by rmgadmin | Aug 15, 2025 | blog
1968: I purchased my first unbleached cotton off-white karate gi. It was typical for the uniforms to have ¾ length sleeves and ¾ length drawstring pants for the grand cost of $12. The sensei needed to see our wrists and forearms, ankles and feet. I never gave much...
by rmgadmin | Jun 24, 2025 | blog
A Japanese swordsmith will tell you that no two crafted blades are the same. Likewise, no two karate black belts ever turn out with identical skills. Look at your family, if you are a sibling, or have siblings of your own, are they identical? Parents can birth wildly...
by rmgadmin | Jun 17, 2024 | blog
I’ve witnessed a lot of changes since my formal introduction to Okinawan karate in 1968. 2024 marks my 56th year in the arts—53 as a professional teacher. Even more dramatic, have been the changes in the world since then. Life has become frenetic for most. The trend...
by rmgadmin | Dec 11, 2022 | blog
If you’ve watched the Seiuchin Kata Bunkai video, you’ve gotten the technical skinny for applying a double joint lock against several straightforward attacks. However, in the video, I only presented the form’s overt technicalities, not the covert ones. The...
by rmgadmin | Jan 21, 2022 | blog
What a mental roller coaster this last year and a half has been with Covid challenging our personal, social and economic terrain. I hope you are all doing well under these circumstances. I know some of you have not been able to train with me for a variety of reasons....
by rmgadmin | Jul 30, 2021 | blog
The Bank Street School, where I received my early training, was one of New Jersey’s pioneering dojos. Out of this school emerged William Scott Russell and the birth of his system, Isshin Kempo. Most people are not aware of how Russell came about his sokeship of Isshin...
