Credentials, I write a lot and I understand that what I am writing and teaching may or may not be accepted by the karate and martial arts communities simply because of my credentials. I am not talking about my rank, rating or level - dependent on how certain groups look at belts - but about the type of credentials most of us tend to lean heavily on to validate presented information and teachings.
I don’t have an active dojo; I don’t have a horde of trophies (Note: Chuck Norris once stated he didn’t start to prosper as a teacher until he went out and won tournaments, trophies and recognition by others of like ilk); I don’t have direct connections and associations with the karate and martial art world of luminaries or what some call first gen students, now teachers; I don’t have names to drop as my teacher and I are kind of loner type who appreciate a certain solititude; I don’t have hundreds of black belt students; I don’t have thousands of students out teaching in their own dojo; yadda, yadda, yadda and I could go on but the idea should be detected by now.
I had a dojo, of sorts, that I created after I achieved yudansha status. I opened a training hall at every duty station after Camp Hansen in Okinawa circa 1979 and taught Military, Civilians and Dependents through the military special services, now called MWR or Moral, Welfare and Recreation. I can count the black belts I promoted on one hand and the overall students over those many years amount to about thirty or so.
I retired as a civil GS-11 Physical Security Specialist (Officer) and opened a garage dojo after and that gave me about twenty-five years experience in teaching karate. I now study, practice and train on my own. I participated in a dojo of my preferred style for a year in the 2001 or 2002 year(s) and then stopped group participation to seek out my own dojo once again and due to circumstances remained in training and practice in a solo way. It gave me time to work toward a final retirement, in about a year from now, and study, train and practice to master myself and my karate.
There are other aspects to my life that I would consider a huge contribution to my karate and martial arts discipline and expertise. I am a inactive-duty Marine of ten years active duty experience. My experiences during those years and the following years after until 1998 gave me some personal learning that also contribute to my overall expertise and master of self, karate and martial arts.
In a nutshell, that is it - so you can see that compared to what the general public understands and expects I don’t have the type of credentials that would garner the attention of others in the karate and martial arts communities so the outcome is the lack of attentive study my articles, etc., contain. Then add in the subjects I write and teach are not mainstream thinking and beliefs, i.e., for instance, I dropped kobudo at least ten years ago to focus on self and empty handed self-defense, so that what others believe is karate and martial arts are not the same so the majority see my efforts as outside their paradigm of karate and martial arts.
It is not enough that I spent about forty years or more in a personal state of study, understanding, practice, training and application of my karate and martial arts with emphasis on the reality of self-defense. Since I don’t have the media type attention and the awards, accolades and publications of accepted authorities I am not considered an expert that one would WANT to pay attention to over others who fill the bill. You get the idea, and all I can say is this, “I am very OK with that”, I followed my own path and I didn’t let or allow others to lead me as I let myself. I allowed others to present their views, theories and expertise so that I could expand, grow and live the way without closing myself off to possibilities.
I look at my practice, etc., as a type of, “Backyard Dojo.” I didn’t advertise; I didn’t rely on my karate and martial arts as a form of income; I didn’t compromise my studies for the glory of recognition, accolades and other such things; I didn’t compromise my teachings to retain students, if you didn’t like it you leave or you stay if you have the intestinal fortitude to practice, practice, practice then train, train, train; I allowed my mind to learn how to be open to other ideas, theories and disciplines so that mine could flourish as much as my self allowed creating a greater depth and breadth, for me, of my system of training and practice.
My greatest obstacle to acceptance is me, my self and my way because that way toward acceptance would mean I needed to compromise in a way that would have stunted my growth potential. It would mean I would have had to focus on what others think and allow that to influence the way I travel a most difficult road. You get my drift.
To the individual who asked, thanks for asking but I have a path and although it changes as needed to remain on the path while flowing with the currents of ever changing modern times I still travel my path and mine alone - when things happen I can see me as to why, not to put blame on others because I allowed them to control my self on their path.
So, once again, thanks for the question and hope the answer is adequate, now I need to get back to my studies and practice and training and living …
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