It’s been a while since I have written anything about Karate, the Dojo, or Sensei, or me personally. Many of the fairly new members do not know me, but I have been around FMK for quite a while now.

I have seen things, done things, and know about the things I mentioned that are good for the art of Karate. Karate, in particular, our style which is ShotoKan is named after Gichin Funakoshi, who founded/invented this style. Shoto , meaning

The Dojo is to be respected for what it is…a place to study Karate and strive for perfection of same. A serious practitioner (Karateka) spends the rest of their active life perfecting their Art. Why bow? In southeast Asia and many other parts of the world, the act of bowing is the greatest form of respect between two people or a group. This has nothing to do with any religion. We bow when entering or leaving the Dojo, entering or leaving the practice floor, and when we greet other…no matter what his or her rank is. Respect is expected and required of all members and I agree with this because it shows others (especially kids) your honest feelings for them. In doing what we do…trust is all important.

Sensei – Grandmaster Frank Kushner is an expert in his field. As a former national champion, he commands respect. I have the utmost respect for him as he is, above all, my friend as well as my teacher (Sensei). Watch him…watch the fluid movements, listen to what he says, and try to imitate what he does. You will learn a lot. I guarantee it. Whatever you do…don’t quit. Don’t stop training.

As for myself, I am retired after a 38 year career. I am a veteran of the US Army, married for 45 years, helped my wife raise 3 children, and am proud of each one. I am an organist and singer. I really enjoy being a volunteer for Meals on Wheels 5 days a week. I really enjoy teaching Karate and also Self Defense. I believe in Karate, not only for the training, exercise, self defense, but it also gives a person self confidence and helps one to be more well rounded in everything you do. My Sensei believes in me and has bestowed on me a 7th degree black belt and also has certified me as a self Defense instructor, because I teach outside the Dojo for various groups and organizations. I really enjoy showing others that they can protect themselves. I learned these skills from my Karate master…Frank Kushner.

I think the best teacher is the most basic and obvious observations of others, to see how you would look doing or acting how others around you act. A recent experience of mine is a perfect example of what I mean. I was at the Main Post Office in Binghamton waiting in line to mail a package. There were a dozen or so people in line ahead of me, and after just a few minutes in line at least the same number were behind me. Only one postal clerk was working. The people first in line had several items and needed a lot of time to do so. Then a fire alarm went off! A recording said that an alarm was sounding in a different building and that customers may continue business unless instructed otherwise. This recording repeated continuously for almost 10 minutes.

It was the perfect time to observe people! What fun! These people had no idea they were giving me material for an entire column. The two men first in line were quite old and obviously knew each other and were talking, oblivious of the ever lengthening line, the wait or the repeating alarm. The other 25 people or so in line however were becoming more and more childish as time ticked on. A woman ahead of me actually yelled “ I have a real job, I can’t wait for this idiot (the clerk)”, a man behind her started making funny voices, mocking the clerk and the alarm, a guy behind me said “ I guess you only need two brain cells to work here”, a guy behind him chirped loudly about wasted tax money in this place, another talked about how all the other employees are probably goofing off in the back room, and yet others muttered words children shouldn’t hear and then tried to get the clerk to notice them rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in disgust.

I stood there – I had a slight smile as to not to look like one of the mocking ones and made direct eye contact with all the customers and waved to the clerk to say hi so he saw at least one supporter in line, and I thought about all of them. The woman looked like she worked in an office somewhere, the postal clerk probably has better pay and benefits and a better real job than she did. The guy who mocked everything looked more stupid than anyone who has ever worked in the post office, the guy who spoke of needing only 2brain cells to work there looked much less intelligent than the experienced clerk, and the clerk looked much less worried about the line and the mob scene than everyone else there. In fact he worked hard and smiled a lot, making sure each person was really taken care of as their turn approached.

Then I noticed that everyone there was fairly well dressed. They all probably made a lot more money than I do and had good jobs with health insurance. Something that I do not. I could have also guessed that most had fancier cars and bigger houses than I do. I wondered then, why all of these people were unhappy and unthankful for all they had and treated the clerk so badly. He didn’t ask to be the only clerk working and have to deal with persons mailing 7-8 packages at once.

