At the age of 10 my Dad wanted me to be involved with some kind of sports or activity. My Dad signed me up for baseball and I was bored by it, but when Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon hit the theaters – well, I figured if a little Asian man could be that powerful, so could I! That’s how it started. My Dad and I searched for a Jeet Kune Do school, but in the 70’s only one existed, and it was all the way in San Diego (run and owned by Guro Dan Inosanto). I knew I didn’t want to learn just any martial art, I wanted to learn a mixed martial art like Jeet Kune Do. That’s when we found a Kenpo/Karate school on Fremont Blvd. in Fremont, CA. It was run by GGM Charles Gaylord (he was Sifu back then), Greg Lagera, and Bill Gifford. The building it was in was called “The Barn.”
Why HMA? Why not? No, seriously. Sifu James and I had been teaching on and off for eight years after Golden Dragon closed its doors, and we were taking a break when Sigung Shawn called up and asked for help to begin his school. I took some time to think his invitation over because teaching in a garage or a public park is very different than teaching in a dojo (I was very hard on those students – if they didn’t do their homework I would just throw them out!), but ultimately I chose to take on the challenge of instructing in a dojo again. Sigung Shawn is teaching me how to balance the formality of the dojo with the freedom of garage class. Occasionally that “rogue” side slips out in class because I really want our students to be the best they can be, both in and out of the kwoon, but I try to keep it under control. Teaching is in itself a constant learning experience, but hey! Here I am, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep learning.
What keeps me going? Why am I still training and teaching Kajukenbo after 36 years? One reason is that for me it’s truly a way of life. Kajukenbo is not seasonal, and it does not end when I walk out of the dojo – it’s a part of me, and in my blood. Many people think Kajukenbo is just a way of getting into shape, and that the art is only for the dojo. Until folks realize that Kaju has more to give than punches and kicks, they’re missing out on something special. The key is to let it in, let the art be a part of who you are as a person. The lessons Kajukenbo teaches – hard work, respect, discipline, honor, integrity and responsibility – are the values by which I try to live my life.
The other reason I’ve stayed with Kajukenbo is the students. As a black belt it is my responsibility to “pass it forward” by teaching a new generation of Kaju-Kines so the art is not lost. I love our students, to me they are my second Ohana and I’m privileged to teach them for as long as they want to learn. As instructors do not get paid for teaching; we do it because we enjoy it. Our hope is that the students enjoy it also, and give back to us by training hard, not only in the dojo but at home too. I have no children so this knowledge is, in a way, my family heirloom. When I go, the people I have taught will have a little bit of me with them, and that’s a comforting thought.
With Love and respect,
Sifu Bob
