Dealing With Pain – A Martial Artist’s Frequent Companion – Part X

Tom Sadowski (right) punches Kenny Kuch (left)

     Tom Sadowski was one of my great, old black belt students. He started with me as a white belt in the late 60s, I think. He was tall, quick, handsome, charismatic, and a very experienced and successful street-fighter. When he reached brown belt, I took him to LA for Soke Kubota’s IKA All Star Karate Championships. In those days, Soke still used the old system – no belt divisions, only sparring and kata. Tom beat a number of black belts but lost in the final match to take 2^nd. (He would later win the event.) In 1975, Tom was selected to the U.S. team for Sensei Nishiyama’s ITKF World Karate Championships in Los Angeles.

Tom wasn’t able to compete because of an accident that occurred just before the event. While at a pool party, he climbed onto the top of the fence to dive into the water. As he jumped, the fence collapsed and he fell onto the deck, breaking his shoulder.

A few weeks later, a friend invited him to a party at a ranch outside of Watsonville, then a rural area about 40 miles south of San Jose. Later that night, while everyone was inside drinking and talking, someone asked Tom about karate. As Tom talked, a guy let out a big laugh. “Karate’s a bunch of bullshit,” he said.

“What do you know about karate?” Tom asked.

“I don’t know anything,” he said. “But I’ve seen all these big names you talk about, Nishiyama, Kubota, and the others, and they couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag.”

Tom told him he was full of it. The guy invited Tom outside to settle the matter. Tom said he couldn’t fight until his shoulder healed, but he’d be happy to meet him anytime, anyplace when it did.

“You karate assholes are all alike,” said the guy. “You always have some excuse why you can’t fight. All you do is yak, yak, yak.”

Tom had had a bit too much to drink and knew it. But, even with a broken shoulder and a good buzz on, this was a challenge he couldn’t let go unanswered.

As they went outside, the guy said “I’ve been looking for someone as stupid as you for a long time.”

Everyone followed them outside to watch. The guy looked around and said he didn’t want to fight in front of everyone as someone might call the cops when he kicked Tom’s ass. So, they got into the guy’s pickup and drove out into the orchard, where they squared off. The guy immediately kicked Tom all his might in his broken shoulder with his booted foot. Then, he worked him over, helped him back into his pickup, dropped him back off at the party, and left.

I don’t know if Tom ever found this guy when he was sober and healed up. I know he looked for him. In his search, he learned that the guy had lived for a long time in Thailand and was reportedly a world Thai kickboxing champion. To my knowledge, this was the only fight Tom ever lost – and it wouldn’t surprise me if he later evened the score.

Although it was surely unnecessary, as Tom was a very smart guy, I discussed with him the need to keep certain information confidential and maintain a level of sobriety when among strangers.

I had been taught from the very beginning to always keep injuries and illnesses to myself, as they gave enemies an opportunity. I’m always amazed at how often I see martial artists openly discussing their injuries, illnesses, and disabilities on Facebook and other public forums. I don’t think it’s a good idea to reveal any of this or act in a manner that would allow someone to tell that you were sick or injured, if you possibly can hide it. Perhaps, when you’re well, or healed up, you can reveal it, but not during. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, such as when you break a leg or limb or tear a hamstring. But I don’t think announcing it online is a good idea. If I were going to have surgery, I might only tell my most senior student, who had to cover for me at the dojo and I knew would keep it confidential.

I can’t remember a time when I missed teaching a class, unless I physically couldn’t (perhaps I had the stomach flu) or had something contagious. I was on the floor with broken bones, fevers, or whatever. If I was sick, I doctored myself up and taught. Samurai mothers told their children, “If you cry from a little scratch, what will you do when you have to commit seppuku?” Plus, maybe it’s just an ancient practice from the days of us dinosaurs, but men in general never talked about their illnesses when I was growing up. I shook my head when I read a recent comment by a middle level black belt, who headed his own organization, discussing on Facebook his current battle with diarrhea.

David Letterman once said what he liked best about dogs is their attitudes that “If they can do it, you can watch.” We seem in a “let it all hang out” era. I heard on the news yesterday that a couple had had sex earlier in the week while skydiving and had someone follow them down to videotape it. Perhaps I’ve lived too long. This is clearly not my era.

Thanks for reading my humble ramblings.