Today’s featured karate student is 15 year old Amiel Trott from Bermuda!

How long have you been doing karate?

5 years

What made you start karate?

I took an interest in fighting so I asked my parents if I could take lessons.

What are your goals in karate?

To always make improvements and keep going.

What do you like most about karate?

The Sensei’s are very good at teaching and make it easy to learn.

Have you participated in any tournaments?

I have participated in local tournaments as well as John Chung’s World Cup Finals in VA. I have won 4 ribbons, 11 medals and also grand champion.

Have you won any awards during your time in karate?

Yes the Bushido Award.

Outside of karate, what do you do?

I go to Warwick Academy. I play squash and I attend Olympians Club on Fridays for youth Church. I also enjoy acting in my school plays.

Thank you, Amiel. You sound like an outstanding student!

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Today we feature Mikaella Besson. Mikaella is a 24 year-old Program Assistant working at Our Space Our Place, Inc. “Our Space Our Place (OSOP) is a non-profit organization, offering a respectful, accessible and fun environment for elementary, middle and high school students who are legally blind to participate in team sports, the arts, community service and mentoring.” Mikaella is legally blind.

How did you get started in Karate?

Karate was offered as a program at OSOP. I joined the students in the classes. Like the students, I am visually impaired and find that karate makes me feel powerful. It is a lot of fun. I feel powerful and more confident because the moves we are learning teach me about protecting myself.

What is your current rank?

Yellow belt.

What do you like most about practicing karate?

Learning the different moves. I like the challenge because it makes me feel proud when I get the move.

Do you think karate has helped you in your life in any way?

Yes. After our classes, I feel more relaxed. Karate helps with my balance and it is good exercise.

What advice would you give to people thinking of doing karate?

Karate maybe hard at first but once you keep going you will get better. You will enjoy challenging yourself. You will gain more confidence. Karate might be hard but just believe in yourself and you will see how far you go.

Thank you for your time, Mikaella!

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Today we feature Sensei Tony Benevides. Sensei Benevides is coach of the UMass Dartmouth Shotokan Karate Club.

Why and how did you get started in Karate?

As a child I was involved in Judo, and although I left and always wanted to return. When I arrived at UMass Dartmouth (then SMU) I started looking for a Martial Arts School. It was brought to my attention that a guy I worked with in the Campus Center was an Amazing Karate fighter and trained in the school club. I learned he was only the 2 best fighter there and I stopped my search, and joined the SMU Karate club.

What is your current rank and or position?

I am currently a 5th dan black belt in Shotokan Karate and hold an honorary bridged black belt in Judo. I am the Chief instructor of the UMass Dartmouth Shotokan Karate Club and owner of Otaku Karate. I sit on the school owners and promotion board of AIKA (Almeida’s International Karate Association) where I also train.

What gets you to the dojo every week?

To me, this is a 2 part question: What gets me to go train? and what gets me to go teach?

Training: They say the difference between a white belt and a black belt is that a black belt doesn’t know how to quit. I don’t know how to quit.

Teaching: For a while I wasn’t sure, but now I am; it is a calling in life to be there for my students.

For the most part college students are leaving the comforts of home and family and then thrust into a new life that can be challenging and demanding. Most have learned that I not only teach them to defend themselves, but that a I’m a crutch they can lean on in time of need and someone who can give them advice. If I can’t quit on me, I can’t quit on them.

Who have been your biggest influences in karate?

Wow, there have been a lot. Obviously Hanshi John Almeida, Sensei Tabata, Shihan Wayne Mello, Sensei Mike Savage, Shihan Mike Sonia, Renshi Sue Sonia, Sensei Bernie Duggan, Sensei John Almeida Jr, Renshi Wade Martin, Sensei Wayne Carter, Kancho Larry Giordano and his students, Brian Gonsalves, “Super” Dave Goncalves, Sensei Bobby Arruda, Sensei Peter Perry, Sensei Mike Luce, Chris Campeau, Mike Foley, Kyle Spear, Senseis Kathleen and Bill Mello, Carol Almeida, Sensei Kevin Carey, Shane Pitts, John Simmons, Bernie Wood, Al Thompson, of course all my Students esp. the long haulers (Sensei Teresa, Mike, James, Amber, Shawna, Ashley, Joe…). My High School Track Coaches Jim Barnaby and Bob Bradbury who taught me 3 I’s (Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence). Many other martial artist friends have also been influences, and last but not least my Son Noah. It’s great having a kid that loves martial arts as much as you do.