I am thankful for anything and everything I have, so why aren’t they? When I came to the counter one woman yelled “hey idiot, wait on that happy one so he will get the hell out of here so we can get back to our jobs”. Referring to me?? Oh…big mistake!! So, I gave the clerk an FMK pen and gave one to each person inline who did not appear to be mean and as I left the counter I waited for the clerk to be waiting on the next person so he wouldn’t hear me and be embarrassed, I told the clerk he was doing a fantastic job and said to the other patrons “hi children, while all of you get high blood pressure, feel like crap for hours because of how you are carrying on and hate everyone, I am smiling and I will be smiling when I leave here because people respect me and they respect me because I don’t act like you do”. I looked each in the eyes as not to allow a reply, smiled and left. A fun time, but very sad at the same time. Please use this example to learn how you can appear to others when you place yourself in a position to be extremely negative towards others.

A Dojo Can be a place of miracles. A place where mind and body are relaxed, and refreshed and sanity restored. A place where you will find acceptance, smiles and a home that welcomes you no matter how you feel or who you are. The bow upon entering the school serves to both greet the place in which such beautiful transitions occur, and to humble oneself to accept what will be offered with in. The mood of the dojo should be one of calmness and positivity. Muscles are toned, stretched and the tensions that have been built up are released.

The Dojo opens for you no matter who you are, how you feel, what you believe or what you intend. But, we must in turn open up and accept it. It sounds strange but it is true. Many want the Dojo to accept them but they fail to open themselves, bend a little or humble themselves enough to let the wonders in. You should have the same reverent feeling you get when entering a church or temple, that quiet respect and positive acceptance you feel when entering.

One goes to these places of worship to be accepted, believe and drink from the well of things beyond their dreams. The Dojo is also such a place. The Dojo is not specific to a particular religion or belief, but a place that takes in all and never tells you that you are not welcome. The mental and spiritual wonders can actually make us better in our life and does not conflict with any specific religious belief or type of person. The Dojo will make you a better, Christian, Jew, or whatever particular faith you follow. The dojo can be used to clean out the cobwebs so to speak and allow life to be fun and enjoyable, while also allowing the mind and spirit to be more accepting and open to theother wonders of life. Like the church or temple, the Dojo allows societies elite to be side-by-side with the laborer, showing no favoritism or shunning anyone. Each can be whatever they choose to be outside the Dojo, but once inside, all races, religions, societal status and types of individuals merge into a sea of common goals of mind and body harmony and strengthening.

The bow is often misunderstood. We are not bowing to something or someone as much as we are bowing to ourselves. The bow is a respectful gesture, but I think it is more of a bow to humble and respect the self more than to a particular person or place. Sure you are using it to respect the school, but is it is deeper than that. It is really about announcing that you are ready to accept new things, accept all that is flawed in yourself to get beyond all else, letting new things in. Some have thought the bow is tome, to the school, or to the others, as if below them. This is only a casual observer’s view.

The bow, if to anyone, is to all who have entered the Dojo before, to all who have made the art we practice what it is, and all who will find peace with you there. It is more to say you have appreciation of others, more than being below them, because without this humbling of the Spirit, transformation within you cannot take place at all. As I said many times, you cannot appreciate others unless you are a piece with yourself. You have to be accepting of who you are to be at peace enough to interact correctly with others. It starts with you. You have to try to constantly improve but you also have to be happy with yourself, because this is where so many people fall short. They just cannot get past a certain point inside to totally accept themselves, instead keeping a certain level of frustration inside that prevents total happiness, prevents proper interaction with others, and makes more frustrations within oneself. All this is the essence of the bow, and the dojo.

Humbling of the self does not mean feeling you’re worth nothing, which is another common misconception. You are actually supposed to think you’re great, because it is good and proper to be proud of who you are. No one can function by thinking they have no self worth. The bow, and the entire dojo, enhance a balance of self pride and a humble spirit that will make the dojo, family, career and society more productive. It is all internal, all in feeling and outlook, all in the spirit more than the physical motions within the practice. The spirit and attitude can either assist or help the physical practice, or it can hinder it, even to the point of carelessness or injury if it becomes too lax. Funakoshi Gichin, founder of our school’s style and the first public dojo believed and stated, all begins and ends with the rei, the bow, all in the dojo and society begins, ends, and revolves around rei, respect: respect of all others whether they are like you or whether they are someone you do not know anything about. It is respect of yourself, respect and a bow with and to you more than anyone else, because if you cannot be humble enough to bow with and to yourself, and feel humble while being proud of yourself, inner peace, learning, happiness and sanity all are in question and suffer. It all revolves around one thing… rei.

