In Memory of Jeff Iannuzzo

There is an old saying that says, “no one lives forever. “ However, many touch the lives and hearts of others and in that influence they live forever. Amongst us there sometimes walk immortals. These are our true heroes. They create in us a desire to become more, to become extra ordinary. They might be teachers, parents, coaches, co-workers, bosses, anyone even Karate instructors.

One of the most influential people I knew was a Karate instructor. He was one of my instructors, in fact one of the first. He was a performer and loved performing, earning him the nick name “hot dog”, sometimes we called him “dogger” or “dog” long before it was a colloquial expression. I was amazed the first time I saw him perform a Kata. It was 1984 and he was practicing a musical Kata to the Hawaii Five-O theme. Jeff Iannuzzo could throw a perfect round house kick or side kick vertically, looking like a perfect split position only he was standing. His Kata’s where similar to what we see performed at the top level tournaments and exhibitions of today. Mr. Iannuzzo’s Katas where perfect exhibitions of Karate and Martial arts. Each move was always precise, crisp and just perfect. From the moment I watched that 16 year old young man perform that Kata I wanted to be able to perform a Kata like that with kicks like that, even if I lacked the talent, I wanted to at least come as close as possible to that kind of performance. Twenty-six years later I am still working on that.

I was watching Mr. Iannuzzo be coached by Mr. Steve Lavallee who is now known as Kyoshi Steve Lavallee. I believe I was an orange belt at the time and still working on throwing a side kick above belt level. I was amazed that it was possible to move and put movements together like this young man was doing it. Today we see great performances on the tournament circuit, but to this day I have never witnessed the kind of energy and perfection in Martial Arts Jeff Iannuzzo had in his performance. There were more than difficult kicks and aerial demonstrations; there were precise correct Martial Arts movements, with the energy of a combat for survival. Watching “dogger” perform a Kata enabled a person to really see the raw essence of Martial Arts. I am privileged to have been influenced by these performances.

I also considered Jeff my friend, and now I am sad I will never have a chance to speak with him again. I am happy though to have his memory with me. Outside the Martial Arts he was far from perfect as are we all. However, he was a great person when he walked out of the Dojo too. Jeff’s energy filled a room like a moving wave of water. I know his art had this in it and that is why his performances were so inspiring. Mr. Iannuzzo was hot headed, he had a short fuse, he was impulsive, and sometimes he acted before he thought. However he was loyal, kind, inspiring, dedicated to his students, his art, and tied his whole personality together with his never ending humor.

Mr. I was a tough instructor, he demanded you give your best. I believe he demanded that from himself and that is why he demanded it from his students. His talent was magnified by his dedication. Rick Iannuzzo, Jeff’s brother, told me once that his brother would practice one kick, one movement, or one section of Kata for hours on end. I am convinced this is why his Katas were always outstanding. He did not sit back and depend solely on his talent he worked hard to make his performance perfect. I lack the talent that Mr. I had but I try giving this same dedication to my performance. It is also something to strive for in other life skills. Those who add to their talent with never ending enthusiasm will always be in the lead.

Jeff was also one of the fairest and giving Martial Artist I had the privilege of training with. There are stories enough to fill a novel about the “Adventures of Dogger”. There is one story that lights the way to how Mr. I really was as a person. I hope to tell it here in way that conveys just how great a man he was. It was at one of the many tournaments the Lavallee’s team attended. There was always a great buzz at these local tournaments, that in those days most students and the school as a team always attended. Competitors milled about getting ready for their events warming up, watching others. The Black Belt Kata competition was usually first. Many were standing along the sides of the gym watching the Black Belts perform. Mr. I was doing a spear Kata when the sharp tip of the weapon came loose flying off striking a young boy student from a competing school in the ankle. The child had to be taken to the hospital for stitches. I am not sure how or why, but the child was brought back to the tournament to watch. He never had his chance to compete that day. I know Jeff must have been crushed by the accident. He knew that the child would not be able to perform his Kata or get in the ring for a chance to win a trophy. Jeff went on to win Kata Grand Champion. He gave that trophy to the boy.

There are far more stories to tell about this Karate instructor. He was an adventurous individual. He always pushed the limits in everything. All of my friends, fellow students, and instructors that knew him have stories to tell. He always made us laugh, all the while pushing us to be great. Many of his students became great competitors too. Jenny Hughes was a great talent he coached to perfection, along with John Swistak and too many more to list.

The sad calling hours at his passing was a tribute to how he touched people. I arrived as they began. As I drove down the road past the funeral home I could already see a line of literally thousands of people with sad and blank faces. Most faces I recognized even if I did not remember all the names. Many I did remember as we all trained together for many years. I felt very sad that for many of us it had been years since we had been together. Now we had come together to morn the passing of our friend and Instructor. The thousands of friends, students, and family stood in line on a hot summer day to say goodbye, too soon, to the Last Dragon. A seemingly indestructible person was gone.

Inside the funeral home the line wove in and out of different rooms. As the line snaked around the rooms again I was able to see so many people Jeff had somehow touched. Students and Instructors from other schools we all competed with in the past were there. Black Belts that had not actively trained in years stood in line and talked about coming back. We shook hands and talked about the “old days” as the “new days” would now go on without our friend. I came to the end of that day’s long journey three hours, maybe, standing in line to say goodbye and to try to give some comfort to the family. I hugged Rick, and his mother and his father, and Jeff’s very good friend Scott Ogata and fellow Black Belt. I left with sadness, but also with determination that I would never again walk away from the Martial Arts. Thank you My Friend, my Instructor; you will always be an inspiration. You are truly “The Last Dragon”. You will also live forever, you are still in the hearts of all who were and are inspired by your life.

This post is dedicated to Mr. Jeff Iannuzzo January 25, 1968 – June 29, 2007.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2007/06/tractortrailer_crash_near_scra.html

Quest for Excellence

In the quest of excellence where do we begin? How do we define excellence? Excellence is sometimes measured by other people’s standards. However, the best place to find excellence is in our own self evaluation. The definition of excellence is how what you have achieved has improved you as a person. That improvement can only be determined by your own measurement. As Martial Artists we all strive for excellence. We each have traveled different life paths and many of us have traveled a different Martial Arts path. Our instructors, teachers, and fellow students will all have their own standard and in any reputable Martial Arts organization this standard is really just a personal starting point. Giving your own personal best is really at the heart of excellence and only you can know what that is. While achieving and working towards something only the person working towards that goal knows inside if they are pushing themselves to that level of self excellence. In any endeavor if we only do the minimum to reach a certain level we have not achieved anything if that level did not push us past our present capacity. Pushing yourself beyond the point you thought possible is the only way to grow. In setting our goals we need to determine if reaching that point will stretch us beyond where we are in that area of fitness, art, works, or life skill. Without growth there is no reason to pursue any goal. The purpose of setting goals and/or having dreams is to grow as a person in some area of life. Stretching and growing as a person, student, husband, wife, son, daughter and, so on is what makes life worthwhile. If we are not growing we are not living we are only existing.

