*****
and how it affected my journey.
The lack of respect between different segments or styles in the Martial Arts and even among the many offshoots of Goju-Ryu, causes many students who get displaced, to have to quit karate. For if a student seeks a new place or dojo to practice at, and says he has a Belt in another style, this is often dangerous. This is the road I had to walk, and it is a problem that has faced many a practitioner once he moves from one place to another, or his instructor for any number of reasons cannot be there to teach him any longer.
The fact that Goju-Ryu practitioners lack trust among each other is not going to create harmony in our style and is weakening us. The foundation of Goju-Ryu came from Chojun Miyagi, one root. We are all one family, and the differences in the various dojos, of which there are many, does not change the fact that we all originated from the same place. This lack of respect for Masters and students of other dojos and their rank, has caused fighting among us. This problem made my life as a Goju-Ryu student very difficult. Our teachers should have taken more responsibility, for the lack of respect they allowed us to inherit. We are now neglecting to teaching student to respect the ranks of other dojo students of our own art. It is high time we all take responsibility for our actions. We should show greater intelligence and teach respect to our students, and try to join together for the future. The next generation of karatakas should not be held ransom for the failures of previous generation. If this continues we might as well pass the true history of Karate over to systems such as Taekwondo, and let them lead the way since they have taken to calling their art Karate, and this possesses some truth. The word's popularity however, came from our Masters.
Our teachers had the responsibility to show us the way, not to let us have to dig the path again. Respect for the achievements of other Master's students has fallen to the wayside. The path of disrespect for others is a disgrace, let us dig a better part and refuse to let our students learn bad ethics passed to us from some of out predecessors. Teaching respect for other ranks in our own systems as well as other Martial Art's systems such as Taekwondo, Cuong Nhu, and so on will pay off in more respect from our students and our achievements. So consider teaching your students to respect the achievements of students in other schools. There by learning to respect their own achievements. Make no mistake, I believe our position as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Degree Black Belts, will start to be respected by not only our students but other systems and the general public. We must stop this foolish misguided bad feelings among ourselves. Today I am a Master, but no student should have to fight the way I did to have my rank recognised.
We need to teach our students to respect the rank of a Black Belt no matter which system it was issued under. Then tell them that it is the holder of the ranks responsibility to make the people respect the man or woman 'the person behind the rank', however, they must respect the rank and this goes double for respect between black belts, Masters and Grandmasters, we must change this policy and soon. Because my teachers chose to wage war among themselves and not end the bad blood when the war ended we now are left to clean up the mess, so let us clean it up.
The path I walked was much too dangerous a path. No one would take the time to lend a hand. Karate instructors found more pleasure in inviting me into their dojos to see if they could knock off my head than help me to grow as a karataka. Why!, because I was a practitioner of a different style, and sometimes just a different branch of the same style. Your actions just to prove to yourselves that your skills are better than the ones I possessed. And all of this just because I was Trained in Traditional Goju-Ryu and not your variation of Goju-Ryu. You were not given a license to have your students and you try to take me or others like me out. If you take the time to read the brief account in Lost your way let us talk you will see what the lack of respect you had for me, how it nearly made me a student of another system for the rest of my life. These actions caused me to leave Goju-Ryu and study other systems for many year. Even though these tryles made me a more vicious killer, you as teachers are not right to treat other instructors students who come to your schools to train in this fashion. This must not be a pattern for the students of tomorrow.
I recall being invited by a USA Goju-Ryu Black Belt, to help him teach a beginner Goju-Ryu kids class at his school. I did not know he had a Black Belt in Judo. But when I turned up to help him and possibly study with him, I was surprised to find 12 Judo Black Belts there waiting to great me on my arrival. Thank God for my Cuong-Nhu training, I held my own against them all and was then invited to join their school permanently. I never returned for they had no respect except for what I left them with.
