Cherish moment after prize giving

May 27th, 2006 at 20:27 · Filed Under Karate · Comment 

These young karate-ka were full with spirit and excitement after the 7th Inter Schools National Championship.


Myself together with Pathmanathan Sensei and the junior team members. The event was from May 13-14 2006.

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Truth alone triumphs

May 26th, 2006 at 15:55 · Filed Under Critiques, Karate · Comment 

I was at a foster home/school in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Some of the karate students were orphans. It was their grading test and I was invited by my sensei.

I came across some interesting proverbs in the office and classrooms of the school. One of them reads:

Truth alone triumphs.

I am happy that I am on the true path. Karate-do is not only about physical training, kata and kumite. Karate-do is also a philosophy and mental education. How many really understand the true value of karate-do? My answer is “few in Malaysia”. Most of them are brawls without brains.

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The making of a young warrior

May 24th, 2006 at 3:47 · Filed Under Dmitry, Family, Karate · Comment 

I started my karate blog with a sick story. Fortunately, there are so many good things happen in our live. They are so beautiful and wonderful that often we fail to feel them.

The cool evening breeze blown gently when we reached the training ground at Bukit Beruang. Every Wednesday evening, I teach karate-do at an open-air field in my neighborhood. This was the 4th time my 4-year-old eldest son followed me to the training in his gi.

There was only one student from St. David High School. He stayed nearby. Until 5 weeks ago, my son wanted to join in the training. The 1st time he went for the training was uneventful. He followed the warming up by running around the small field together with my student and I until he complained about his aching tummy. After some rest, he tried to mimic my student doing kata.

We were actually thinking to stop training because of only one student. But I decided to continue because I saw the interest in Dmirty. I talked to my wife and she agreed.

The 2nd and 3rd time were unpleasant because he began to disturb the class with his tantrum. I lost my patience with him and I called my wife to pick him up.

However, I did not give up and I did not want to. I knew I needed to control my emotion and be patience with Dmitry.

Tonight was the 4th night he went for the training. To my surprise, he finished all the warming up and he mimicked all the kihon renshu I was giving to my student. The kihon renshu was not a difficult one today. After Dmitry took a rest, he took up my kumite glove and requested me to help him put on. I did and after a while he wanted to do kumite.

After my student had finished with his kata practice, I asked him to play kumite with Dmitry. Again, to my surprise, Dmitry was mimicking kumite he saw in the National Junior Championship in April. He was mimicking very well. I immediately took the chance to guide him to punch and kick at his karate brother. He learned fast. Then I guided him to block a jodan attack with a jodan age uke. Again, he did it very well.

At the end of the training, we did some tzuki and a kihon technique called yonkai uchi. Although Dmitry was not doing it as perfectly as his karate brother, he did it very well again. This was the third big surprise he gave me tonight.

I was so proud of him tonight. For the first time in my life, I saw myself in him. I was not only making a young warrior, I was also making myself, to learn patience. I realized my son was training me to the right budo path. He is my sensei now. Thanks, Dmitry. Daddy always love you!

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What a horrible sight!

May 20th, 2006 at 19:03 · Filed Under Critiques, Karate · 1 Comment 

I visited a friend at his home at Masjid Tanah last night. My friend is a black belt sandan and he teaches karate every Saturday night. There was another coach whom I knew. We were all in the same dojo once upon a time before I crossed over to the truth.

There were about 20-30 students of ages ranging 5 to 45 years old. Mostly kids. The class began with a shout from the other instructor trying to discipline the kids with the help of my friend’s wife. She was wielding a thick folded newspaper at those innocent and playful kids. Finally, the class got into formation and the instructor began the training session with seiza and rei.

During the warming up, this instructor, a 70kg male in his late twenties, suddenly climbed onto a boy about thirteen to fifteen of age. This boy was standing in kibadachi. With his gigantic weight crushing onto both thigh of this boy, immediately, the boy collapsed onto the ground together with the instructor. Kids started to laugh and the worst thing was that some parents began to laugh too. This instructor had made himself a fool. This was the stupidest act I’d ever seen in my life! How could he, a 70kg male, stand onto a 20-35kg boy? And this boy was still a white belt! Fortune favored him. The boy stood up again unhurt.

I observed the coaching and I felt sad about karate in Melaka. The instructor himself was sub-standard. Many times, he wielded his nanchaku trying to scare the kids if they did not discipline themselves enough. And the parents thought that was karate discipline! Oh… my god! What stupid discipline he was instilling in these innocent and pure kids?

Despite all these non-sense coaching, ignorant parents still sent their children to that karate class. These parents knew nothing about karate, needless to say, these children knew about karate. But the saddest part is that the karate instructors, including my friend, are ignorant fools.

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