Excellence and growth then are one in the same. To excel we must grow, to grow we must excel. That is why Martial Artists have an advantage. We strive to learn and grow in our art. It is a never ending road but it is not an aimless wandering road. Martial Arts give us a way to map our growth. We set our Martial Arts goals and this learning will almost automatically cross over into the other areas of life. There is an endless amount of learning that can be followed in the Martial Arts just like life. While moving forward in the Arts we also move forward in life. We see new opportunities in the Arts, which will lead us to also realize we can open new doors in our lives. The story of my own personal experience is a perfect example. The day before my 1st Degree Black Belt test, over twenty-one years ago, I lost my job. I was a young man who had never before faced the dilemma of losing a position. The confidence I gained on the road to Black Belt not only gave me courage to face my upcoming test regardless of my personal challenge, the training and knowledge gathered on that road gave me the tools needed to charge ahead and find new employment. In two weeks I found a new job and worked with that company for eleven years.

Our perspective of the Arts is different while we are white belts just as our perspective in life is different from when we were children. Our perspective of the Arts is also different as a newly christened Black Belt from that of a seasoned Black Belt. New Black Belts are energized and ready for the next step. When we begin in the Martial Arts we start with a “clean slate”. Our minds are open to the new adventure we have decided to undertake. This is similar to the open minds of children, who are ready and willing to learn. To stay energized and motivated in the Martial Arts we must keep the open mind of a white belt and the energy of someone who has just crossed that threshold to Black Belt. That willingness to start on a new journey and the willingness to stretch beyond our current success will keep you fresh. The crossover to life skills in keeping an open mind can only lead to life success. Keep your mind fresh like a child’s mind. Be willing to accept new ideas and explore new ways of approaching challenge. Regardless if that challenge is in your career, family or spiritual points on your wheel of life, keeping an open mind and keeping energized is the key to being successful and climbing the walls life will always place before you.

An open mind then, is essential for excellence. If we are not open to new ideas and ways of doing things we begin to stand still and fail to move forward. To grow we must continue to press on and move forward. Without forward momentum life’s challenges will ultimately start pushing us backwards. Since excellence and growth go hand in hand so is open mindedness an essential component in excellence. Also to move forward we need to stay energized since the forward momentum needed for excellence takes motivation and motivation takes energy.

Here then are keys to excellence: open mindedness, motivation, energy. The measurement of excellence is the improvement to your own level of success. An example of this can be seen in competitive running. If at 50 years old I would not expect my run times to be the same as when I was eighteen it is not realistic. However if I measure my progress against how well I do in my age class during a race then that is where I can see my progress. If I were to finish in the top 10% in one race and then improve to the top 5% then I have made progress and can say I have achieved excellence. In Martial Arts I can approach progress in a similar way. At 50 years old I can’t expect to achieve the same height in my flying side kick that I did when I tested for my Black Belt when I was 28 years old. I can expect to continue to improve my form and to keep fit enough to still be able to do a flying side kick. That then becomes my measurement for excellence and success.

Keeping on a journey of excellence will never be easy. It takes work. It takes an open mind, it takes energy and motivation. To maintain an open mind, energy and motivation it is essential to know how to measure excellence in ourselves. The only one who can measure excellence in yourself is you. Take a look at your strengths and improve on them. Take a look at your weakness and work to lessen their effect on your performance. Measure progress against what is realistic for you. If we keep these things in mind it will help a person succeed and achieve excellence that is necessary for a meaningful and fulfilling life. The Martial Arts gives people the tools to achieve excellence. It is often times referred to as Black Belt excellence. If you are not involved in the Martial Arts, consider it. If you have been in the Martial arts but wandered away come back. Excellence is waiting for you.

A New Year New Goals... Lets write them down and get to it!

A new year is here and it is a time for reflection. Many people choose this time to set new goals. Some will stick to their goals others will fall by the wayside. I have never really been one to set New Years resolutions but this year I decided to take this time to renew some goals I have set on the “back burner” for a while. One of them was this blog. I will make a commitment to set something down here once a week, at the very least.

Goals are something we all need not only in our Martial Arts training but in our daily lives. Life is often times difficult to navigate and to get through good times and bad we need to be the “driver” behind the wheel of our own life. Actively choose not to be the passenger that is just along for the ride, get behind the wheel and direct your life and keep it on the road of your choosing. Keep your internal talk positive, and when things seem to be against you, remember nothing worth achieving is going to be easy. There will always be days that you may not perform your best, or keep on track. We all have times when we can get out of focus. They key to overcoming the “dips” and “valleys” that are a natural part of the journey of life and the Martial Arts, is to just pick up where you left off. Do not dwell on a failure as negative or of lack of motivation on one day as failure. View failure as a learning experience and incorporate that into life and training. One day off is just that one day. Success or failure is not treading on the action you take on one day but on the action you take over time. The most successful people have often times failed to succeed a number of times. The reason they eventually made their goals happen is: they never gave up. They took what they had learned from their experience and moved forward from that moment, that place and that time. Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda Motor Company, failed many times on his way to success and his quote “Success is 99% failure” points to the direction of real success. Be prepared to fail in order to succeed. Do not fear failure, embrace it. Failure will give you strength as long as it is embraced and dissected into a self teaching experience. Don’t ask “Why did this happen to me”. Ask, “What choice will put me back on track now”. When you miss one day of training, one run, one work out, just come back to it the next day. Do not let one day’s lack of motivation derail your goal. Write down your short term goals and when that day comes, and it will, that you lack motivation go over what you have written down, reenergize yourself with the excitement you had at the moment you wrote down those goals and the feelings you had when you originally went through that process.

We all want to reach our goals, but wanting it and making it happen sometimes get separated. The way to keep the want and the reality together is to break the large goal into a series of small goals and set tangible time frames for those small goals. Each small goal is a step on the stairway leading to our final long term goal. As each small goal is achieved celebrate and reward your achievement and then get to work on that next small goal. Make the goals specific too. A goal that is not well defined becomes unwieldy and easy to abandon. Make sure these goals are realistic too. A goal to loose 30 pounds in one week is good example of an unrealistic goal. It is not only unhealthy but is not practical either. That is why self analysis of your goals is very important. Review your goal well and determine the reasons achieving that goal will be of benefit to you.

