Out of the Blue

When you have spare time you do catch-ups or do the other things you wouldn't normally do. Out of the blue, I thought I would drop in and see an old student and very good friend of mine who I trained for 6 or more years in Karate and Phillipino Martial Arts. When I moved onto Budoshinkai Karate, I told him it was best he stays there and help out with the Chief Instructor (that was over 20 years ago).  Sami is now 61 and has quit teaching about a year ago only because he wasn’t getting the numbers to make it worth his while. 

Sami is a very unassuming person.  At the age of 61, with a height of only 5’8”, very little hair, a bit round in shape with a slight middle-eastern accent and friendly nature to go with, nobody would think he was a 7th degree Black Belt.  He took up Loss Prevention with one of the major retail outlets 10 years ago and has since counted his blessings on many occasions.

For many people fights may be only once in a blue moon. I listened to some of Sami’s stories whilst apprehending violent offenders in stores, which almost cost him his job; he just got his 4th and final warning from the do-gooders of HR (Human Resources).  I knew he would've got the better of them otherwise he wouldn't be standing in front of me.  What I was more interested were how he handled the situations.  I have every bit of confidence in him and know him well enough, his stories have not been blown out.  They are definitely true blue. 

Now and then I find out things like this from students especially from police officers whom I have trained in the past and their skills which got them out of real trouble.  Even one of my Black Belts. doing a lot of door work had a lot to tell.  He actually ending up doing personal security for Jean Claude Van Damme and Pierce Brosnan (James Bond character) when they came to Australia on more than one occasion.

Over the years I have always kept turning the wheels and sharpening the blades to ensure the students get the real deal.  My reward is the thanks I get from people whom I have helped over the years.
GA