SEMPAI PATTI

KYOKUSHIN BROWN BELT : MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!


Well, It was quite hard, but I made it through!
I am proud that I have made it this far in Martial Arts and have become as strong
as I am.

I truly love Kyokushinkaikan and seeking the true spirit of the ultimate truth.

It has been a long tough road.
Sometimes quite a lonely one at that. But I passed last nights test for myself, and I suppose that I can say that yes, I deserved it with every drop of my sweat hitting that wooden floor, and down to every one of my loud kiai yelling breaths.

Its been four years.
I have seen zero support to 100% support, beyond this, I have stayed true to myself, and kept on training despite dojo politics, good/bad relationships, broken hearts, my career and all of its overtime, and my family being across the distance in Alberta.

When I started Kyokushin, I remember that I couldn’t even do a single REAL pushup!
So last night before all of my Kata's, Tamashawari/wood breaking and before all of my TEN fights,
for me the real victory was at the beginning when I had to do a small set of 20 pushups!
This brought me one of my biggest inner smiles.

And yes that evil wood seemed to rule over me last night, but I tried my best to defeat it.
You have to see Kill Bill 2 now to see Uma punch through the wooden coffin after she us buried underground! that’s what I was thinking.

The wood is afraid of you.


I was happy to have my Mom there for me, she flew SO far to see me from Edmonton!
I just wanted to make her proud. I think she was.

David drove fighting the courts, bosses, traffic, and the wild heavy rain all the way from Toronto to watch my passage. He said that he has never seen me look so serious in anything I do before last night.
I am so glad that he got to see me perform and fight to the very last 10th!
Karate is one of my biggest passions and Brown Belt is very very serious.
AND besides, It meant the world to have him watching me!

I was kind of worried as they both had never seen me fight before.
So I had to try my best to also impress them!!!
Despite impressing Shihan Andre Gilbert.

John also made a guest appearance, from my old training down at the Lasalle Coyle Dojo.
Honbu was amazed at the power I have to bring people in from other dojo's. So it was kind of wild for them to see him show up for me. It was good for him to be there too as he has seen the progression over the years and couldn't let me pass without his careful supervision. He was always my coach for tournaments, and I miss that creative Lasalle 'winning' technique they all gave me.
And unfortunately? he know's all of my weaknesses from years ago so it was helpful to have the extra support for the 10 rounds.

My friend Malay also came to watch, she too is also in another form of Karate. She ran over to my dojo after she finished her own karate class! I was SO happy to have her there for me.


I also had Endre Burian there, he is my Sifu in Kung Fu. This past Fall I recieved my first Yellow Sash with him.
It is a very difficult martial art, and he helped me see that there are a lot of other martial arts and not only Kyokushin.
A lot of Karateka's become obsessed with their own style and disrespect other styles, I think that this shows some weakness. It is amazing to learn new techniques and also to learn the historical side of these forms.
There are just so many.

It takes many many years to become a master. But after last night, I am one step closer to Shodan.



David and I took my mom to the airport early this morning, it was sad to let her go,
but I hope she had a great time with me!
I will miss her SO much. I was just so happy for her to come and see how I live, and what my life really is like over here across the country.
I think she knows what I am all about now; and this makes me happiest of all.