Many of us know how important goals are and if you have been in the Martial Arts you are well aware of goals and how to reach them since you walked that path from belt to belt. Even if you have been in a program that did not emphasize goal setting you obviously set them even if it was not a conscious effort. It is always effective to remind ourselves of how important goal setting is. That is part of the reason I put this all down was to remind myself of this. Keep on your journey move forward and never give up. Write down your goals. Review what you have written and keep setting new goals. I will see you all in 2010 and I hope we all achieve the goals many of us are setting right now. My quest this year will be the achievement of my Third Degree Black Belt. My plan is to reach this by the third quarter of 2010. (The Final date is to be determined by my Sensei, Instructor and friend Rick Iannuzzo.) I will document much of my journey here. I will see you on the path and on the Journey in the Martial arts.

Mcdojos, Martial Arts, Self Defense, Fighting, Sport, Hobby, Art

There are many terms thrown around regarding martial arts, self defense, and martial arts schools. If you were new or are new to the world of martial arts it can be a very confusing landscape to navigate. I have been involved in the martial arts for over 26 years and a fan of the martial arts for many more years. I also have extensive training in the legal world. My education in law came about after my expertise in the martial arts had been obtained. One thing to get out of the way: I am not an attorney and if you need legal advice about the martial arts and self defense contact an attorney.

A derogatory term used a lot in internet forums and other places is the “Mc Dojo”. There is some truth in the “standard” definition of Mc Dojo. A large chain of Martial Arts schools whose main purpose is to make money. Obviously Mc Dojo is an analogy to fast food. An argument made many times is that the instructors teaching at these commercial schools are not qualified to teach or instruct the martial arts. Let the question be: if you are learning from “some dumb guy” in his garage for free what are his qualifications? Most experts in any field have received their education from an institution that also makes money. So gaining your education in the martial arts from a school that also makes money is not necessarily bad. Necessarily is: the qualifying word. There are many martial arts schools that have a poor product and for the trained eye they are easy to pick out. For someone who has no experience in the field it would be difficult to distinguish what a good product is versus a bad product. Make no mistake, martial arts schools produce a product. The product produced is: black belts. This is exactly what many would say is the exact definition of a Mc Dojo. We call them schools. The product of a school is graduates. How would we rate an educational institution that never graduated any students?

There is nothing wrong with someone making money from teaching Karate, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do etc. Just as there is nothing wrong with teaching dancing, gymnastics or boxing for money. As long as all involved are upfront about what they are teaching. Beware of the person who wants to teach you his super kung fu skills so no one will ever beat you up. As with the purchase of any product research it and then choose your purchase carefully. Most people will research the purchase of a big ticket item but will plunk down their hard earned money to the first “Karate” school they find in the phone book. Most people would not buy a car without test driving it. Test drive your Karate purchase. Whether it is for you or your children watch and listen to what the school teaches. Ask other students and parents what they think about the establishment. Keep in mind many schools have good sales people. If you are wary about what a car sales person says be careful about the salesmanship of the Dojo Master. If they use high pressure tactics to keep you from shopping around, leave and don’t go back. If they have a quality program they should be confident. They do not need to pressure you to sign up now.

If the assumption is that an institution is producing a product then, only the quality of the product should determine how good or bad that institution is. The problem with many critics and people using the term “Mc Dojo” is: they are not judging the same product. Some are assuming that the purpose of learning the martial arts is to become the ultimate street fighting machine and every black belt should be that street fighting machine. If you want to become an ultimate street fighting machine/ultimate urban warrior you won’t need to spend your money on the martial arts. The best method for becoming the best street fighter is to get into a lot of street fights. If you are not arrested, killed, or maimed you will become a really good street fighter. You could then use the money you saved for your hospital, legal fees, and funeral costs.

I trained under Kyoshi Steve Lavallee for about 7 years. He told me he could teach, a talented athlete, everything physically needed to become a black belt and/or good fighter within a year’s time. However, the mental fortitude, discipline, humility, and all else that makes a real black belt takes much longer. This is why it takes several years to become a black belt. Exactly how long it should take to become a black belt is another argument for another time. The point is: there is more to becoming a black belt than knowing how to kick and punch etc. Now we come around to the misconception that the martial arts in our modern world are about fighting and/or self defense. The origins of the arts certainly go back to combat but in the 21st century the arts have evolved. The skill we learn can cross over to a self defense situation but I would say if you have found yourself in that situation you have already failed at self defense. Marc “The Animal” MacYoung has written much about the topic of real self defense and discusses this topic in detail on his website. I suggest this as a place to start if self defense is something you want to learn about.

There is a big difference, legally, between what is deemed self defense and what is deemed fighting and/or assault. As an example let me use one of my favorite Kenpo self defense techniques. The technique is called the dance of death. Right away, just from the name we can assume that this technique might be overkill and it is. The technique ends with your “opponent” on the ground. Once the alleged dirt bag is on the ground you side kick/stomp on his head and then hop over him and stomp/side kick his head again. If you did this and the cops show up you will be seated in the back of the squad car with your hands cuffed behind you. Your next “dance” is likely to be with someone named Buba. Once an aggressor’s attack is stopped, any action beyond that point is assault. Another technique I learned was for a gun being held to your head. The technique ends with you holding the gun and then shooting the “attacker” who is on the ground at that point. A law enforcement official, training with me at the time, pointed out that if you did really shoot the attacker, after disarming said attacker, you would definitely be charged with murder/man slaughter and hauled off to jail. While this gun defense technique looked cool in a demo it was neither practical nor legal.

If the Martial Arts are not about fighting and not about self defense what does that leave us with? I would say it is a sport and a hobby. I now train under Rick Iannuzzo and he once pointed out to me that training for most people, like myself, is a hobby. Many people would admonish me for having this opinion. Real combat now does not involve swords, spears and hand to hand fighting. Real combat in the modern world has nothing to do with what was the origin of today’s modern martial arts. I would also say that what we learn is an art. Expression of movement is an art. That is what we have now. Sure many of us enter the Arts to learn self defense but if you stick around long enough you find that is not what keeps you training. Training will keep you healthy and active; training will help you gain a feeling of achievement. The martial arts can push you to discover your physical and mental limits. Learning some new technique or kata keeps your mind fresh. Learning to concentrate during a sparing session also keeps your mind far more active than just sitting and watching T.V. Also being active with something that motivates you and is interesting keeps your body moving. Keeping your body moving keeps you healthy. If you attend a good studio you also have the benefit of being surrounded by good people. So now the Martial Arts are both a sport and an art and will have the benefits of both. The art will keep you thinking, learning, and expressing. The sport will keep you competing having fun and being in a social environment.

Now, if what you want is real self defense do not look at the modern martial arts school. Also you must decide if you really need to learn physical self defense. Are you in law enforcement? Are you a prison guard? Do you work in a mental institution? These types of professions do need to know how to handle a violent person’s attack. If you are in one of these professions your organization will, in most cases teach you what you need to know, if not ask them to hire a professional that does teach self defense. In most cases this does not mean a martial arts professional. For the rest of us we need to know how to avoid these attacks and stay out of situations and places were these attacks might occur. That sometimes is not a simple task and if what you are really interested in, is self defense than look for books and writings of people qualified in that field. In almost all cases your martial arts instructor is not that person. Sure there are martial arts people that do know a lot about real self defense. If your instructor says they have this training just be sure they have proof of those credentials. Otherwise trust that your Martial Arts instructor is just that a Martial Arts professional and that, as I have discussed here, is something other than self defense.

