The Video

 

The fact is I injured my shoulder a few years back. I could not practice Karate at all and was almost to the point of being an invalid. I have a nice scar on the front of my shoulder, and also two smaller scars on the back from a series of surgeries that happened due to my shoulder injury. The video that is out there of me doing the Naihanchi Kata was put up by a  real Karate Needer, that is a man who lacks any real Karate skill and needs more training or more heart. I decided after talking with some associates that I would take my down time and do some research, that proved to be very eye opening. In the video you will notice that I do not raise my head very often. This isn't because I was looking at the ground, it is because my shoulder was healing and to raise my head pulled on my tissue that was recently sewn up. Yes, it was a poor Kata, that is for sure. I taped it to send it to Malcolm Bates, a Karate guy in England to show him the difference in his version of Naihanchi and ours. I do not believe the video was ever released to anyone else, but I do believe Malcolm may have sent it to the Needer I mentioned earlier as he and Malcolm had grown fond of each other. Soon after I was able to start training again I crushed my hand at work in a lathe accident. Literally I had three fingers hanging only by the skin. So I was off for a total of about 2 years from training of any type altogether. I make no apologies for a video that should have been kept private and was obviously not intended for public view. That video, which I had a copy of, disappeared during my move so where it went I have no idea. If any of the Masters that I showed to be full of B.S. would so decide to want to test my Martial ability I urge them meet up with me.  I am more than willing to put my money where my mouth is.

 

The Paul Hart Project

 

Paul Hart was a name I came up with to protect my identity online. I used it to test the associations after I grew bored and saw a lot of crap out there. Paul Hart's history was made up so that it was unverifiable as much is these days among Karate Masters. Never was I tested or asked to show my ability in the Martial Arts to prove my rank. I was accepted and given rank in many organizations, among them I was made a member of the Shihankai, or Masters Association of one of the associations. This was for the I.S.K.K. a joke of an organization that has people chasing rank and titles. I actually met with a few of the guys from this group but to my amazement they did not want to do Karate at all. Over time the Paul Hart Project grew to encompass as much as I could get into it. There was only two groups that did not give me rank, and I am still involved with those groups today to some extent because they have shown they are about Real Karate.

 

I thought as time went on that I should end the screen name game, but it just kept getting better. There were guys who would email me with challenging notes and when I replied they quickly decided that it wasn't right to fight or could not accept "my challenge." My Challenge, when they were trying to tell me how they could easily defeat me. Funny thing is, at that time they may have been able to. I would have still stood up and fought, but I was injured and out of condition. They were to scared to do it then and now I honestly believe they will have no chance. The offer is still open however.

 

I learned my Martial Art from a member of the Sakugawa Family. My friend, Al Martin, who learned from his father and his fathers students, basically does about the same thing I do. Al's father learned as well from a Sakugawa. I have heard that my Kata, or Al's Kata are "bastardized" versions of the Sakugawa system. I wonder how many has ever seen any Kata from the system? How could they judge? I guess that would be like saying Shotokan Kata is a "Bastardization" of Itosu Kata. Doesn't matter, they are school yard Kata.

 

Forums

 

What reason do forums exist? I thought for the sharing of knowledge. There are some decent forums out there for sure. Unfortunately they get their little clicks and the tribal knowledge out grows the true martial way. The forums have taught me that 99 percent of the Karateka out there are followers. That Karate has become a replacement for religion in some peoples lives and a way to show off in others. To the forum Karateka I would say this

 

SHUT OFF YOUR COMPUTER, STOP TALKING BAD ABOUT PEOPLE YOU HAVE NEVER MET AND TRAIN LIKE THE OLD ONES DID!