What direction would you like to see karate take in the future?

Direction? Turn right and then right again— J/K While I am a fan of Tournaments, they seem to be losing practicality. There are more rules on pulled punches, tournaments removing the back as a target, limiting contact, outlawing foot sweeps. You can’t always score a solid ridge hand, but a flick to the top of the head you can??? Many schools are becoming tournament oriented and lose the essence of Karate. Kata is becoming more performance oriented with less flow and more time spent on showmanship. On the other side of the coin, Karate schools are dropping Kata in favor of more contact drills and to fit in grappling. Old school karate had it all, kata was oriented toward combat, bone crushing makiwara drills, grappling, throws and more than likely ground work. This started to change after Japan started regulating all martial arts and Karate was pushed into not focusing on throws and grappling but left it to be supplemental training for self-defense. The push was to get the Karate guys to go next door and practice Judo, and vice versa. (Judo could not focus on strikes, but strikes could be incorporated into defensive training.)

This said, the direction I would like to see Karate go in the future, is back to the past. More full system, hard-core training without sacrificing kata all the while keeping the tournaments more reality based. Like Funakoshi said, “Never take away from Karate; if something is found to be better, then add it.”

What advice can you give the next generation for being successful in Life and/or Karate?

Shoot for the Stars, land on the Moon.

Thank you for your time, Sensei Tony!

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Today we feature Sensei Sadaharu Honda. Sensei Honda was Captain of the Waseda University Karate Club (Sensei Tabata’s alma mater) and trained with some of the great names of Shotokan Karate. He is the founder and Saiko Shihan (Chief Instructor) of Mumon Shotokan. His full biography can be found on Mumon’s page, here.

Why and how did you get started in Karate?

At the age of 17, I enrolled at a Waseda (Wa-se-da) High School in Tokyo. While commuting to the school approximately one hour away, I encountered the town bullies several times on the train and at the stations. Because of this, I was encouraged by my father who took Judo from the famed TOKU-san BO-Kodo Kan’s 9th Dan, to take a self-defense of some kind. Waseda High School being a part of Waseda University, I was able to register with the Waseda University Karate Club. The University’s Karate Club was established by Master Funakoshi in 1932 under their Athletic Program. Waseda was the 4th university in Japan, where Master Funakoshi taught on a regular basis. That was my start with Shotokan style Karate. Waseda is the same University that created many great karateka including Tabata Kazumi.

What is your current rank and or position?

I am the Founder of MUMON Karate based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I obtained San-Dan (3rd degree) – the highest awarded to active students by Waseda University in 1962, in accordance with Funakoshi’s rules at that time that the highest university level rank is 3rd Dan. After graduation, one could pursue up to 5th dan (go-dan) from the Waseda Karate Club. I obtained 5th dan in 1976 from Watanabe, Kamata. Only a few universities still follow Master Funakoshi’s 5 Dan structure. Waseda, Keio, and a few other original Shotokan universities continue to follow the structure. 5th dan Waseda graduates including Ohshima, Tsutomu of Shotokan Karate of America, Honda, Sadaharu of MUMON Karate, and Harada, Mitsusuke of KDS in England, UK.

What motivates you to get to the dojo every week?

As Funakoshi proselytized “Karate goes beyond the dojo (school).” I consider Karate practice is like breathing, in that, Karate practice is with me all the time even when I walk my little forest garden. A dojo practice is the time to get together with the fellow Karateka and check my progress in the group environment and to be inspired by other Karateka.

Who have been your biggest influences in karate?

Master Funakoshi passed away on my first official day with the Waseda University level Karate Club in 1957, which left a lasting impression on me. I was influenced a lot by my university coach, Mr. Matsuo Shibuya, and my seniors Shigeru Egami (now Egami Ryu and the founder of Shotokai and the first captain at Waseda University (1932), Tadao Okuyama (captain 1942). The significance of the training by my coaches Okuyama, Egami and Shibuya came to me 60 years after my university days and is now of deep significance in my karate.

What direction would you like to see karate take in the future?

Karate’s path like other MARTIAL arts is towards Budo. Japanese budo describes a movement art, a lifelong pursuit that is not age dependent, and encompasses all aspects of life, body, and mind. Sports Kumite (the Shiai) as seen in competition does not reflect the Japanese traditional Art, because it has been narrowed by rules to very limited aspects of karate. Similarly, modern day kata competition has a limited purpose and application, therefore reduced to entertainment versus the practical value to the Karateka. This is not to say entertainment doesn’t have its place, but it is only one avenue in a life-long journey. I would like to see more practitioners pursuing Budo, so that more understand at a higher-level like Masters Funakoshi, Okuyama, and Egami.

