07/17/2026
Train Outside.
I've spent a good part of my budo life practising outdoors, under open sky, on uneven ground; there's a reason the old teachers never wanted us in a mirrored room. The body works harder because nothing is level and nothing is predictable; the lungs pull real air; the mind finally goes quiet. Research confirms what practitioners have known for centuries: moving outdoors lowers stress, sharpens focus, and lifts mood faster than the same effort indoors.
Zen isn't stillness; it's presence, and presence comes easier when the world is talking to you.
Take it outside. Move, breathe, notice.
05/24/2026
Gold medal kata performance in 1987!
I was so young then! :)
05/24/2026
Phew! Way back to 1986!
Great image of Malcolm Fisher and I after a provincial karate tournament. Malcolm is historically recognized as the very first non-Japanese (Canadian!) martial artist to successfully complete the elite Japan Karate Association (JKA) Instructor Training Program.
He achieved this milestone by graduating from the intense Tokyo-based course in May 1985, earning a B license and having his name inscribed on the official JKA Instructors board at the Hombu Dojo.
It was through Malcolm's endorsement that I was accepted to train under Senseis Tanaka and Yahara at the JKA Honbu Dojo, Tokyo, in 1991.
04/19/2026
People are always asking me how I got all the photos over the years. Well, I will tell you! It was not easy! And it was in the days before digital so all photos were by CLR camera, with so many rolls that needed developing. Luckily Tsuruoka Sensei let me keep my camera nearby at all times! 🤣