The Loss of a Friendship and No Matter How Flat You Make a Pancake There Will Always be Two Sides

Introduction: Here is a sad story of the loss of a friendship. This is only my perspective. I have not pursued any answers from either party. I don't believe that is any one's business. So, what I am writing about is what I see as a third party looking in.

Mr. Rick I. and Mr. Steve Lavallee had been friends for many years. Rick I. was one of Mr. Lavallee's first Black Belts. He was also one of the most talented. Rick ended up working for Mr. Lavallee and eventually ran the Liverpool school. Rick I's brother was also working for Mr. Lavallee and he ran the Cicero school. They were like family.

At some point Rick I wanted to break off and run his own business. Something many people desire. He started with just a Gym. Eventually he started teaching Karate. Many people had asked him to do so. It was the only thing he knew and to ignore that business opportunity would not have made any sense.

Apparently Mr. Lavallee was not happy with this and the friendship ended. I don't know the details and if I did I wouldn't discuss it. The details of the "what" and "why" don't matter. The sadness is in the ending of a long friendship, a close friendship, at least it looked like that from my perspective.

No one but Mr. Lavallee and Mr. Rick I. can mend what was. For the rest of us, we need to realize it is between them. There is always two sides to any conflict - thus the saying: No matter how flat you make a pancake there is always two sides.

I hope that these two men can, someday, become friends again. It will only happen when one of them decides it is more important to be friends than to be the "winner". It is very sad since together they could achieve great things as friends. They don't need to be in business together they just need to be friends. As Mr. Jeff I's passing proves - life is too short to leave your friends behind for any reason.

Clear The Air

One of my fellow black belts that I trained with at Lavallee's pointed something out to me. It seems like my blog has a negative slant towards Lavallee's. I apologize for this perception. I believe I need to clear the air about how I feel about the school and the people that originally promoted me to black belt. It might seem to some that I have a negative slant towards Lavallee's. This not the case at all. I am only recording what happened as I saw it. Others my have seen things differently but I am writing about my experience.

I still respect the Lavallee's school. They change lives for the better. Training at Lavallee's and working for Lavallee's gave me the attitude I needed to conquer challenges in my personal life. Mr. Steve Lavallee taught me valuable life lessons. My training has instilled in me a positive attitude and I owe this to my Martial Arts training.

I have wandered away from training at times in my life but I always found my way back. I was always glad with the decision to return to training. I no longer train at Lavallee's I train with Rick I. Mr. Rick I. was once Mr. Steve Lavallee's "right hand man". Mr. Rick I. is also a personal friend of mine. Rick I. has always been there for me in my training. It was only logical to continue my training with him. The decision to train with Mr. Rick I. has nothing to do with how I feel about my training at Lavallee's. That training will always be part of me and will always influence my training.

Mr. Steve Lavallee also gave me valuable training and I will never forget that. Without his help I would not have had the successes I have had in my training. I still remember the coaching tips he gave me and I implement them when I train now. Mr. Lavallee was a coach, an instructor an employer, and mentor for me. We never had a personal friendship. I attended parties at his home both when I was employed by Lavallee's and as a S.W.A.T. team member. I was even invited and went to Mr. Lavallee's wedding to Mrs. K.C. Lavallee. I also participated in other events as a student. However I never developed the friendship with Mr. Lavallee that I did with Rick I. My relationship with Mr. Lavallee was at the level of student and teacher and there is nothing wrong with that. With the number of students and employees Mr. Lavallee had this would be the most likely outcome.

So keep in mind I am only writing about my experience. I still have great respect for Koyshi Lavallee. He runs a successful business and shares his knowledge. He trains excellent Black Belts. He always has, I am learning from one of them now. My roots are with Lavallee's and without those roots I would not be growing like I am now.

A little LaVallee's History thanks to Rob V

Here is the history of Liverpool Martial Arts known as LaVallee’s Sport Karate Studio, now as Steve LaVallee’s East Coast Karate.

Lee Thompson owned the studio and decided to sell it to Steve Cravic. I think the year was 1974. LaVallee was upset that Thompson didn’t sell it to him so he left and moved to California. A student named John Vanelli kept calling him and asked him to come back; the school needed him. He came back and bought the school from Cravic. LaVallee’s older brother George worked for a bank and told him it was a very bad investment. The school was in debt. Working many side jobs and teaching karate, LaVallee was determined to make it work. He even picked up a job as a repo man.
The school and LaVallee were very successful on the karate circuit. The problem; people didn’t realize Liverpool Martial Arts was Steve LaVallee. He changed the name to LaVallee’s Sport Karate Studio.

The original students were taught one private lesson and two group classes per week. Instructors would teach the private lessons and then LaVallee would teach the group classes. This was possible because the studio only had about 50 students! As the studio grew, the teaching style would later change to what we have now.

At the time, black belt exams were all done on a one to one test. The order of black belts are as followed:
1. Bill Stanley
2. Rick Iannuzzo
3. John Vanelli
4. Jeff Iannuzzo
5. Scott Ogata
6. Jeff Snoggles
7. Rob Vanelli

*Bill Stanley came up under Thompson’s rein, but LaVallee tested him when he took over the studio. The remaining black belts were all taught directly under LaVallee.

