Starting on the Path of Martial Arts

My father first introduced me to boxing, wrestling and my first Joe Paloka Punching Bag. It was at his knee or at the kitchen table, and on occasion after getting a beating from him that he would share with me his story. He shared his childhood and the horror of World War II along with tales of his own fights and battles with bullies bad guys and personal demons. I have had many friends and mentors who have sometimes gently, sometimes painfully but always lovingly excused my shortcomings and allowed me the privilege of training with them. There is a huge difference between training in a martial arts school and becoming a Deshi or indoor student. Most of the great teachers that I have been fortunate enough to learn from did not share too much in terms of explanations or inner teachings for at least a couple of years. A few of my Meijin told me that they were waiting to see me take their teachings rather than wait for them to give it to me.
In my first year of high school, being small for my age it was quite common for the older and bigger kids to pick on me. A few of my close friends knew that I had been studying Judo since I was 12 but even they did not really understand what that meant other then I was learning how to throw someone over my shoulder. I was very fortunate to have studied with one of the most famous and talented senior instructors of the Kodokan. It meant a thirty minute bus ride followed by another twenty minutes on the subway along with a ten minute walk up Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia several nights a week and on Saturday mornings to attend training. My first Budo teacher was Takahiko Ishikawa 9th Dan who recently passed away at the age of 91. Professor Ishikawa was the All Japan Champion 1949 and again in 1950. He also was the youngest person to be awarded the title of Shihan at the Keishicho. Professor Ishikawa was a direct student of the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano, and his top student Mifune. He was also an instructor for the Tokyo Police and former Head Instructor of The Kodokan Institute. I met professor Ishikawa in 1964 and trained with him for 6 years before I was awarded my first black belt prior to joining the military in 1971 and seeing active duty in 1972.
My father’s gym was right next door to the Ishikawa Dojo on Broad Street in center city Philadelphia. After several incidences with kids from the neighborhood ganging up on me because, “You Jews killed Jesus.” My father thought it time to explain to me who this guy was that these nice Catholic boys were talking about and made sure that I learned how to protect myself from receiving any more beatings. At the time I was one of the only Jewish kids on the block, but had never been aware of the prejudice that ignorance and hatred breed. These same kids were my friends who up until that time played all the childhood games that boys of our age played. Some of them I considered my best friends. It still amazes me that a few words probably spoken at the family dinner table by their fathers turned my friends into a mob. Not only were they told never to play with me again, but that also I was personally responsible for killing GOD.
When my father returned home from work and was told why I was in my room crying instead of out playing with my friends he began my education on other religions and the reason that we had so few living relatives. My father taught me about the holocaust and the murder of over 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazi’s. He also taught me that there was nothing wrong with being proud of your race, only the hatred of people who have different believes or ethnicity then yourself. He gave me a book on the great religions of the world where I read about the Koran, and the New Testament as well as the study of Torah. Even then I understood that no matter what religion you called yourself there were the same underlying commonalities. Religion taught us how to live in harmony within the community of man. We all believed in the same GOD and were taught the same 10 commandments that were handed down to Moses. But I had entered a new phase in my life, the awareness of ignorance, hatred and for the first time in my life fear.
Professor Ishikawa spoke of the importance of the mind, posture, control and training. All of these subjects are interrelated. Most martial artists tend to practice their favorite techniques and train the same way. Ishikawa's influence caused me to develop my approach to martial arts as well. By following his suggestions my mental and physical power increased and I became very positive and aggressive attempting to minimize defensive actions. I learned to take advantage of my opponent’s movements. I learned to never try and force my favorite techniques on an opponent; instead I attacked based on the opportunity my opponent gave me.
When Ishikawa was a young judoka he would prepare himself before a contest by repeating over and over “I am going to win”, “I am going to win”. Then he would mentally plan the techniques he would use, than repeat this over and over in his mind. Later in his career he fought more by taking advantage of his opponent’s actions rather than force his favorite techniques and this is what he taught me. He related the ultimate power of his mind by telling me about the 1949 All-Japan Championship where he was seriously injured and became unconscious. His opponent, Daigo, attempted a powerful inner thigh sweep called Uchimata which crushed one of his testicles. When Ishikawa was revived he continued to fight and beat Daigo. In spite of the intense pain he went on to fight Kimura, the toughest competitor in Japan. The main bout and first extension ended in a draw. The head referee, Mifune 10th Dan, decided not to have a second extension and thus declared both players as champions. Ishikawa told me he was disappointed in not having a second extension because he was certain that he could defeat Kimura. After they bowed out Ishikawa collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
During our discussions I asked Ishikawa if he ever practiced back flips, cartwheels or other gymnastic movements to escape from throws. He said, “I use to practice gymnastics but then I thought this is training to lose. I will not lose. Of course if someone tries to throw me I can avoid being thrown”. His lesson was do not train to lose, only think of winning.
