OLD SCHOOL

TRAINING IN A REAL MARTIAL ART REQUIRES AND BUILDS PERSEVERANCE AND FIGHTING SPIRIT. YOU ENJOY THE BENEFITS NOT ONLY ON THE MAT BUT ALSO IN DAILY LIFE WHICH 1S WHY THE ARTS REMAIN SO POPULAR CENTURIES OR EVEN MILLENNIA AFTER THEY WERE DEVELOPED FOR COMBAT. KNOW THIS BECAUSE I'VE SPENT THE PAST 60 VEARS FOLLOWING THE MARTIAL PATH.

- MICHAEL FINN

I began my journey in 1955 with the London Judo Society, then delved into aikido, kendo and karate. I joined the British police and subsequently served as a troubleshooter in a bad part of London, which resulted in my rolling in more gutters than most people. It was a learning curve that separated dojo training from the real thing In 1967 my victory at the National Police Judo Championship inspired me to visit Japan to further my training. Being short on cash, I was forced to go there via a six-week crossing of Siberia during the Cold War. That was just the beginning of the adventure.

It continued because this period in history marked the tail end of an era that was quite unlike what we see in martial arts today. For that reason, it's worth looking back to gain valuable insight into where we came from.

In the 1960s in Japan, spending time in a dojo destroyed one's ego rather than encouraging it. This was intentional. The purpose was to foster learning through humility

Part of that process was to require complete devotion from all students. During one aikido practice session I participated in at Waseda University in Tokyo, I recall the instructor turning to his sempai and saying, "I don't think that student is sincere. Train with him and break his arm and let's see." Not long afterward, I heard what sounded like a tree branch breaking. For the next several months, the student attended class but could only watch because his arm was in plaster.

When the cast came off and he could train again, he was accepted into the dojo.