Something old and Something new

Well today I took a step back in time. I went to and competed in a tournament. It was the Bailey’s Copper City Championships in Rome NY. This tournament has been running for a long time. I competed in it coming up through the ranks. I remember going there and seeing some of the “senior” Black Belts from other schools with belts that looked old worn and tattered. Now I am one of those Black Belts. In fact my belt is older than some of the adult men Black Belts I was judging.
The tournament was run very well. Tournaments have come a long way. It used to be the event would start around 10:00 in the morning and would not be over until maybe 9 or 8 in the evening. Now everything is very organized and they keep all the rings occupied and moving. They also created a new scoring method for Kata. They divided the divisions into groups of four and/or 3 competitors within the division. We would watch each small group and then each judge would hold up a card signifying the order we thought that competitor should be placed within the group. Then each competitor is given a medal, gold for first, silver for second, and third, and fourth place are given a bronze medal. The competitor that receives the gold moves on to compete against the others within the divisions that won gold in their groups. The winner of the group of gold medal winners is awarded with a large trophy cup. This new method solves many problems inherent to scoring each competitor one at a time. Judges are not sitting for a long periods of time giving each a competitor a score. I always found that method tedious, flawed and time consuming. The biggest concern about individual scores concerns the number of competitors the judges might see. A judge may, in the beginning, give one competitor a fairly high score and then see a competitor they think is better than that person. The only way around this is to keep giving higher and higher scores. They would usually judge the first four competitors and not give them the scores until after the fourth person had performed their Kata. The idea is: to give the judges a baseline to work from. Many times, however, the first four would just happen to be either the best or worst of the bunch. Again in this case, many times, judges would end up painting themselves into a corner. The new method eliminates that aspect of individual scores. It also provides a reward for each competitor and further rewards the winners by giving them a chance to perform again and win the trophy. This system is a very positive way to run a tournament and gives each competitor (especially the children) a since of accomplishment. Sparring is done in similar manor with the gold medal winners competing for a cup.
I did well winning a silver medal. Many people thought I had the best Kata in my group. Too bad the judges didn’t see it that way. Mr. D. ended up taking the division. He won the gold in his group and definitely had the best Kata in our division. He decided not to compete for grand champion. I think he should have, he would have won. I was still very happy with my performance. Mr. D said he was very impressed with my Kata and I know he meant that. Hearing that meant more than any trophy I have in my collection.
I will go over some tournament stories good and bad soon. I have some really sad stories, funny stories, and many some may find interesting.

where it all began

I have been thinking lately of all my years training in the Martial Arts and what it has meant for me and done for me. I started in the “old days” before the movie “The Karate Kid”. I am not saying that the old days were necessarily better, just that the old days were different.
Let me explain the old days. Back then you learned to spar the hard way starting at white belt. Sparring class was all belts white to black. Everyone sparred with everyone. The advantage to this was: you learned how to spar/fight quickly and gained a vast amount skill over a very short amount of time. The disadvantage: most people didn’t stick around long enough to pick up the skill. We also learned very many self defense techniques per belt level and long complicated katas. Again, this created great skill levels but most people would become discouraged and drop out before they could really learn the skill.

Why go over the old days if everything today is better, or worse? The old days are history. Those days are my history. Those days brought me to where I am now. That is what I want to relay here. How the martial arts has changed my life and how the martial arts have changed, with me, along the way.

Since I was about twelve years old I had an interest in the martial arts. I loved the show “Kung Fu” with David Carradine. I also had a friend taking lessons at Tracy’s Kenpo Karate. I went and watched and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. These guys could really fight, these people had remarkable skill, and I wanted to learn. I begged my mother to allow me to take lessons. She wouldn’t have it. My parents were not familiar with the martial arts and only saw it as a violent sport.

I eventually went on to other things as most young people do. However I never entirely forgot about the martial arts, learning Karate was always in the back of my mind. I read about it, watched movies about it, and my friend who made it all the way to brown belt taught me some things. In fact my instructor, Rick, who is actually a little younger than I am, said he remembers my friend, Mike, as one of the top instructors. Rick said everyone wanted to be like him. Why Mike discontinued his journey in the martial arts is another story for another time.
Mike, along side with Steve Lavallee, taught group and private lessons for Lee Thompson who owned Tracy’s at that time. Steve Lavallee had been instructing since he was a blue belt and had been Mike’s instructor. Now if my memory is correct I believe Steve Lavallee was about 16 years old when Lee Thompson promoted him to Black Belt. “Lavallee’s USA Champions” website says that as of 2008, Mr. Lavallee has been a Black Belt for 35 years. That seems to match up with what I remember. I am including all this because; this influenced how I viewed the martial arts. I witnessed how my friend, Mike, grew in maturity and discipline. Although at the time I didn’t consciously know it, I needed discipline. I was wandering with no map for my future. Yes, I was involved in other sports. I was in wrestling and track but these sports did not develop the same level of discipline and character building demonstrated by people in Karate. Mike told me about the incredible skill Steve Lavallee and Lee Thompson possessed. Mike also described the incredible skill of other students at the school. The martial spark had been ignited in my soul even if it would be awhile before the flames started to burn.

My high school years began. I was involved in many school activities and was on the Varsity track team and wrestled. I ended up graduating high school and going to the local community college. I majored in Humanities. Humanities, for me anyway, was a catch all major for a person who had no idea where he was going. I finished with my associates degree and then went into the work world. I did not go further on in college since I thought marriage to my girlfriend was around the corner. Of course the marriage never happened; yes that’s another story too. My first full time job was with a company called Standard Office Supply. I worked there for a couple of years. The warehouse foreman left Standard Office Supply to work for Perry Office Products, a competitor across town. About a month after he left, he called me and offered me a job with his new employer. I accepted the offer.

At Perry Office Products I met my friend Al. Al was into, and still is, weight training. I did some weight training too, coming from my wrestling background. We soon began weight training together. As Al and I became friends we both discovered we had a connection to Tracy’s Karate. Al had trained there for awhile up to about Orange belt and quit. Al talked me into taking lessons. We had started our journey.

I couldn’t believe it I was about to begin my childhood dream. The old studio had a heavy pewter colored door, with a dragon molded into it. The semi oriental theme continued up the stairs. A small Buda statue sat on a side shelf that ran along the top of the staircase. The smell of sweat mixed with the smell of a pungent air freshener. Before you could see anyone, you could hear the Ki-ah of students on the floor. We had an appointment and Rick quickly met us. Rick was younger than us. Al and I were about 23 at the time and Rick would have been about 18. Some of the change that was about to take place in the Martial Arts business was in its infancy at this time. Rick gave Al and me our first lesson together, signed us up, gave us our Gis, our white belts, and we never looked back.

In those days there were no yellow belts. In fact the belts that I have are white (two tips your second tip would be equal to a modern day yellow belt) orange, purple, blue, green, brown 1st, 2nd , 3rd degrees. Red belts came about after I was promoted to black belt. Coming up through the system we were usually awarded our belts during class. You didn’t know you were testing until the end of class when the instructor would come out with a belt. You would go through the belt ceremony and you were promoted. Actual formal testing classes didn’t start until later. I don’t remember exactly when. Brown Belt always had a formal test and it may be the other belts started having formal tests sometime after I had my brown belt. I know each of my degrees of brown belt had a formal test. Formal testing is a good thing. It gives a student a goal to work towards. Students going through a system of formal testing also learn what is to accomplish conquering and reaching a goal. With that being said; the surprise of having a belt promotion after what you thought was just a really hard class was cool.

When I first started we were learning two katas per belt level and about 10 self defense moves. The old Tracy’s run by Lee Thompson taught 40 self defense techniques per belt level. I am not sure ho w many katas per belt level they taught. I am still in contact with Mike I will have to remember to ask him some day.

