Well, what’s with my stupid title, “I like karate cause it’s so darned hard to learn”?  Well, for those of you who never heard about my initial foray into the art (I joined with Sensei Peter in 1970), I had a very narrow objective when I first started – to learn how to do a good kick and a good punch.  Previously, I had trained in Aikido for several years and thought that I only needed to pick up kicking and punching skills.  This was my main objective.  Fortunately, from the outset, both Sensei Peter and I were extremely good at copying the basic techniques that we were shown.  I swear that we could have passed ourselves off as color belts after just a few lessons – and that fact proved to be a negative in my training…I felt that I had achieved my rather limited training goals and promptly quit after just over a month (can you imagine my arrogance as a young teenager, haha).

Luckily, Sensei Peter continued to train and it was only by watching his skills and knowledge continue to grow and grow over the next year that I gradually realized how little I had actually knew about the venerable art!  With some humility and chagrin, I rejoined a year later and have spent the past 45 years, joining Sensei’s Peter and Wayne in our life-long effort to learn (and share) Karate-Do.  Even my youthful daughter, Sensei Trish, has spent 30 years involved with the art.  If it wasn’t so worthwhile (and difficult ;), we wouldn’t have spent most of our lives walking the path (Do) of Shotokan Karate.

For those who are newer to the art, the folks on your right in the line-up (higher ranking) are considered your sempai’s (or senpai’s), which means those who are senior to you.  Those on your left in the line-up are your kohai’s (juniors).  The brown/black belt students in any dojo are usually considered the sempai’s of the dojo.  In our group, many years ago, I appointed Sempai James as the Head Sempai…he certainly embodies the type of training spirit that we should all try attain.  I am quite sure that it is unlikely that you’ll find another karateka who is nearing 80, and still training in the dojo line-up, most anywhere else you ever visit.  Sempai always reminds me of that old saying, “Fall down seven times, get up eight times” (or something like that), which refers to the powers of Endeavor and Perseverance.  Sempai also happens to have been a sensei in Aikido.

So, if the brown and black belts in our group are all sempai’s of the dojo, why are some called Sensei’s?  Other dojo’s might call any black belt who helps instruct, a Sensei or teacher.  For the purposes of our group, however, I reserve that title for those black belts who have had the privilege of leading their own karate dojos.  In past years, Sensei’s Peter, Wayne and Trish all actually led their own karate dojos on the mainland.  Thinking about it, sempai Dave is also now the sensei of a karate group that he started in Pacific Palisades last year 🙂

Yes, karate is pretty darned hard to learn, but we all are so very fortunate to have so many great sempai’s and so many knowledgeable and experienced sensei’s to help our little group in our diligent studies.