We are all fortunate in that we get to train in a great area, the Momilani Suburb of Pearl City. Today, PC is considered a nice, central area that’s not so far from town, close to many stores, restaurants, theaters, schools, parks and all the amenities families desire. My wife and I have been residents of another great suburb, Mililani, for over thirty years, but we both grew up in PC and consider it our original home neighborhood. My family moved to PC in 1960, into the brand new tract homes of what was Phase I of Momilani – the rec center where we train at, is actually part of the Phase II development of Momilani, which came up in the late sixties. My wife’s family actually moved to and older part of PC around 1954, when the area below Highlands Intermediate School was constructed. So while we’ve been Mililanians since the late 70’s, we still regard PC as our old stomping grounds – and what changes there have been! In 1960, the “big” shopping center was the old Foodland (still there!) with ShopRite Drugstore located where the FoodCourt is today. Zippy’s sits where our favorite burger place (Scotty’s) used [...]

One of the things I enjoy about being the sensei is, every once in a while, I get to give out promotions. We have a ministry that’s full of good, humble members – from the youngest children to the most mature adults. As they quietly (and very self-conciously) receive their certificate and belt, I can always sense that feeling of joy and accomplishment they experience in accepting their promotion. Needless to say, it’s a nice moment. But I don’t want them to believe that they’ve arrived at a destination or reached some finish line. On the contrary, they have just arrived at…a new start line. Yes, the promotion means that the examining black belts and sensei believe that the student deserves the chance to prove themselves at the next level. So, the new blue or green or purple or brown or black belt has just become the most novice/beginner/rookie version of whatever rank they’ve been awarded. From that point on, whether they know it or not, each time they train, they are demonstrating to others that they deserve to wear their rank. For those karateka who do realize this important fact, each one is always training hard to prove it [...]

I’m not sure why, but Spring seems to be a popular time to hold karate tournaments. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve received invites to two local Shotokan tournaments, one scheduled for late April, the other for late May. If any of you has ever been to a karate tournament; large or small, there is an sense of excitement and anticipation that is evident throughout the place, now matter the venue. It’s a chance for serious competitors to place their reputations on the line and find out whether their techniques are as good as they’d like to believe. It is the ultimate representation of the sports aspect inherent in so many of modern martial arts in America. And, whether the awards come in the form of trophies, medals or certificates, most every competitor’s main goal is to perform well for themselves, their schools, and their styles. Although karate tournaments tend to look alike and the local ones are usually held in gymnasiums or recreation centers. Meanwhile, the large national/international tournaments one sees on the mainland tend to be held in huge convention centers or carpeted hotel ballrooms with many hundreds of competitors and thousands of attendees. Last weekend, Sensei [...]