Al and I started learning our basics and our 1st kata which was short one. After we had short one down, we began learning long one. I met one of my most influential instructors, Mr. Rob V. I believe he runs a school in Florida now. Mr. Rob V. was a brown belt at that time and I learned more from him during my kyu ranks than any other instructor. Mr. V and I later became good friends although we are not really in contact anymore. I will have to change that at some point. I will talk more about Mr. V and our friendship later.

Al and I continued our journey up through the ranks. Orange belt saw us learn Short 2 and Long 2. Purple showed us Short 3 and Moi Fah. About this time belt requirements changed. We started learning just one kata per belt level. I don’t think self defense had changed at that point. I remember learning many defenses for holds and grabs, I still know them all. Later certain self defense moves were assigned for each belt level. I can’t remember the exact changes now. The names of the moves were no longer really referred to anymore. I know them now. There are too many to list here. Some examples are: Crossing talon (for cross over wrist grab), Seven Swords (for punch to the body). Tracy’s had/has many self defense moves all with names etc.

I should also mention some other things that created the atmosphere of the old school located above a hobby store and restaurant. The old school had banners in the window that read: Chinese Kick Boxing. The actual name of the school at this point was: Lavallee’s Sport Karate. Rick was fighting full contact in what was called the PKA or the Professional Kick Boxing Association. That was really big then. It also had an influence on the training focus in the school. The studio had a very Gym like atmosphere. The studio was also dull and dingy. If you have ever watched Rocky III think of the gym Apollo Creed takes Rocky into, except we had windows. This was different than Lee Thompson’s old school. Lee, I think, was more focused on the art in the Martial arts. When Steve Lavallee took over the focus was more on the sport. I am not saying that either is right or wrong or better or worse just a different focus on training. The student can create their own focus since the material and moves being taught are the same. So, I am not referring to material being taught, I am just referring to the atmosphere in which the learning is taking place. The PKA influence was everywhere from the PKA t-shirts for sale to the sparing that included hooks and upper cuts although blind techniques were discouraged i.e; spinning back-fists.

There was also a big focus on point fighting since a big part of training back then focused on tournaments. The School did have some amazing talent going to tournaments. That is why Lavallee’s was the winning school in every local tournament during that era. Ichi (Scott O.) was a young black belt that had amazing talent in both kata and fighting. Then there was Jeff I. Jeff was the most amazing talent I have ever experienced in the field of martial arts. Jeff was doing musical Katas long before it was the popular thing. Jeff really was a pioneer in this new Kata form. Jeff was Rick’s younger brother and another influence in my training and was also a friend. I will devote an entire blog to Jeff’s influence in my training in another separate Blog. R.I.P. Jeff. There where also many other talented Brown Belts and other lower belts that contributed to the School’s tournament success. Some of these same talents are running their own schools now, some under the Lavallee’s “umbrella”, some independently.

The sport focus also opened the door for the change in teaching philosophy. Under both Steve Lavallee and Lee Thompson the teaching focus was on Karate and Martial Arts skill. Lee Thompson was old school teaching skill to become good at the art. Steve Lavallee was teaching skill to become good at the sport. While there is a goal in learning the art, sport is much more goal orientated. When Steve Lavallee became involved in the EFC the EFC philosophy of goal setting etc. matched up perfectly with the sport atmosphere. Sport always has a goal: winning. While the goal to learning the art is less defined, the goal in art is to become very skilled. Karate however has another relationship to goals: the belt system. Each belt is a goal. Goal setting has always been a part of business as well. It is a perfect formula, sport, goals, and business all tied to Karate. Steve Lavallee began to change the whole focus of teaching the martial arts. He began to use the martial arts as a medium to teach life skills. Some would argue that the skill of Karate is lost with this teaching method. I am not going make these arguments now. I only include it since my training has been influenced by it. I am focusing on my martial arts experience here. I will say that teaching life skills along with martial arts does have value. How far that value goes I will address, maybe, someday.

I am going to return to the structure of the classes. When I first started White belts had their own class for Kata and self defense. Sparring class went from 2nd tip white belts to black belts. I think this changed about the same time I was promoted to purple belt. This was also when only one kata per belt level became the curriculum. I had already learned all of Short 3 and was learning Moi Fah when the curriculum was changed. I also met John C. about this time. He was already a purple belt and was learning Moi Fah. John was about 12 years older than I was and was one of the older people training at that time. I should also mention there were not a lot of children training when I started but this was rapidly changing during this time period. Also a heavy emphasis on goal setting was taking root. Now with only one Kata per belt level students began to move faster through the system. This was helping people realize their progress sooner than under the old system. Also the school was growing in membership very rapidly. The Karate Kid flood gates had opened. The timing was perfect for Mr. Lavallee. He was starting to realize, with the help of the EFC organization, how to run a financially successful martial arts school at exactly the same time the business was booming for all martial arts. With the number of students coming in the class structure had to change. White Belts now had their own class and no longer sparred. Yellow belts were introduced into the system and a yellow orange belt or novice level was created. Purple, blue and green belts were put into their own class and this was called the intermediate level. Brown and above was considered the advanced class. This would remain the class structure going forward. What the class structures are now, at Lavallee’s USA Black Belt Champions, I don’t know since I have been training with Rick I. since about 1991. Also at this time classes were very crowded. The number of students had outgrown the size of the studio. It wouldn’t be long before Mr. Steve Lavallee opened a 2nd location in Cicero. I am not sure exactly when that was expect that it was about the same time I had been promoted to second degree brown belt which was about 1986.

Mr. Jeff I. was the 1st head instructor at the Cicero location. I believe that soon after it opened Mr. Rob V. became the program director there. Mr. Jeff I. had been heading the Liverpool location for sometime by this point. Mr. Rick I. had been the program director and pretty much running everything else as well. Mr. Steve Lavallee was just kind of overseeing everything and also focusing more on the new location in Cicero. During this time the S.W.A.T. team program was beginning. I had been assisting in teaching for awhile and was one of the only brown belts doing so at the time. Soon after my friend Al began assisting too. John C. also started putting some time in assisting with classes. I loved teaching and found it was also increasing my skill. One Friday night Rick I. requested I go to the Cicero school for class. It was a very tough class almost like a test but I wasn’t up for testing and all tests at this time were scheduled so I had no Idea what was up. At the end of class Rob V. told me to come to the front row with the third degree brown belts. There they presented me with a Red Gi top the same the instructors used at that time. Mr. V. told me welcome to the S.W.A.T. team. I was the first S.W.A.T. team member. Soon after, I was joined by Al and John. Many others would join after that. Eventually it became a requirement for Black Belt to on the S.W.A.T. Team. Third Degree brown belts going for Black Belt were required to help with at least three classes a week.

