KIAI Instructor Interview--Walt Bushey
This article the second in what I hope is going to be a long series of interviews with the various Instructors within KIAI
KIAI: How old
were you when you start training in the martial arts, and what made you start?
Walt:
I was 13 years old when I started. We moved from Scotland in 1977 and I was the
foreign kid. I did not liked getting picked on so I started Karate to be
able to stand up to the people who picked on me. (I never got to use it in high
school because by the time I had enough skill to actually fight; I knew everyone
and they had become friends).
KIAI: What
made you start practicing sword arts?
Walt:
I
met a man named Seno Kuniaki shihan who taught formal Japanese weaponry and it
fascinated me.
KIAI: Did you
ever have the chance of actually using your martial arts--especially your sword
art?
Walt:
Yes,
during my tour in the military, and while working at the nightclubs, "West
LA", Dallas Nights" and "New West" as security. The
sword arts have empty hand use and I used more of that than the Karate. The rule
at the clubs was "do not injure the patrons". Striking can cause
injury and lawsuits. Empty hand swordsmanship blends, controls and only if
needed, injures
KIAI: Are you
a full time instructor, if so, what are the benefits and challenges?
Walt: Benefits of full time instructing means everyone else gets to workout a lot and I get to teach a lot. The main thing is that I would be paying to do this anyway, or teaching for someone else's dojo. Doing this full time for myself means that everyday I get to do as a "JOB" what others get to do as a hobby.
KIAI: If you
had the chance to start all over again, would you choose to pursue the martial
arts?
Walt: Absolutely. It is in my blood and who I am.
KIAI: How many
times per week do you train?
Walt: I
am lucky if I get 8-10 hours a week to train myself. I try to do Monday,
Wednesday, Friday mornings at the dojo and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday on
running and fitness.
KIAI: What do
you think of under age (juvenile) black belts?
Walt: Black
Belt rank means wisdom, experience and maturity and children, no matter how
skilled, lack life experience, wisdom and maturity. Reality in budo sets in
when reality in life sets in. usually around a persons early twenties.
KIAI: What is your opinion of competitive (sport) martial arts?
Walt: They have their place as sports and activities. Sport budo's are only a small shadow of what budo is and only a fraction of what budo can offer a person. As long as that is kept in perspective, I have no problem with the competitive aspect.
KIAI: Do you think the general public is misled about the ability
and practicality of budo due to the media’s portrayal of martial arts and
martial arts entertainers?
Walt: Yes,
most people have horrible misconceptions of what real budo is and what budoka
are like. We don't back flip off buildings, we don't jump up and knock out three
attackers at once, bullets will kill us and we are not all taught by Buddhist
monks.
KIAI: Do you think events like the “UFC,” etc. hurt or help
martial arts?
Walt: Hurt
more than help. Again, it's a bad portrayal of budo. the UFC, NHB events etc.
are thrown by, and geared toward, one style of grappling-wrestling. These sport
oriented forms of budo do not have multiple attacker capability, weapons defense
capability etc. Things that disciplines like Karate, Aikijutsu etc.
regularly practice, Atemi to the throat, strikes to the eyes and things taught
for the reality of survival), are not allowed in their competitions. Yet due to
the high profile nature of these televised events, people think that they can
learn life enriching\life saving skills by studying these forms of sport budo.
KIAI:
Do you think the non-tangible benefits of budo like self-confidence,
self-reliance, self-respect, discipline, leadership, maturity, etc. are as
important to young budoka as the physical ability to defeat or control another
person in today’s sometimes deteriorating contemporary society?
Walt: Unfortunately, no. Most young budoka do not see the long-term benefits of budo training. But if they like the training, they might stay with it long enough to realize the long-term benefits.
KIAI: Where are martial arts, in general, heading?
Walt: I
see a trend returning to the traditional ways of budo. Sport aspects will always
be there, but people can stay excited over sports aspects only so long and then
they look for and want other, more life enriching reasons to train.
KIAI: What, in your opinion, is the greatest detriment to the
martial arts?
Walt: The
commercialism of budo is one of its greatest detriments. The pursuit of wealth
over the pursuit of betterment of the student has diminished the real power and
worth of budo training.
KIAI: In your
opinion, what is the ideal age to start martial arts training?
Walt: Whatever age a student shows genuine interest and is willing to commit to training.
KIAI: What is
your favorite part of training in Japanese swordsmanship?
Walt: Iai kata. The detail and history inherent to Iai kata fascinate me.
KIAI: What are
your opinions and thoughts regarding tameshigiri, and do you practice it?
Walt: Yes, tameshigiri puts the "real" into the kata and katachi.
KIAI: What do
you think of kendo’s “armored philosophy” versus chanbara’s “padded
way”?
Walt: Both have their benefits. Kendo bogu allows a harder traditional type of training while the Chanbara allows a softer\faster more reactive type of training.
KIAI: Do you
own an authentic Japanese made shinken, if so, how does it compare to the modern
shinken sold today?
Walt: Yes,
I own many antique katana. Some modern shinken though are of superb quality and
would rival the quality of many older swords.
KIAI: What do
you think of the many modern martial art systems that are trying to copy the
ancient ryuha?
Walt: I think the modern ryu emulating the ancient ryu are attempting to return to the values and ethics and skills of these warriors of old that seems lacking in modern budo.
KIAI: Do you
think it is necessary to have at least a basic understanding of the native
language and culture of the country of origin for the martial art(s) you train
in?
KIAI: Walt, thank you for taking the time to share some of your vast knowledge and experience, we wish you the best in your on-going Budo training.
(Please, visit the website of Bushey sensei at the Katsujin Ryu Budokai )