Autobiography Part 20: Second Attempt to Train Under Sensei Shimabukuro

Q: Good morning Sensei, can you tell us something about training in Okinawa?

A: Yes, in this 20th episode, I will continue with my second visit to Okinawa and the hard times I went through. Sensei put me in a hotel, and I started walking to the dojo every morning for the morning class. Sensei had specified the dojo's opening hours, so I went down, and he showed me the dojo room and told me to train on my own. I didn't realize I had to train myself while he was in his office doing office work.

So, I started doing my seisan and other kata that I knew. Sensei would come, look, and then go back to his office. There were no showers, so I just wiped myself down, went to his office, and sat down with him. He offered coffee, and we chatted.

Evening Classes and Challenges

The evening classes were held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Monday, I walked to his dojo, as I was saving money and didn't want to take the bus. I wanted to make sure I could pay for the hotel for the week. I was the first one to arrive at the dojo. I changed and waited. Soon, people started coming in, looking at me, the foreigner.

Sensei came down, and everyone bowed to him. The training started with everyone bowing and saying something. Today I know that it's Onegaishimasu, and then they start the shoulder rotation. At the time, I didn't know any Japanese and just followed blindly. I observed the students, even small children, punching and turning, doing kihon practice. I felt like a beginner and put on a white belt.

Grueling Kihon and Stamina

After about 12 to 15 minutes, the kihon was finished. I had a knee problem when I arrived.

Important: Always inform your Sensei of any pre-existing injuries or conditions.

I had told Sensei about my knee, but he ignored it and just told me to do it. I used to have problems climbing stairs or doing anything strenuous. I wondered if he was a heartless man who didn't care. Today, if any of my students tell me they have a knee or back problem, I tell them to stop. Because at that time he was right.

The kihon was over quickly, only about 12 to 15 minutes. Today we do kihon nearly for about half an hour! So, the count of one technique after another was so fast. I had no stamina, while the children were all fit.

Jogging and Graveyards

After kihon, everyone went outside. I wondered where they were going. It turns out they were going jogging! They already had their shoes on. About 25-30 people went jogging. I didn't have jogging shoes, so I thought I'd run barefoot.

Warning: Running barefoot on unfamiliar terrain can lead to injuries. Be cautious of broken glass and other hazards.

In Okinawa, when you run through the backstreets, you often find broken glass and other debris. So, everyone was jogging, and I was jogging too, despite my knee problem. I kept complaining to myself, but I had to be careful. The children and adults were very fast and had already gone far ahead. I didn't know the way, so I had to keep up so I didn't get lost.

We ran through mountains, hills, and forests, passing by graveyards. I'm scared of ghosts, and it was nighttime, so I had to run fast so the ghosts wouldn't catch me! There were stones and other things cutting my legs.

I was used to a European lifestyle where I wore shoes every day. My body had changed. If I was in Malaysia, I wouldn't have had that problem because I used to run barefoot there. After five or six years in Europe, my legs became soft. I became a different person, so I had problems.

Post-Run Training and Late-Night Talks

After the run, which included uphill and downhill sections, everyone started training. I came in last. Sensei told me to wash my legs and come in. We started with zenkutsu dachi again, and I stood there like an idiot, just following along. Then they did kata.

I couldn't do anything, as I didn't know anything. I couldn't even do the basics. I just tried to follow along. I didn't know the system. Finally, they did kumite. After that was junbi taiso, all the soft exercises, and hard exercises, like walking like a dog using legs and fingers.

The training was hard. When it was all over, the students left, and Sensei went upstairs. He came down with two cans of Coca-Cola, which were nice and cold. We sat near the doorstep, drinking and talking late into the night. Then I took the bus back.

Walking was painful, and it took so much stamina. I would get thirsty along the way. There were parks on the roadside with water taps, so I'd drink the water, go to my hotel room, wash myself, and sleep.

The next day, there was morning training, and in the evening, there was training at another dojo. On Tuesdays, training was at yet another dojo. So, I was training twice a day, morning and evening. In the morning, I would train on my own. Later, Sensei saw that I was training daily and started to correct me.

He wouldn't stay very long. He didn't wear his karate gi, he just corrected and left. During the daytime, after training, I would sit down with him and ask him questions. I wrote down notes. I asked, "Sensei, what do you call this? You say PT1, what is that?" He said, "Oh, that's Physical Training Number One." I asked why he called it PT1. He said it was because the Americans on the military base wouldn't understand the Japanese terms.

English and Japanese Terms

They were teaching at the American base, so they used English names. Sometimes it was a mix of English and Japanese, depending on who was there. I was learning, and I said I wanted all the Japanese names. He told me one by one, and I wrote them down, translating their meaning into English. For example, "Loosen up your shoulders" was a hip-turning exercise, and "Shomen tsuki" means punch in front.

I will tell you in the next episode how my one-week extension turned into more than a month on my first visit.

Q: What gave you the willpower not to give up?

A: The willpower was always with me because I wanted to train under Sensei Shimabukuro. I wanted to be called a Shorin-ryu student. That's why I didn't want to go to any other dojos. Other Shimabuku Sensei wanted to give me a 6th or 7th dan. No way! I wanted to start from scratch. I wanted to start with a white belt and then wear a black belt under Sensei Shimabukuro.

I have videos of me visiting various Okinawan Sensei, all the living Sensei. They gave me different offers, but I was getting a hard time, and I wanted that name. Shimabukuro was the name I was using, and I was already teaching in Germany. I didn't want to have another karate style. That was my willpower, to learn this system and show Sensei that I wasn't the same as all the other Malaysians. I wanted to be different. That was my ambition, and it kept me pushing. It changed me.

I can tell you about what happened with my apartment and hotel in the next episode.

Q: Okay, we're looking forward to it. Thank you.