Now my training was beginning to be geared towards Black Belt. By this time weapons Kata’s had all been moved up to black belt level. I was a little disappointed in this since I had looked forward to learning the Kenpo Bo form. I did learn all of the Old Logar before it was pared down to its current form. Of course Rick I. doesn’t teach it at all now. I also learned all of Sil Lum 6 before it was deleted. That was a great help since I never forgot it. I ended up needing it for my 2nd degree Black Belt with Rick I. That was one less Kata I had to learn for that promotion. Also having started when I did I was able to pick up many self defense techniques most others after me have never had a chance to learn. Also being on the S.W.A.T. team in the early years included special classes where more of the old Kenpo moves were taught by Mr. Lavallee.
My Black Belt training was on the cusp of the old way and the new way. Prior Black belt tests had at the most 2 or three people testing at a time. Of course prior to that, it was usually only one person at a time. The only test I remember being just one person was Mr. Rob V. Mr. V’s Black Belt test was the last of the old school tests with just one person testing and the testing was totally brutal. Not that tests now or after that was easy, the old school way was just totally brutal. If people now were to watch the old school black belt test they would run out the door saying, not me, not me. After that black belt tests started having more people, reflecting the increase in student numbers that had been taking place over the years. At first it was two and three people. If I am not mistaken Mrs. K.C. may have had only two other people testing with her. She was the first female in the school to be promoted to black belt too.
The black belt tests kept growing in the number of people and number of tests. By the time I actually tested we had twelve people testing. Mrs. K.C. Lavallee tested for her 2nd degree on my test along with Mr. Jeff I for his 3rd degree. Now let me see if I can remember all the others. The Neiss brothers tested for their 2nd degrees on this test too. The first degrees were: Karen W., John S., John and Paul W., Tony D., Mark E. (who still teaches and works for Lavallee’s now), Dennis R., and me. On December 3rd, 1988 we were all promoted. At that time this was the largest number of people who had ever tested at once. It was the second test held in a local school gym outside the studio. These were the beginning of what Lavallee’s schools now call “Black Belt Spectaculars”.

Now for the people who helped get me to black belt. Early on Mr. Rob V. instilled his dynamic Kata performances into how I performed my katas. Mr. Rick I. was always there giving the best coaching tips of anyone. In fact he still does that for me. Mr. Jeff I. taught me how to have spirit and detail in my Martial Arts. Of course Mr. Steve Lavallee was there too. His positive outlook always pushed us.

After Black Belt I continued to teach and work on the S.W.A.T. team. About a week after my Black Belt test I started working at a new job that was on the night shift. This gave me an opportunity to work more with teaching. I poured all my spare time into teaching and working out. Soon Mr. Lavallee took me into the office and said he wanted to make me an instructor. He said he would pay off the remaining balance on my contract and if I did well they would hire me as an employee. This became my opportunity to be in the inner workings of what was now a large organization, a business. The old dingy school was gone and a new fancy school was opened downstairs were the restaurant had been located. At the time, I believe, this was largest school in the area in both number of students and square footage.

I also began to go to the instructors classes during the day on Fridays. These were mostly led by either Rick I. or Mr. Lavallee. This training really improved my skill and brought me to another level. I had a chance to learn new techniques and obtain the best coaching tips from all the top black belts at the school during that time. There was a problem though. I was burning the candle at both ends. I would work my night job which was 10:00 P. M. to 6:30 A.M. I would get home by about 7:30 A.M. and be in bed by 8:00 A.M. I would be up by 2:00 P.M. to be at the instructors meeting. Also my week end for the night job was Friday morning so to attend the instructors’ class I would end up staying up for more than 24 hours. I would attend the instructors’ class then do some training on my own until the Instructors’ meeting at 3:00. I would then teach until the last class that night. Testing for queue ranks was done on Friday nights and those nights we would usually not be done sometimes until 10:00 or so. I also was on the Demo team at that time. There were a couple of Demo’s prior to tests that didn’t go well for me, guess I was not up to performing well at times when I had been up for almost thirty hours. That being said, I learned more during this time than I learned in almost all my prior years of training.

Soon this schedule took its toll on me and my training and skill began to suffer. I lost too much weight and lost energy too. Mr. Rick I. and I came to an agreement and my official instructor days were over except to fill in for other instructors for vacations etc. About this time I met my wife. Of course this changed everything.

I was still working nights but had backed off teaching quite a bit. I wanted to focus on my training as it was time to be looking at second degree Black Belt. This was about 1990. The issue was the requirement to do S.W.A.T. 3 times a week. I was then also planning a wedding and moving in with my wife to be. I simply did not have time to train and S.W.A.T. This was the one thing that had held back my friend Al from Black Belt. He had a family and with two young children at home it was simply too much time to do the required S.W.A.T. work and train. I was sometimes critical of him for this but now I understood. This all has nothing to do with being positive or negative. It is what it is there is only so much time. Adults with families and work are beyond challenged with a requirement to help three hours a week and put in time to train.
About this time Rick I. was also planning his wedding. Rick married Julie in August of 1990. I am not sure of the details but I do believe Rick I’s. and Mr. Steve Lavallee’s relationship began to be strained at this time. I am not about to go into that I just mention it since it created some the circumstances that lead to my future training in Karate. I was beginning to get ready for my second degree Black Belt as I mentioned before but I was becoming discouraged since I was being requested to put in more S.W.A.T. time. Mr. Steve G. was the program director and spent much time calling me when I missed class and S.W.A.T. Just prior to this Rick I. left and started a fitness Gym. I joined his gym and went there every day to work out. I honed my skills and saw great improvement. I was training hard for my second degree test. I would go to Rick’s gym in the morning after work and then class at night. The only thing holding me back was my S.W.A.T. time. Also by this time I was married and spending two to three hours in the morning training and then spending an hour away at night was not going over well with my new wife. So we can see were the demand for S.W.A.T. was not going to fit in.

In the beginning Rick had promised not to teach Karate at his new Gym. I have no idea what his real agreement was with Mr. Lavallee I just knew he wasn’t teaching martial arts at this point. However, every day there were people asking Rick to start teaching martial arts. Soon he couldn’t ignore the business opportunity he had. Rick had been instrumental to the business success of Mr. Lavallee’s schools. None of the success enjoyed by the Lavallee’s organization would have been realized without Rick. At this time Mr. Jeff I was still working for Mr. Steve Lavallee. I have no first hand knowledge of this but apparently Mr. Lavallee asked Mr. Jeff I. to choose his loyalty: his brother or the Lavallee organization. Jeff immediately began working for his brother. Jeff I. told me about this himself. Now I have never heard Mr. Lavallee’s side to this. I would defiantly side with Mr. Jeff I on this, but that being said no matter how flat you make a pancake there is always two sides.

