his knuckles. "And remember, you want to use the first two knuckles. Step forward." I stepped forward. BAM!

"See how easily he falls backward from the blow." Everyone else quickly nodded in agreement.

Now in fairness, he really didn't do it that hard. But it was impressive how easily he could knock me back with a precise blow. Of course, I don't think he really needed to do it a second and third time, but that's just me. I was also acutely aware at that moment of how easily he could kill me.

The whole experience was almost surreal. I kept being reminded of the ancients masters in movies and books who pretty much mercilessly beat their pupils and enjoy every moment of it. Needless to say, I look forward to returning to the dojo. Now, I just need some ancient evil to arise or a bitter rival to fight and the comparison will be complete. Perhaps Chuck Norris with a black moustache.

Whew! An epic posting. Anyway, look for consistent updates on Friday nights/Weekends (aiming for Saturday). Smaller updates sometimes during the week.