Reflections

I love my work. I absolutely love my work.
Sometimes my enthusiasm carries me away.
I have learned that clear vision, meaning, and purpose in life, are essential to living happily and fulfilled. Most fortunately, I find meaning in the practice of Martial Art, and purpose in teaching its great value to others. Also, my work provides me joy and and energy, and i feel most alive when I am leading my students in their learning and practice.
Martial art is an exploration that provides a lifetime of learning and excitement. Even now, after 40 years of practice, I still marvel at how I continuously see and understand more about myself and the world through this art form.
I want to share this knowledge with others, both children and adults. I also want to provide them a lifetime of growth and human development, of which I can attest.
Martial Art, like all art, raises one’s consciousness and enables greater vision and power. If I can teach this, and lead others so, I will do some good…
…and that’s important to me.

Throughout my life I have only had to physically defend myself 2 times from another person due to no way out situations. I have only had to verbally defend myself from another person a handful of times. But, I can’t count the amount of times I have had to protect myself against my own thoughts or my own actions. I now realize that I have been my own worst enemy in more situations than I care to count. I think it is safe to say that most people can relate to “being their own worst enemies”.
Every day I am presented with situations that challenge my judgment. Is this right or wrong? Is this good or bad? Should I take or give? Do I judge or accept? Do I keep working hard or quit? Dozens if not hundreds of these choices and questions inundate my mind daily.
Receiving my 4th degree was one of the best days of my life.
Through my training and time with Pendo, I now realize making these choices is TRUE SELF-DEFENSE. Over the years as I have reached new levels in my teaching and training, my focus in martial art has become primarily a mental one. How I handle the decisions I make, or actions I take, is a greater challenge to me than any physical altercation I have ever encountered. Learning how to relax and clear my mind through training has been my greatest skill of self-defense. I may make a good choice, or a bad one, but what I do after my decision is where my training and discipline truly takes shape.
“When in doubt, work out”

This picture was taken 20 years ago while I was testing for my green belt. Who knew what would come next?
The term self-defense has a more literal meaning than I ever realized. As a young student I always felt that my training was preparing me for a time that I would have to defend myself from others in my world. I would assume that this is a very common stance on self-defense for a child or even a young man. I trained thinking I would always be ready for a bully, big or small, old or young, fast or slow. I trained to prepare myself if I were ever to be attacked, jumped, caught in a riot, or any other attack. I trained hard and got pretty tough¦ I think.
As my responsibilities have changed over the years in the Dojo and as a man, I have realized that my definition and perception of Self-Defense has changed as well. Through my 25 years of training, studying and teaching, I have come to understand that the greater meaning of Self-Defense is having the ability to defend one’s self from one’s self. It was the reinforcement of principles that I learned from my Sensei which led me to feel this way.
As many of you may know, my father created Pendo Karate, so I practically grew up in The Dojo. In fact, I don’t remember any part of my life without it. It has always been “the place for me to be.” Even when I thought I didn’t want to go, I went. This was never a result of my father pushing me to to go.
The bottom line is I love being here.