Budo which is over 800 years old is valued as a part of Japanese culture. The Japanese recognize the importance of Budo and have established the Budokan to preserve and perpetuate Budo in the Japanese Martial Arts. For the practitioner, as the meaning and understanding of Budo Karate becomes deeper, the access to more advanced and more effective karate becomes accessible. There is no reason that the Japanese should be the only ones to recognize the value of Budo.

In the spirit of Budo, I would like Karate instructors to strike a balance between commercial gain and maintaining a transfer of high-level understanding, advanced techniques, and pursuit of Budo. For those who have made Karate a living, they have productized it to the point where access and progress is gated by financial gain, which doesn’t align with the desired outcome of passing on the Art of Karate and generating high-level karate practitioners. If it takes you 50 years and $50k to master the techniques of karate then the instructors have failed the student and lost valuable time to pass on their knowledge.

What advice can you give the next generation for being successful in life and/or Karate?

To the next generation Karateka. Karate is for everyone, not just the elite, however choose your Karate instructor carefully as that determines your potential and future in the Art. I did not decipher for many years the importance of distinguishing the right person to associate especially at the higher rank. It is difficult to find a life time teacher. Remember the quote “A good and responsible Karate teacher is selective and refuse you three times to accept you to join-to check your seriousness.”

Thank you for your time, Sensei Honda!

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This week we would like to introduce our very own Qian Xu. Qian is a leader and President of the MIT Karate Club. Qian is presently a PHD candidate at MIT in the Mechanical Engineering department where she is focused on the study of thermal energy conversion.

Why and how did you get started in karate?

I saw the MIT team compete at a tournament in 2017, and I think the black belts there look so cool. So I told myself that I want to be a calm, cool, collected karateka as well.

What is your current rank and or position?

Shodan, President of MIT Shotokan Karate Club.

What gets you to the dojo every week?

The joy of learning new things from insightful instructors, practicing with karate friends and helping each other, or just reviewing and improving my own techniques.

Who have been your biggest influences in karate?

Tabata Sensei. His pure enthusiasm for spreading karate, deep understanding of karate, wise perspectives on life, and care for his karate students have inspired me so much.

What are some of your goals in karate?

Keep training hard and properly, be a life-long committed karateka.

What is your favorite technique, kata or aspect of karate?

I like Kanku Dai. It’s a beautiful kata requiring the most basic karate techniques. I never get bored of practicing it. I also like sparring. It challenges me to become faster and stronger and face the unknown fear. And it’s interesting to find out that the martial arts tactics I have learned from kumite can apply to other things in life.

Thank you for your time, Qian!

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Sensei Roger Trimm is a long standing member of the North American Karate Federation and Bermuda Karate. He is one of Sensei Tabata’s oldest and most senior students and one of the most foremost practitioners on the island.

Why and how did you get started in Karate?

I started karate out of curiosity when I was asked by my cousin, Roderick Nesbitt, to come check out his class back in 1973.

What is your current rank and or position?

I’m currently 6th Dan and Chief Instructor N.A.K.F. Bermuda

What gets you to the dojo every week?

Watching students grasp a technique or kata they had been trying for weeks which reminds me of myself when I started karate. Also, the fellow instructors working together in harmony.

Who have been your biggest influences in karate?

• Sensei Tabata was my biggest and most dynamic influencer
• Sensei Roderick Nesbitt who took me to my first karate class and we later opened our own dojo together
• Sensei Paget Wharton who trained Roderick and myself in his yard after school
• Sensei Oscar Lightbourne who trained with Roderick and myself and we were given the name ’The Young Dragons’
• Sensei Vernon Simons who imparted a philosophical approach to training
• Sensei Dwayne Williams who joined me teaching at the dojo and supported me when the other instructors were no longer teaching
• Sensei Al Wharton whose mastery of two different martial arts styles, Uechi Ryu and Bak Sil Lum Kung Fu, broadened my martial arts skills
• Sensei Charles Butterfield who pursued me for an entire year to restart training when my dojo was closed

What direction would you like to see karate take in the future?

I would like to see karate fully inducted in the Olympics and N.A.K.F. to grow to greater strength.

What advice can you give the next generation for being successful in Life and/or Karate?

Practice with patience, perseverance and humility. Be committed, learn from the journey and have fun along the way.

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