A Debt of Thanks

I’ve been having a difficult time coming up with topics, obviously! I came home tonight, got on Facebook and started talking to AnnMaria DeMars. All of a sudden I thanked her for her teaching me. She said, “What a nice thing to say.” Later I thought about it and decided I need to write a thank you post to those people who’ve taught me and, since this is a judo blog; I’m going to concentrate on those who’ve taught me judo.

First and foremost is my father. I’m not going to go very deep into that right now, because there’s too much detail and I’ve covered some of it before. Let’s suffice it to say that even today he continues to teach me, sometimes even in dreams!

Ann Stacey of New Mexico Military Institute was an awesome woman and my first woman judo instructor. As a cadet at New Mexico Military Institute with too many interests, I certainly didn’t take as much advantage as I could have of her knowledge. I remember one of my most shocking experiences as a green or purple belt was working with another cadet in randori and being blindsided by some throw I’d never seen or heard of (Kani Basami)! That was awesome! Ann was more than just a martial arts instructor; she was one of a pair of the most awesome midnight TACs ever to walk NMMI’s barracks!

Oscar Tinajero and Robert Garcia were really the guiders of my mudansha time at New Mexico State University, both before and after my hiatus. Robert, through his gift of storytelling was inspirational and helped me understand concepts where academic instruction fails. Steady as she goes should be Oscar’s motto; never have I met a more even tempered instructor.

William Andreas of Central Florida Judo and Jujitsu (and several of his black belts) was my first real introduction to judo outside of the Yawara Judo Association and my dad’s reach. I discovered sprung floors, Special Forces beginners (don’t mess with them), and even met Ed Szrejter! I went to one of my first tournaments and didn’t do too well, but it was one of my first and I’d never trained for competition. I had a great time there!

AnnMaria DeMars. Yes, that’s a full-stop. The woman is incredible and anyone who has the chance (the lucky devils at Gompers Middle School in California and the West Coast Judo Training Center!) to learn from her should leap at the chance. I’ve learned from her a couple of times but one of my fondest memories of her teaching were pulling me and another aside at the Judo Forum Clinic and Camp in 2008 and having her look at me and say, “Your seoi nage sucks. Aaron Kunihiro is going to help you get better at it.” I wish my arm hadn’t been killing me! I still talk to her and enjoy her blog; you should read her blog too!

Paul Nogaki is just about one of the awesomest clinicians I’ve ever had the opportunity to learn from. He has a very entertaining method for teaching and helps wonderfully in getting things both right and transferrable! I know I’ve giving him short shrift, but really his YouTube videos are the best instructionals (plural) that I’ve seen for judo yet!

Mike Hanon of the JudoForum and the Makoto Judo Dojo Forum has helped me immensely by watching videos of me and providing me incisive and clear help to better my skill and understanding of why the body moves in such and such a way. His writings have helped me far more immensely than I ever expected.

I’ve had a number of other clinicians and teachers that have been immensely helpful and I don’t want to leave them out but I’m running out of space. Bill Montgomery and Joan Love of Norwich Judo Dojo have been wonderful, especially with pursuing coaching and improving my ability to coach. I have given them no end of troubles sometimes, though I mean the commentary more as a way to gain more information for myself and promote potentially worthwhile programs (yes, now I realize that Kelly’s Capers is very worthwhile!). Bill Myers came down and taught Kelly’s Capers and a coaching clinic for us at NMMI last year and we’ve even taken some of his terms (“Brown belt syndrome”) and used them quite liberally. Gerry Lafon opened my mind to how a coach should look for every training method that improves results and be relentless with the paring knife to methods that just flat don’t work; for that I thank him immensely! (He’s also got a blog!)

I’m in another clinic right now and I don’t want Mark Lonsdale of Stallion Springs PAL Judo to think I’m forgetting about him (I’m not) but I am still processing everything and can’t give a fair evaluation yet. I am enjoying the clinic and learning a great deal! When that clinic is done I’m sure I’ll be able to give more info on what I’ve learned!

Oh, Hal Sharp is an inspiration and Hayward’s got a wonderful joke about a chicken!

For now, however, I’ll have to go and write some more some other day!