One major aspect of self-defense that is often overlooked is the aspect of detecting a potential threatening situation. The old saying if something does not feel right is most often true.

Our instincts usually make us aware of abnormal situations and thus give us a heads-up. By being aware of potential danger, we are more capable of handling it

In all these instances we are listening to our instincts, thus taking precautionary action. It is smart to survey that situation when exiting your house or a building, especially at night. Step out, stop and look around before walking to your car. If there are shrubs, look to see if there is anyone behind them. See if there are any suspicious people or vehicles around; be especially careful about vans and SUV’s. I see too many people, especially women, who when walk out of a building, will just put their head down and walk quickly to their car. Completely oblivious of what is around them. They are told by a lot of self defense experts who say it is good to act assertive, and potential muggers will usually avoid assertive looking people. That may be true. But while being assertive you should not be ignorant. Make it a habit to always survey and analyze the surroundings. The few extra seconds can avoid a hazardous situation.

Progress in the Martial Arts is naturally inconsistent. One will always experience many inconsistencies as far as speed of progress, stumbling blocks, and general inability to attend class regularly. Accepting this will make more peace inside, but the majority of students cannot be comfortable with this, resulting in frustration- sometimes pronounced enough to make the student quit.

Some people have commented about how I appear to carry myself differently in practice than our black belts – looking easier to follow and understand. Well, it isn’t an accident. It has nothing to do with me being better at karate or a particular kata. I am easier to follow and easier to understand because I am at peace with my abilities and not frustrated with my own ability to function. You do not have to be me to feel this way. You can do it now. It is all about patience with yourself. Progress will always be made if you continue to practice. Progress only stops if you discontinue practice or die.

That’s it! There is no such thing as the inability to make progress due to age, physical limitations, or any other excuses one can make. None! All you have to do to make progress is try your best, do not ever give up and know completely that you really are doing well. Yes, you are doing well. Stop saying that you are not!! Stop saying that you are different; therefore you are not making the same progress as others! There is a huge difference between being hungry to learn, unsatisfied with being the same and wanting to move forward and the all-to-common lack of patience with yourself resulting in unhealthy dissatisfaction with yourself, with frustration.

I’ve been doing this for over 40 years and I still feel myself making progress, so why must those with a fraction of the time spent learning be impatient with their level of proficiency?? That is what I mean by being “at peace”. You do not have to possess inner peace in all ways to have this type of peace. It is just a matter of patience with yourself and acceptance of yourself to know that you are doing just fine, and that you will get better, but remember that permanent and solid progress only comes with “putting in the time” and there are no shortcuts to this end. Also, you do not need to be at a specific rank level to have this peace with your proficiency. A white belt can have it! I look “easy on the eyes” to follow because I am content with my karate, I genuinely enjoy my karate, and I am happy practicing my karate. Anyone who will let themselves feel all three of these things will be at peace with their practice too. Strive for more, reach for more, need more, but be at peace with what you already know. Don’t tell yourself that you should know more because you can’t change that.

If there is anything you think you should know stay at peace and go ahead and learn it. The frustration only slows and sometimes prevents learning and progress. Nothing good comes of it. Nothing. Think about my frustration for a moment. Don’t think for a minute that I have none. I get to know people here, and so often see them vanish and quit. I then hear of all the excuses about why they left and how they “didn’t quit” and are “taking a break”. Think about my frustration seeing our members not want to let go of their inner turmoil regarding their progress, seeing them stall their own proficiency and quit. Think of my frustration struggling to pay the Dojo bills because of all the dropouts, when so many would not leave if they could and would let go of all their “inner voices” and “inner conflicts” about karate, and just feel it, absorb it, and let it take you to levels of proficiency you never imagined possible.