I finally ended up developing my own system, HaSo-Ryu so as to avoid getting ganged up on any longer by various Goju-Ryu renegades. At least this came to an end when I happened to meet Grandmaster Saavedra, who gave me a break and invited me to train with him, but not until after one of his 7th dan Black Belts tried to knock out one of my eyes. Today I have a 6th Dan issued by Grandmaster Saavedra and my own style of Goju-Ryu, under his Organization, named Double Dragon Goju-Ryu, basically a combination of all the styles I learned over the years using Sansei Goju-Ryu and Traditional Goju-Ryu as a foundation, so what! the foundation is Karate, Goju-Ryu Karate-do, and like all really great Masters we all try to make things better, we do not always succeed, however, we try! Several times I was injured trying just to find a decent place to train, and a good instructor to help me continue my training. Well I almost could not hide the broken leg (smile) but that was partly my fault, I was too fast and much too young at the time. Any way all I really wanted was to be a good Goju-Ryu practitioner.
Gogen Yamaguchi and his contribution to Goju-Ryu is immense, However he failed in one aspect, he left us at war with each other, not really because he failed, but because we all failed him. Those of us who are responsible for this war should of found a propper solution to their problem, so students like me would not have had to receive this legacy. This legacy that has affected my life for so many years. Take head my fellow Masters history is going to point it's finger at us all.
It has taken many years but I know now that I am not the only karate practitioner who was affected by the actions of some of the fathers of Karate, and I am working to put an end to it.
If you are Goju-Ryu or any part of Goju-Ryu, whatever your variation you are part of my family. Here at the Double Dragon Institute you will be treated with respect in accordance with your rank, accept this fact or not, it is true. Even though Sansei Goju-Ryu has still got problems with respect it will not happen here or my watch.
Our problems have arisen from a breakdown in respect, a clash in cultures, bringing around a lack of trust, and a destruction of harmony. Show respect maintain your own views with honestly conviction in what you say, and how you feel. This is good we can live as one. You do not have to agree with me, I cannot learn from you pretending to agree, so disagree but teach respect. Differences of opinions will let us learn from each other, and make a better future for us all but lack of respect will leave Karate to better people than us if we do not fix this problem and rise to this ocassion.
Several weeks ago I met a Shodan in a restaurant, we were introduced by her husband when he realized I was a 5th Dan Goju-Ryu practitioner at the time. She exhibited fare, looked at me with contempt, and was slightly disrespectful even though she knew I am a 5th degree Black Belt. I ignored her bad attitude and showed her the respect she had earned as a Shodan, a USA Goju-Ryu Shodan at that, all that was in my mind was how much damage we are still doing to our students, and our style, if our Shodans do not respect other Masters in our own style, yes take serious note! Sansei Goju-Ryu is under Grandmaster Manny Saavedra who was instructed in Goju-Ryu by Grandmaster Peter Urban the Founder of USA Goju-Ryu, I am a part of USA Goju-Ryu now, so I have to ask my self this question, is it only Grandmaster Manny Saavedra in USA Goju-Ryu that has not lost his mind? I wander how we can expect our students to become better than we are, if you my fellow Masters do not teach your students that they must show respect to other Masters, especially Masters in their own Systems. Are you afraid of losing your incomes so you do not teach the students to respect other schools. Know this my students are told to go to other schools and study with other teachers so they gain a broader base of experience. Most all my black belts have belts in other styles and I have never lose their respect nor for that matter their business. We cannot continue to teach our students to have bad manners because we are fighting among ourselves, we have to stop this. We must teach caution, however, for bad elements do exist this I understand, while teaching respect and honor for the efforts of other Karatakas who have risen to a high ranks in their particular styles, we must teach good manners so that our students will receive respect from others.
If we are allowing out 1st to our 3rd degree black belts to teach and they are teaching disrespect then we as Masters must step in and fix the problem. For this is the responsibility given to us by our forefathers. If we cannot do this we must take off our belts and accept the fact that we are no better that renegades and we should accept the fact that we are not Masters but lousy excuses for human beings. It is common knowledge to us and we know it does not all add up to throw a great flying wheel kick. It takes more to be a Master, we have to rise to the occasion and accept the responsibility, stop insulting the names of our forefathers by doing a bad job in these esteemed positions. Quit Karate forever and leave it to this generation's true Masters for they will in our place reestablish the Honbu Dojo and the self respect expected of karatemen and karatewomen.
