Please Click The Picture To Email Mr. David Duncan
In the middle of the 80’s, around 1984, I was talking with
a good friend, Dave Frost one day as we worked on a motorcycle.
Dave thought it would be a good idea if I joined
him and some others a few times a week to “work out,” America was still patching
itself together from the Vietnam War Era, and lots of people were looking for a
way to vent, stay healthy, and for some basic companionship, so “work out”
seemed a good thing to try.
Several months passed after our first talk, and we
had several more.
Dave was and is a great friend to have and we had
lots in common, so I finally gave it a try.
With Just some old gym clothes and sneakers (Chuck Taylor
all stars), I was ready to give it a whirl. Well, the work outs were very
brutal, long, and hardcore.
They were disciplined and run by a soon to be good
friend…..Sensei John Budger.
If we could do 2 he wanted 6 from us, and was always
willing to show us he could do 20.
As a few years passed you could see the recon
trained, master of fitness Marine in him, a very strong person, and yet a very
deep feeling man. He was Sensei, and always will be for me.
The
style practiced here was GOJU RYU…. a true love.
Classes were small, usually only 6 people at any given
time, and always the discipline of the Corp.
Sometimes a few people from Clarion College boxing
team would attend a few workouts, and we could learn some punch techniques from
them. And
run, we would usually run caring small weights assigned to us by the Sensei, who
would only give you what he knew you could handle.
Classic
DOJO time almost always began with a Kiba Dachi stance and a few hundred Seiken
Zuki punches, just to get the blood flowing.
Then
Kata drills, these were honed until we could do them blind folded and could
start and stop on the exact same floor tile. So now wearing a regular karate gi,
I became a student in GOJU RYU, via the “Four Winds Martial Arts”
Throughout my years at the Four Winds Marital Arts, Mr.
Duncan reached the rank of Sho Dan (1st Degree Black Belt) on …, and
on … was promoted to Ni Dan (2nd Degree Black Belt).
Years passed and I went a separate path for a few years,
and training still was on my own.
One day a friend told me he had been thinking about
taking Karate from a school in Du Bois. I agreed to attend a meeting with him
and the Sensei of the school.
I
was impressed with what I saw, and there was a guest Sensei there that first
meeting and I watched the way things went, and made up my mind to give it a go.
This showed to me, that the school wasn’t a know it
all school and was willing to learn from whomever was willing to show them,
which meant a lot to me.
I wasn’t looking for rank or title, just to learn
Karate.
I wanted to be a sponge and learn all I can and even if
that meant I was to stay at a white belt for the rest of my life.
The year was 2002 and from there I have been with the
Munoz Isshinryu Karate Academy since. My classmates are all great people, my
Sensei is the “best” and a very close friend. We all made great relationships
with Master Phillip Furgason from Huston, TX, and we have close ties with
another great Master, William “Bo” Washington from Carlisle, PA.
In time we have met most of the old time legends of
karate, and learned to understand some the legends way of thinking.
As I study karate today I am still discovering things
already taught by my first Sensei, not just karate things, but life itself. I
mostly feel blessed, as I have always been surrounded by talented, wonderful
people, whom have always given me more than I can ever pay back no matter what
the rank of the student was (Higher or lower than mine), and once again in Du
Bois at Munoz Isshinryu Karate Academy it is still happening.
I keep my word to Sensei about learning and he kept
his word about teaching.
I am always learning something new every day we
work out.
On October 14, 2006, I received my Sho Dan (1st
Degree Black Belt) in Isshinryu Karate Do.
I was also elevated to the rank of Ni Dan (2nd
Degree Black) on July 8, 2007 during the Sho Dan testing of one of our students.
