I recount this story only for , since he desired to make it one of his Karate Memories… We recently had a stripe test for a youth in our dojo that happens to hail from Great Britain. He’s only a white belt, so much is generally not expected of him. The kid usually tries very […]

Continue reading...

I had two workouts before I headed on vacation, they were relatively standard fare. The stress of the test being off for a bit is definitely a Good Thing. That being said, I’m able to enjoy my karate a little more now instead of obsessing over every detail. During this past Saturday’s workout, Garls-san, , […]

Continue reading...

Tasha and I had a great time on our trip to New Orleans! The hotel was fantastic, the city is a very interesting place to behold. The only bad part was the drive, which took us about 14 hours. I will post additional details as time permits, but a quick list of high points: the […]

Continue reading...

Continue reading...

I’m told there are some really great photos of the black belt exam circulating around, here are a few of mine that I have gotten posted thus far.

Continue reading...

My lovely wife just called to inform me that the sandwich I had just finished was made with expired meat. Her: “Hi honey, have you had lunch yet?” Me: “Uh, just finished it, why?” Her: “Because the meat expired on 3/28. There were two packages in there, a new one and an old one.” Me: […]

Continue reading...

Last night was the indoctrination of Sensei Erbe into the black belt club… he was lucky enough to receive the intellectual beating that is being told to teach a class with no plan. He did very well, it ended up being basics and some sparring drills. For the second class we did some basics, kata, […]

Continue reading...

After the exam, there was quite a bit of concern expressed about the state of my lung. I thought I had coughed up a little blood before my shower, however accurately diagnosed that is was probably from some sort of a mouth cut. It stopped being noticable about halfway through dinner after a Long Island […]

Continue reading...

The test was upon us. Sensei Hassell had called all of the examinees up to the front of the room to ask if we could start the test early. We explained that our wives/families hadn’t arrived yet, but we would try to call them. He agreed and said that was fine, and to let him […]

Continue reading...

The night before my second degree black belt test had been filled with travel and somewhat rude and useless hotel staff, but I was mostly beyond all that nonsense. Rest did not come easily the night before the exam, was helping me by watching a few techniques that I did nervously in the hotel room. […]

Continue reading...