Ishikawa suggested that you stand straight bending slightly forward like a boxer, arms in front of you at a ninety degree angle. Your hands and wrists should be turned outward so that the heel of your hand is forward and your elbows are near your side. Although you grip the opponent’s judo gi with your hands you should keep your mind in your elbows so that you push, pull or lift with your elbows. This makes your actions more of a body movement not just a hand action. This method makes you stronger and avoids telegraphing your actions. Pushing or driving is done with the heel of your hands versus the knuckles. Move on the balls of your feet, gripping the mat with your toes when you throw. Ishikawa believed that if you become part of the opponent’s body, as one, it is easier to anticipate his actions and to respond automatically with a block or throw. Also, lean slightly against your opponent creating a downward vector or line of power from your elbows to his center of gravity which is a point behind his navel. Ishikawa theorized that when an opponent attempts a forward throw, the opponent will have the advantage if he can turn his back into your chest. Therefore, if you strongly pull his opposite side it will stop his rotation. This action will press the opponent’s side into your chest. Ishikawa was credited with developing this turnover move where as you snap the opponent into your chest you squat and hook his right leg from behind with your left arm, lifting with your legs and pulling his left shoulder down in a circle, and throwing the opponent on his back. Ishikawa said there was no name for this throw, although some incorrectly called it Teguruma. Ishikawa suggested that for every hour you train at the dojo with others you should train two hours by yourself. Among the many virtues I learned from the Professor was that your mind was your most powerful weapon.
During gym class while I was a high school junior, one of the senior offensive lineman for the football team decided that it would be great fun to try and stuff me into one of the lockers. At the time I was probably close to one hundred pounds and would have not only fit into the locker but had plenty of room to spare. My bully was a six foot two hundred pounder who was constantly picking on anyone that he could use to demonstrate his physical prowess. Now, as an adult I understand the physiology behind this type of behavior as a sign of insecurity or the subject of abuse from either his own father or family member, but at the time my only understanding was of pure fear from being the current target of this sociopath.
While at least a dozen of my gym classmates watched from the sidelines lest they be the next target, I was grabbed in a bear hug from behind while one of his cohorts opened a locker that they had selected as my new home. My reaction was without any thought except that I did not want to go into that locker without a fight. As I was being lifted I raised my body into a ball and with all my strength kicked out my legs against the outside of the lockers. For those of you who are familiar with a typical gym locker room you know that there is a low bench that runs the length of the lockers allowing you to sit while changing your clothes. The mistake that our friend, made is that he was standing on the wrong side of this bench. As he tripped over the bench, his six foot frame was just the perfect height for him to hit the back of his head against the adjacent locker knocking him out cold. As for me, the momentum carried me up and over so that I wound up squatting over his unconscious body with my ass in his face. Oh to have the control that I now have or the presence of mind to have fartted in his face would have been the kudegra. The results however remained the same. The gym teacher was called to revive him and then send us both to the Vice Principles office for fighting. We were both given detention although my father did his best to arbitrate on my behalf for defending myself. I became a local celebrity among the school for having knocked out the big bad bully especially from all the other unfortunate souls who had at one time or another been the target of his wrath. I was asked to do an assembly demonstration of Judo the following month for the entire school which helped further my reputation as someone that could fight if I need be. Unfortunately the bully and I became arch enemies. His embarrassment, becoming the brunt of many jokes from his fellow football team members and like minded thugs grew into a long time animosity which continued during our high school years and many years later when I added insult to injury by having several tantric sessions with his fiancé. Sometimes accidents happen, which make you look really good as long as you do not tell anyone what was really going on in your head at the time. Learning to make accidents happen is only the first step to becoming a master of martial arts. The true mastery of Budo is when accidents happen without any conscious knowledge of the process.
Corky was a former Bantam weight fighter working at my dad’s gym on Broad Street in Philadelphia. He spent most of his time handing out towels, picking up dirty laundry in the locker room and emptying spit buckets. Corky was probably close to 70 years old when I met him as a boy of about 9 or 10 but was the first person to actually take the time to show me how to correctly throw a jab, cross, hook and uppercut. He was also an example of how most boxers of his era ended up. He was a broken down old man reduced to picking up towels at a gym hoping for a few tips now and again or to give and alcohol rubdown for $2.00 if he were lucky. What did this old man have to teach me that stuck with me for 50 years? He taught me a very important fact about fighting. After showing me the basic punch’s he said something to me that I have never forgotten. Corky told me that any fool can learn how to punch, but the art of boxing was to make the other guy miss.