Now at this same time I was having my own conflicts with S.W.A.T. time etc. Mr. Lavallee had just reviewed my pretest performance with me. He had been very impressed with my performance and told me I just needed to work on my current material. Good news until Mr. Steve G. began to badger me about S.W.A.T. I finally just stopped going. I was still training on my own and my wife and I were now renting a house where I had room for a heavy bag and room to train. In fact Al would come and train with me too. We would spar etc. In this way I forgot nothing and in fact improved my skills. Still I realized I wanted more training. I went to Rick and began training with him. Mr. Jeff I. was running classes there at this time. This was good for me since while, I was instructing at the Cicero school Mr. Jeff I. had been my instructor and he knew what I was good at and what I needed to work on. Of course I needed to begin to fulfill my requirements for 2nd degree all over again which was fine. I was very happy to be training with Rick and Jeff I. They allowed me to just train and never asked me to provide free labor.

Unfortunately I was going to have to abandon my formal training for awhile. The plant I had been working at was closing. I finally was faced with my past lapse in not continuing school. Part of the severance package offered was schooling. I still had to work, and decided to go to school full time as well so I would be ready for new work when the plant did close. There was no way I could keep up with going to Karate classes work full time and go to school full time. I still worked out maybe one half hour a day when I could just to stay healthy. Also I was starting to notice something about my body. I was gaining weight which had never been a problem for me before.

I finished my degree in three years and the plant closed and I found new work with my new career. I was now about 20 lbs heavier than I had ever been before. I decided now was the time to go back to training. I needed to loose weight and I really missed training. Again I had to start all over again with my 2nd degree requirements on top of getting back into shape. Now the interesting thing was Mr. Rob D. was now the head instructor for Rick. Rob D. had been one of my students when I was teaching. He was now a 3rd degree black belt and he is very talented. It was great to see someone I had influenced become so good. Rob D. is about 15 years younger than I am and was about 12 years old when I received my Black Belt and had been instructing him. His parents had been dissatisfied with Lavallee’s for their own reasons and brought him to train at Rick’s school very early on. He quickly became Rick’s top student. Rob is still the head instructor with Iannuzzo’s Black Belt Academy, Rick’s current school.

I was on my road to 2nd degree. It was now 1998. It had been 10 years since I had received my Black Belt. Amazingly although I was rusty I had forgotten nothing. Rick was now teaching the old Bo Form which I had learned with Mr. Jeff I when I first came back to training at Rick’s prior to going back to school. They also required 40 Beats which I already knew and had not forgotten. Rick also brought back Silum 6. I also remembered this Kata. All the time I had been out of formal training I still practiced all my material. I did need to learn a new kata which was a two man bo form. Rick had also brought in some brand new lower belt Kata’s and I easily learned them. The new Kata’s were called universal Kata’s and were all Rick’s own creations. Eventually Rick would replace the old lower belt Kata’s with his new universal Kata’s. Universal 1-5 are now part of Rick’s system. I however, still know and practice the old Katas – Short 1, Long 1, Short 2, Long 2, Short 3, Book-set, Mass Attacks, Kenpo Two Man, Lo gar shin. One Kata that was added after I was promoted to black belt was Ki-Chung a Kata taken from Ernie Reyes’ system. Rick brought this Kata into his system as a Red Belt requirement. I knew this Kata being part the original class at Lavallee’s when Ernie Reyes Jr. introduced it to us.
I eventually took another job working nights doing data processing for my old employer who had closed the manufacturing plant but still had data processing located here in Syracuse. Working nights gave me the opportunity to train directly with Mr. Rick I. Rick was holding day classes early enough to where I could feasibly train. I had gone back to my roots training with Rick. I spent the next two years training with Rick and finally achieved my 2nd degree December 21st 2000. Unfortunately my employer was again dropping jobs. All the data processing jobs were sent to India. I quickly found new work except the hours were midday and kept me from attending day classes and the job also went into the evening hours preventing me from attending those classes. I was training on my own again.

I eventually drifted further away from my training and gained much weight over the next several years. I found a new career with my present employer. At first I was working 10 hour days which continued to keep me from training. I finally was able to be promoted at work and was again working normal Mon-Fri day hours. I thought about returning to training but it had been so long, seven years, I was reluctant to return in my fat and happy condition. Things health wise were getting bad for me too. I had high blood pressure, I was depressed overweight and had moved so far from my former fit self I just couldn’t believe it was me anymore.
I had traveled up to my parents camp for a vacation and thinking of taking this time to start getting back in shape by running and going through all my old Katas. To my surprise I remembered everything. I guess over the years of practicing and teaching these forms over and over they were ingrained in me forever. This is when I heard the news. A former Karate instructor had been killed in a trucking accident. I was shocked when the picture on the news cast was Mr. Jeff I.

I went home and attended the calling hours. Thousands of people were there. These people had all been touched by Jeff just as I had. I saw many of the “old crew” there. Scott “Ichi” O. was there, Mark E., Jeff B., (A black belt from another school who always trained with us and has his own school now), Keith C., a black belt and former instructor, and host of others all connected through the Martial Arts. No one could believe that this strong dynamic person was gone.
After this I really began to think about what the martial arts had meant to me. It had given me the discipline I needed to attend school and work full time. The martial arts had taught me never to give up and to persevere regardless of the obstacles life placed before me. I had gone through 3 layoffs but kept going, always finding work right away. The positive attitude instilled in me through the martial arts had given me the tools to succeed in life. Although I had wandered away at times I always eventually returned to my martial arts training. Karate became part of what I am, had I not ever developed an interest in it and never started training my life would not be the same.

After the passing of Jeff I. I realized I needed to return to training to save myself. I was now grossly over weight out of shape, and was beginning to a have health problems. I needed the martial arts discipline to get my body back into shape and to fill the void I had been missing since I had stopped training. I called Rick and told him I would be returning.
When I came to see him at the new School building another one of the “old crew” was there. Chuck B. Chuck B. was promoted to Black Belt on the test just after my promotion. We had trained together through the years Chuck being about my age. Chuck, Rick and I spent about an hour talking about Jeff and the old days it was a wonderful reunion and again the martial flame was burning within me. Chuck and I started training together learning all the new Katas and getting ourselves back in shape. It has been almost two years since I have gone back. Chuck has a few injuries but I am sure he will be back. In the mean time I have lost most of my extra weight and my conditioning is very good, considering I am now less than a year from 50.
I am on the road back and plan to start getting ready to train for my 3rd degree black belt. I am even going to a tournament. While I have a way to go to get back into prime shape I am certainly on the way. I have been running and even ran in a 5K race. Amazingly I still remembered all my Katas, although many of them are no longer taught at Rick’s school (Iannuzzo’s Black Belt Academy). Mr. Rob D. is now a 5th degree black belt and a great coach I am glad to be back with the best school in our area. Much is new but much is the same. Rick has managed to keep the old flame burning while keeping everything fresh and new. Since we all know if you don’t keep going forward you eventually start going backward. From now on I am going forward in the Martial Arts – Oss.