Today’s title is based on an “enlightening” conversation I was having with my 8-year-old grandson. At dinner the other night, he was seated next to me and was “talking story” with his old Papa. In between chews of his dinner bun, he began talking about his favorite superheroes. By the time the sampler platter arrived, he had begun to focus on a particularly interesting superhero – the Red Lantern. I shared that as a kid, my favorite superhero happened to be the Green Lantern, but I had never heard of the Red Lantern. Upon discovering that we shared an interest in the powerful lanterns, protectors of the universe, I made a quick inquiry on my smartphone and located his Red Lantern…along with a whole bunch of other lanterns – where had these all come from? It was upsetting my understanding of the DC universe! The Green Lantern Corps was a large group of space law enforcement officers, each one responsible for a sector of the galaxy. They were like marshals or Jedi, patrolling assigned sectors of the galaxy. I liked the lanterns because their power (emanating from their rings that were recharged by a lantern) was only limited by their [...]

Last week, as I was trying to do a rare bit of Christmas shopping, I ran into a second cousin that I hadn’t seen in years.  As we chatted, her first question was, “Hey Wes, are you still doing karate?”  I answered in the affirmative and realized that this same inquiry always comes up when I run into old friends and relatives.  I think that it’s what must come to mind when they see me.  Yes, I’m still doing it, although some of you may not know that I briefly “quit” karate three times over the last 48 years.  Aha!, I had found my inspiration for my holiday note to you all.  It was about quitting karate, and about returning to karate (Question: Which do you think is easier?)  Anyways, as the keyboard started tapping out my seasonal ruminations, I began to slow down and realize that this all felt so familiar.  Looking back over old notes, I found that I had actually written (extensively!) on the same subject, at the same time of the year, back in 2010 and back in 2007.  Man, am I a broken record or what? (kids, your parents will tell you what a 33 [...]

Recently, I came across a very short video of Shihan Kenneth Funakoshi on YouTube. As you know, our old sensei had moved to the mainland back in 1986. This brief interview, interspersed with glimpses of his jyu-kumite combinations, was filmed at the JCCH in Honolulu on a visit he made 2001. At the time, he would have been 63 – a few years younger than your sensei’s are today – but still exhibited the power and speed that we always associated with him. Sensei Peter, Wayne and I spent many years training under his direct tutelage. Probably the most unique skills we inherited from him were the jyu-kumite combos he demonstrates, which look very much like stutter-sprinting across the dojo, firing well-timed punches. We have heard that these particular movements were created by Shihan and we have never come across these in other Shotokan dojos unless they were affiliated with him. The leg movements for these are very fast and dynamic, versus what we share with color belts; but if we can still execute these in our late sixties, you younger members should be able to learn them when you get to the brown/black belt level. The last time I [...]