Lessons For A Lifetime

Tom Curtis • Feb 16, 2022

AMA - Here Tom reflects on some lessons he obtained whilst experiencing a number of first encounters, early on in his martial arts career.

Wham. Bright lights exploded inside my skull. Without warning, a wicked mawashi geri smashed the side of my head with all the force of a sledgehammer. Either I needed glasses or that was super fast because I never saw it coming. Minutes earlier we were advised this is just a friendly warm-up session, soft sparring with the Japan National Karate Team. It was March 1973, and we were preparing for the APUKO Championships in a hot and steamy Singapore. At the time the Japanese were legends with a reputation as the best of the best and invincible. Our instructions were to go slow, keep it gentle, easy and above all, don’t get injured. Pairing off with a Japanese team member, things began smoothly enough. We practised calm, controlled kumite until a more enthusiastic senior interrupted our friendly duel. Casually dismissing my partner, he shaped up. I will never forget that penetrating stare burning through me. Almost drooling, he pointed at my chest badge and grunted. That’s when things got real, very real.


It was clear the rules did not apply to him as he unleashed a withering avalanche of techniques with unerring precision. Smooth, fast, and powerful he was systematically working me over; smash, bang, boom. There was no mistaking, this was a man who enjoyed his work. All the time our Australian coach prowled the sideline, hounding me not to retaliate, don’t get injured. Swallowing my pride I struggled to stay calm, blocking as many missiles as I could manage. I was rattled and my mind was in overdrive, thinking, why me, who is this guy! Stay relaxed, keep moving I was thinking. What have I done to offend him? Ouch, that one hurt. How much longer before we stop? Why is he doing this? Oops, I didn’t see that one. The assault escalated into a merciless demolition job as more heavy blows hit their mark. Absorbing the physical punishment was no problem; pain is our constant companion in karate-do. By contrast, my ego was hurting badly and not being allowed to fight back, was humiliating....

To read the rest of this article from Tom Curtis - Download our Latest Magazine (Issue #2) available for free by subscribing here!

You might also like

Interactive Martial Arts Magazine

By David Crook 16 Feb, 2022
AMA - David is prolific writer amongst many things and I have read a lot of his articles over the years, so we thought we should check the archives. As a guy who loves to share his art and pulls no punches, we thought this article would have broad appeal for those who enjoy the reality of self defence. Although this article was written a long time ago and has been edited its relevance is timeless..
By Glenn Coxon 16 Feb, 2022
AMA - "We will meet a lot of people during our lives and many will influence us in a positive way and some of them in the most profound way, if we are fortunate. I want to share a story with you about my good friend Glenn Coxon, as there are many lessons we can take from his journey. One of those is over coming stage 4 cancer." See below to read Glenn's story..
By IMA 25 Oct, 2021
Anthony Perosh is fast making a name for himself in the mixed martial arts circles winning several recent competitions adding to a long line of other achievements.
More Posts

Book a Service Today

Share by: