I visited my sensei's Kyokushin shihan!

[evergrey]

OSU,

A week ago, sensei and I went to visit his sensei, who is now shihan.

They hadn't seen each other for 18 years.

This was something I was really hoping would happen. Shihan White started training my sensei 32 years ago, and is in part responsible for sensei being the kind of man he is today. We'd talked about it for quite a while. I could tell that he missed his old instructor, that he respected him, and really wanted to reconnect. So when he showed up on Facebook, I might have done just a little bit of benevolent social engineering to help things along a bit... Maybe. ;}

So this man is someone that sensei never managed to defeat while sparring. He is built kind of like an ent. A really buff one. He could probably tear down walls with his hands as well. He can bench press 600 pounds! I mean, he could pick up a large pony! And from the stories I was told by sensei, I was pretty convinced that he was 10 feet tall and could breathe fire.

I'm still pretty sure he can breathe fire, but he's 6 feet tall. He is capable of being every bit as intimidating as I imagined. But he's also capable of being very warm and friendly. I chatted with him, and I'll admit that I challenged him a bit (no survival instinct whatsoever) but I also watched the way other people in the dojo interacted with him.

They all approached him with a great deal of respect, and at least a bit of both fear and adoration. Iiiiiiinteresting!

At any rate, this was my first time in a formal dojo since I was 12 or so, and I really don't remember much of anything about that. It was not a Kyokushin dojo though... it was some Okinawan style. So this was my first time in a Kyokushin dojo. I noticed that they were a LOT more strict and hard on the students than they were at the kung fu school I visited a while back. I liked the way they were doing things at this Kyokushin dojo.

I only managed to get myself in trouble about three times. Honestly I thought I would get in a heck of a lot more trouble- if there's one thing I excel at, it's getting in trouble, hah!

So after visiting with Shihan for an hour and a half or so, we were both given homework assignments. Shihan put me on an eating plan, and gave sensei some exercises to do in order to help with his back injury. He said "you have a month and a half to work through that injury." Then he gave us more homework- he told sensei to make sure I stayed on that eating plan, and he told me to make sure sensei was doing his exercises. I'm not sure how I can make sensei do them, but I found myself OSU-ing anyway, hah!

He told us to come back to class and to bring our gis next time.

We got in the car and I said "What... what just happened back there?"

Sensei replied with "now do you see what I mean about him and his force of personality?"

I tell you what though, we're both doing our homework! And I've lost 8 pounds... in a week. I don't even know. I guess it could be partially water weight, but I am drinking an insane amount of water now.

Shihan Gary White trained under Don Buck, who trained under Mas Oyama. It's a pretty big opportunity to be taught by him... I don't know how often he teaches classes. He has a number of dojos that he goes to around the area, apparently. I'm really hoping I can take some lessons from him. I told him that I have no money for lessons and he said "we'll make it work."

So we'll see what happens! But... I SURVIVED, YAY! And I think that this is going to lead to really great things...

I'm going to have to learn to BEHAVE MYSELF now.

Since that is probably not going to come very easily, I'm also working on my push-ups, because I have this sneaking suspicion that I am going to do a lot of them...

[bushido_man96]

Sounds like you had a great experience. Hopefully, you get to train with him some more.

[evergrey]

Thanks! Yes, I am really glad I was able to be there, and I hope I can find some way of working things out so that I can learn from him...

...even if he will probably end up beating me black and blue, repeatedly. *shakes just a little bit*

[DWx]

Must have been a cool experience. And a great opportunity to train with him

[evergrey]

Yes, I feel very lucky!

Though... should I be nervous about the fact that Sensei and Shihan play poker together and sometimes discuss me? They... they could be PLOTTING!

[BG fighter]

PLOTTING on what? eating you alive?

Normal men play poker and discuss things.

[evergrey]

I know, I am a silly person. :}

[sensei8]

Thanks for sharing that. Experiences like this are beyond mere words. Sounds to me like you were that sponge, and took it all in! I'm sure that you'll have many other experiences with your Shihan in the near future. Hopefully, you created a training diary, and took notes while it was fresh in your mind.

[sensei8]

Yes, I feel very lucky!

Though... should I be nervous about the fact that Sensei and Shihan play poker together and sometimes discuss me? They... they could be PLOTTING!

ROFL!! I'm sure it was all good...for them. But for you? Only time will tell...heheheheheheheheheheeheeee Just kidding Eve!! I wouldn't give it another thought if I was you.

[evergrey]

I am good at getting myself worked up, haha!

I'm going to be on a 15 hour car ride with my sensei on Sunday. We'll see how that goes!

Much scarier though is that we are visiting my parents up in Washington state (sensei has been a friend longer than he has been my sensei) and my mom wants to watch us spar. I just know it's going to freak her out, haha!

Seems that I have more sponging to do- got an e-mail from Shihan this morning telling me he'd teach me some exercises the "next time I'm in class."

I guess that means I'm going to go back!