Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A Martial Arts Journey...then and now: Part 1


I've often wondered if I could write a book about my former Sifu and dear friend, Mr. Hen-ping Chiang, but for some reason or another I never got around to completing the project. One excuse after another as usual. I figured this spot could be a start. There is much to write about my experience with Chiang so I'll try and be as thoughtful as possible on the journey. Would you like to tag along? Ok....

I didn't set out to "find" Taiji (pronounced Tie Chee...good enough for now, folks) rather Taiji found me, so to speak. During the early 60's Martial Arts in general was not on my list of things to do. LOL! I was too busy with singing Doo Wop on the corners of West Philly where I grew up (Overbrook Park). Ahh, those were the dayz...Jerry Blavit, Hy Lit, Joe Niagra and countless other great DJ's blastin' the air waves of the time. So, what does all this have to do with Martial Arts you ask? Good question...as I have no idea either. I just had a memorable moment to share...that's it. Just kidding....it was through all this hanging out on the corners that led me to an art called Judo. You see, I wasn't much of a bruiser back then, nor am I now. A friend of mine back then told me about a Judo class starting up at a nearby location and asked me to join up. I said...ok..twist my arm wouldja? Heck yes I would like to join! So that was it. After one or two lessons I was ready to face the world with my new knowledge of self defense.....yeah...right! What a wake up call (an old GI term used to describe something new and exciting that happens to oneself). Wham...bam....slam....sore back...shoulders....headaches...but it was all worth it. I was hooked! The study continued for a short time up until they stopped the program a few months down the road. It seems there wasn't enough interest to keep the classes going. This was around 1964 or so. Most of you out there may agree (or not) that the Martial Arts craze didn't occur until the early '70's...but more on that later.

Jump ahead to 1967...Yokota Air Base, Japan. I'm alread a year into my four year stint with the good 'ole USAF...seeing the world....meeting many new people...and just doing the time. Here I am, right smack in the middle of Karate country! Yes...Judo, too. I was lucky enough to befriend a Japanese local that taught me the basics of Karate. Yeah...for weeks on end all I would do was smack a makarawa board (striking board) for hours on end. This was designed to toughen my hands, knuckles and forearms so I could take further beatings from my new found friend/teacher. So now that my hands and arms looked like the bottom of my feet with all the callouses, I was ready to start learning Karate. More...wham...bam...slam....sore body...my first broken nose, ever...but it was all worth it! Yowzers! My training was in the back yard of a local restaurant that was owned by my friend. No mats...no protective gear...no mouth guard...cement floors...yikes!



The friendships that I formed while in Japan allowed me access to places where I wouldn't normally venture alone. Most were considered off limits by military standards. That didn't keep me away, of course. I would look for any excuse to meet up with my buddies to continue training, seeing the sites, eating many wonderful delicious Japanese foods. Having a friend that owned a restaurant made it that much better. He had a cook there that was the best! What he could do with seafood and some Soba....yum!



My tour of duty at Yokota soon came to a close. It was time to "go back to the world" as we used to say. Back to the USA! The year was 1968. While at Charleston Air Base, South Carolina, awaiting my next travel orders I tried seeking out a Karate class to bide my time. No success. Having no car at the time meant that I had to rely on either walking or hitching a ride. Yes, hitching rides at the time was the best way to travel. We never worried about the issues we have today. It was a fairly safe travel method way back then. Needless to say I had to put a hold any martial arts training for awhile. Little did I know that I was in for a surprise at my next destination - Vietnam! To be continued....

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