I besceage you who are higher in rank to myself to lead so that I may be proud to follow, as is being done by at lease one who I have found, that is Grandmaster Saavedra, But I know there are more. I give you my word, my students will respect your schools, and the rank of your students as if they were my own. It will be up to your students to make my students respect the man or woman who wears the rank, and the same will hold true of my students, in order to maintain the respect of your students or you. In the end it will take more than just good kicking and pinching to keep mutual respect, but we must teach them to initially respect the rank so there is a starting point of respect to move from.
We all know that in the end it takes the spirit of the man or woman to maintain respect, you know what I mean.
Several months ago when I was a 4th Dan I ran into a 5th Dan not of Goju-Ryu, I greeted him and told him I was a 4th Dan and it was an honor to make the acquaintance of a 5th Dan who was a higher rank than myself. He accepted the compliment, however, behind my back he attacked me with the greatest disrespect. Plotted to try and minimize my efforts to establish another school, and extended his class schedule to make it difficult for me to use the dojo we shared. I finally had to have another talk with him so as to reinforce the fact that I was not his enemy. The rifts we have in the Martial arts are so deep that when I politely greeted him and told him I was now a 5th Dan he did not even congratulate me on this achievement. I know he is a good man for he is a very good friend of a mutual acquaintance, but why is he not the same man when dealing with another student of the martial arts. That is easy to answer, it is not his fault, it is the fault of the generation of masters that came before us. The poor attitude they possess towards one another, with the disease of fear and disrespect towards other systems. This is what they taught their students by fighting among themselves that plagues us today.
He possibly fared I could destroy his school by taking his students, or maybe find out something about him he did not want to reveal. This was not my concern, I was just pleased to have such a high ranked Master so close at hand. As an allie not a adversary. For are we not both students of Karate.
We do not have to be like him, and fear each other because of such a high level of distrust, we can be honorable. Stretch out a helping hand, but be cautious of the blade, until the time when there is no blade to be cautious of, But be the first to stretch out a helping hand, do not wait, let us start showing respect in our own organization.
What Organization well any line that comes from Okinawan, let our students know to show respect for the rank of other Karatakas no matter their system and in the end we will gain more respect for ourselves and a better future for Karate. With this start we will gain the respect of martial arts practitioners of other styles.
Best for the future my friends or my enemies, for one way or another we are one and the same, and we must be as one to succeed or we will become extinct.
Just look at all the symbols I had to trained under. All this running around, just trying to find my way back to
Goju-Ryu
below are just a few.
Kyokushin / Sensei at: YMCA
Traditional Goju-Ryu / Sensei Tony Chisolm
Jutoka / Sensei Michael Powell
HaSo-Ryu / Sensei Arthur DeBuc
Cuong-Nhu / Sensei Mike Arnspiger
USA Goju-Ryu / Sensei Russ Rogg
Shendo Goju-Ryu Shendo Goju-Ryu / Master Russ Rogg
Sansei Goju-Ryu / Grandmaster Manny Saavedra
Double Dragon Goju-Ryu / Renshi Arthur DeBuc
An Explanation to my esteemed other Masters
of what Shihan Arthur DeBuc, I am trying to do in
Double Dragon Goju-Ryu.
Thanks to Grandmaster Manny Saavedra and his inspiration, I have found the way to blended my several styles and my research into one systems. The surprising results of my research is that as I make the additions and adjustments, I find that many of my changes were spoken of in the time prior to Miyagi, by Masters before him and other masters of his generation. These techniques show up in various styles of Martial Arts as if they originally belonged there. Many of these movements and attitudes may have been lost or separated from the original art through time by students of Okinawan Masters. I trust my work will enhance the future of the Martial Arts without affecting the essence of Goju-Ryu. I believe that all karate is actually one system that has bees split apart by various masters to emphasize different aspects of the art. Karate is more than a movement it is the most efficient operating system of the human aspect of the universal.
I choose to as a Master of Karate, spend my life re-organizing to the best of my ability the art of Goju-Ryu to honor the work of Masters gone before me and ask for any help you as other masters may choose to give me in this honorable Quest for truth.
Shihan Arthur DeBuc.
e-mail renshiddi@aol.com
Thank you for your time'
Sincerely,
Hanshi Arthur A. DeBuc 9th Dan
