On November 14, 1982, Eizo Shimabukuru, the Master of Shobayashi Shorin-Ryu karate bestowed upon me the rank of Black Belt. I was living in New Jersey and traveled to Connecticut for the opportunity to train with this great teacher who was visiting from his homeland of Okinawa.

     I was 34 years old, the product of the feminism of the 1970's. During that decade, I graduated from the University of Michigan where I had majored in psychology and then accepted a position at the Institute for Social Research working for my alma mater. I volunteered on the Education Committee of the local Rape Crisis Center, and in that capacity spoke to a variety of groups about rape prevention. Included in the advice we dispensed were instructions that women should get self-defense or martial arts training. One evening it became clear that not a single one of us on that education committee -- including myself -- had taken our own advice.

     Soon, the whole committee was enrolled in a local karate class, and my future as a martial artist began taking shape. As typically happens, I did not remain long in that particular class. However, my appetite had been whetted, and I was still interested in pursuing martial arts training. I learned of a new women's karate class that was forming and went to an organizing meeting. I listened carefully to the head of the karate school and I liked what he had to say. He promised to treat the class seriously and to train the women the same as any other students. Since the class was small, he asked one thing of us, that we augment his efforts to attract new students, to replace any dropouts -- as he warned us that he could only afford to maintain the class if there were at least six women enrolled.

     The class began with about twelve students, two days a week. After about six months, there were only two women still in the class. The class ended, but my commitment to the head of the school and my teacher, Mr. Hu, was high as I joined the regular class. I began attending classes four days a week, then six days each week.

     Mr. Hu's abilities as an instructor were exceptional. He challenged us all. He was able to bring out the best in me, not only on a physical but also on a spiritual level. His lessons affected my body, my spirit, my soul, my life.

     The road from white belt to black belt typically takes five years. I took more detours than most students, and my journey continued for eight.

     Among other lessons, I learned that the better trained I am as a martial artist, the easier it is to avoid fights. Knowing I have the ability to fight back makes me feel less vulnerable, less frightened, less likely to react without thinking first. Knowing I have an obligation to avoid confrontation also makes me more able to talk my way out of uncomfortable situations. I've learned to "step aside" so an attack passes by me. I've learned to "redirect" an attack so the force changes direction and returns to the attacker. I've learned to "block" an attack so the force is stopped, blunted. I've learned to apply "locks" and "pressure" to stymie the force of an attacker. Although all of these are ways of describing physical solutions, they also describe ways of dealing with social confrontations. These are the real lessons of the martial arts.

     I too have become a Sensei, a teacher of karate. I believe most lessons became clear to me only once I was a teacher, when my perspective changed and I was challenged to try to enlighten my students as Mr. Hu had enlightened me.

     In my professional life, I've worked with computers and databases since 1973. Currently I work for the State of New Mexico as a database administrator. No matter how many experiences I have, I find I am still always afraid to begin something new, am always in awe of those who are truly skilled at what they do, and always strive to learn something new every day.

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