| I began training in the martial arts on September 16th or | | | | in a hand-to-hand, life or death encounter. I forced my |
| 17th 1967. I was planning on a lifetime military career | | | | self to accept the brutality of my conclusion. My |
| and I thought that every Airborne Ranger/Green Beret | | | | training was lacking. The techniques I had been taught |
| needed to be qualified in hand to hand fighting. From | | | | were not the problem. My instructors were great. |
| the age of twelve or so I sought instruction in any | | | | Honest and honorable men and women who were |
| martial art I could find. At that time the martial arts in | | | | very sincere in their teachings. The problem was the |
| Utah was much like the salt flats, really not much there. | | | | lack of intensity with an eye to surviving a life or death |
| Things are somewhat different now with many | | | | encounter. That is something that is very hard to |
| commercial schools available to the public. When I | | | | create in the dojo because in the back of your mind |
| started training the fees were $10.00 per year and a | | | | you know that you will not be killed or maimed. |
| good Tokiado Uniform was $10.00. I had two choices | | | | Hopefully. After all, I could end the confrontation with |
| of where to train: a commercial dojo or the BYU | | | | just a tap out and my opponent would let me up. Not |
| Shotokan Karate Club. The choice was not hard. The | | | | so in a hand-to-hand encounter. There are no judges, |
| training was brutal. Little did we know we were training | | | | referees or corner men and the second place trophy |
| in the "school children's art", because our instructor | | | | is a rubber bag with a zipper up the middle. |
| taught us other little things to supplement our Shotokan. | | | | I made a commitment that I would seek and learn as |
| Besides if someone is a good fighter it matters not the | | | | much as possible about the arts that I studied. I have |
| style. We had some good fighters. Some of those | | | | had several students report that when they utilized |
| good folks were facing the draft and a year's paid | | | | their previously learned martial arts techniques they did |
| vacation in Southeast Asia. Their intent was to survive. | | | | not work. They wanted to make sure I would teach |
| Matter fact in 1970 my draft number was 10. Ouch. | | | | them the real way to perform their techniques. Thus |
| As the years past and I got into studying other arts | | | | began the second part of my quest to find the truth. I |
| such as jujutsu and Hwarang-do I discovered just how | | | | wanted to impart that knowledge to my students |
| much we were not taught. I do not think that it was the | | | | freely within bounds of discretion and good judgment. |
| fault of the instructor but of the times. The martial arts | | | | My stuff had to work not only for my sake but also |
| were just beginning to be popularized and there were | | | | for the sake of my students. |
| a lot of people proclaiming expertise that was strong | | | | I began to research everything I could find on the |
| on flash and little on substance. Things have not | | | | martial arts. I discovered that there was a lot of good |
| changed much. | | | | information out there, some of it in the realm of what |
| In 1985 my Special Forces unit deployed to Guam for | | | | not to do. Very few authors discussed the proper use |
| jungle training on Anderson Air Force Base. This was | | | | of the hips when doing punching, kicking or striking. |
| a unit school so if you try to look up any jungle training | | | | There was a lot written about twisting of the hips but |
| courses conducted then and there you won't find | | | | not a lot of useful explanation. Use of the hips or |
| anything. That is not the point. During the course I had | | | | moving from your center is critical in every technique. It |
| the opportunity to sit on a hillside and ponder the | | | | was in the mid 1990's that I learned of always creating |
| combat that took place on the Pacific Islands during | | | | a base to support your techniques. We learned about |
| WWII. My father served in the Seabees on Guam | | | | kazushi or breaking balance but that needs to be |
| during the war so I had a particular interest in seeing | | | | taken to another level of breaking an opponent's |
| where he had been. There still are Japanese Zeros in | | | | alignment. Break the alignment and you break the |
| the jungle where they landed after being shot down | | | | balance. If we want to remain strong and stable we |
| by American aviators. There are still caves in Agana | | | | must maintain our own alignment. Much of these things |
| where the Japanese had to be burned out with | | | | I had to learn by trial and error. Mostly error. |
| flamethrowers. It was a very humbling experience. | | | | Somebody important said, "Take what is useful and |
| I had been training in karate at that time for about 18 | | | | discard the rest". Never a more useful thought in the |
| years and Jujutsu for about two years. I asked myself | | | | martial arts. |
| if the training I had done to that point would serve me | | | | |