We all know that saying, “Let’s kick it up a notch.” Basically, it means to try a little harder, to increase the intensity, to be better, etc. It’s such a common sense saying, but as one progresses in karate-do, we find that it becomes harder and harder to “kick it up a notch”. The better one gets, the more difficult it is to get better. One of the ways to motivate folks to hang in there, when the road to improvement gets tough is the periodic examination…but more importantly, the reward of a successful exam, is the attainment of a higher rank. Now, if one were to ask the average student how important rank is, the likely response would be, “It’s not that important.” If the truth be known, most students enjoy and treasure the new belt ranking, that, on occasion, they are able to earn. One may not look forward to the actual examination, but there is nothing like receiving and getting to put on, a nice, new, higher ranking belt. Let me say that this is nothing to feel guilty about. The Lord designed us to look forward to achievements like this, and each one represents another step [...]

Well, I recently returned from a really nice time in….Vegas. Yes, old Vegas, the “ninth island”, favorite destination of local folks, especially the older folks using Vacations Hawaii. Except, I didn’t use Vacations Hawaii or stay “downtown” or go primarily for the gambling. Actually, I went to accompany my son…honest! He was there for a traffic engineering software seminar and since his wife couldn’t go, for just $700, I was able to go along. It was really great…terrific accommodations at Caesars with a front row view of the Bellagio, Paris, and Planet Hollywood from our room. I spent most of my days (Matt was at the seminar most days) walking and exploring the sights on the Strip. Evenings, we ate dinner and talked, smoked cigars and talked, and I was able to finish reading two books during the trip. I had a lot of time for reflection during the week, and a lot of time to catch up talking with Matt. Looking back, I remember the first time I ever saw my son, a tiny helpless baby who brought home the miracle of life that God has implanted in each of us. Lynne and I felt such a great sense [...]

When I was training in Aikido, our head instructor, Sensei “Koa” Kimura was an older (actually, only in his mid-fifties) local Japanese man. He was solidly built, with thick muscular wrists and forearms…this was apparent to me, a frequent “attacker” who had to grab his wrist or arm or gi before getting slammed into the mat. My dad told me that Kimura Sensei worked in a car repair shop as a “body and fender man”, which explained the strength of his upper body and arms. His primary teaching method was to demonstrate technique by throwing or taking down an uke and have us copy him (typical Japanese methodology). His explanations/exhortations were pretty much limited to: “Yoop! Yoop!” (his form of kiai), “Shoulders down!”, and “Focus on One Point.” When we did the technique with some semblance of correctness, he’d exhort in rapid fire fashion, ” You see! You see! You see!” If we did it wrong, he’d say, “Chikara…No good!”. Chikara, of course, means bodily strength and in Aikido, we were trying to develop technique and reliance on mysterious Ki force versus using physical power. Ironically, on one of his frequent trips to the islands back in the 1960’s, I [...]