What has changed

After all these years, some of the most important changes have been in the questions I ask.

Looking beyond fighting ability

When I began training, I wanted to become a capable fighter. Competition, hard practice and the ability to overcome an opponent mattered a great deal to me. That experience taught me things I still value.

Over time, though, I began to see that being able to fight was not the whole answer. I found myself asking not only whether I could deal with a confrontation, but whether it could have been avoided and what might happen afterwards.

That changed how I looked at the lessons students were taking away from my teaching.

What I've kept

I have kept kata, regular practice, sound body mechanics and much of the discipline my teachers gave me. I also respect the people who helped shape my understanding, even where I have reached different conclusions.

I have not come to believe that traditional practice is worthless. I have become more interested in knowing what each part of that practice is for.

What I've questioned

I no longer assume that rank settles an argument, that one version of a kata must be the original answer, or that a convincing demonstration proves an application will work.

I have questioned drills in which an attacker must behave in a particular way to make the chosen response succeed. Such exercises may help introduce a movement, but they do not tell us what happens when the other person behaves differently.

Perhaps the biggest change is that I now want to understand the problem before deciding what to teach.

Nothing here is beyond revision

After more than fifty years, I am still learning. I do not see that as an embarrassment. It would worry me more if I were still teaching everything exactly as I understood it forty years ago.

This website describes my karate today. That last word matters.