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Why I Teach Judo
I'm often asked why I teach. I don't make money, though I spend a lot of time. I generally proffer the typical reply about fostering kids’ development and self-confidence. Something leads us into becoming teachers. Judo saving my life five times did it for me. I spent 31 years as a Dallas Police Officer, enjoying a job that I would have paid to do. I gain weight if inactive, plus I have a mouth. No one has to guess what I’m thinking! I needed a sport. I loved wrestling in college but that’s not useful to a street cop. My six month search ended at Vincent Tamura’s Judo Institute. Tamura Sensei patiently tolerated my sloppy student attitude. We began on the wrong foot when told him that I was a Police Officer wanting to learn a sport and self-defense. To me that meant judo. To him, jujitsu. After six months of lessons I couldn't seem to pick a fight on the street! I even tried provoking fights, to no avail. One violent ex-con wouldn't fight because "It just doesn't seem to be the thing to do." For a year I continued studying judo and jujitsu and patrolling Dallas streets, keeping my weight and profile low. My partner approached and said, "Now that's downright silly!" I explained that the man had tried to shoot me. "Not that,” he continued. “You’re hitting him with a semi-automatic shotgun with the barrel in your hands. Look where the gun’s pointed when it connects with his head!" Two years later I responded to a call about a gang fight in a Pleasant Grove park. I parked and walked toward the fighting. About ten other officers arrived from another direction, and kids scattered. One ran directly at me, so I stepped aside, my right hand catching his right wrist. Then I noticed the knife. Hari-gatame took care of that, followed by waki-gatame to put him face down while I looked for anyone coming to help him. Vince Tamura's jujitsu saved me again. A couple years later while patrolling Northwest Dallas at 2:30 a.m. I stopped a speeding vehicle. As I approached, the driver exited and walked toward me. I ordered him back into his car. He smiled and walked faster, suddenly kicking at my face. He kicked off my hat! I leaned and threw up my hands, grabbing his leg as he lowered it. He pulled his foot back and I went with it, ducking and turning my head to the side to avoid his punch. I wrapped my right arm around his neck as my left hand grasped his right elbow. Stepping past, I threw him with osoto-gari. I might have caught both legs, because he fell like a log. Executing the maneuver, I thought, "That's concrete, not a mat." I tried supporting his head with my left hand, succeeding only in getting my fingers smashed between his head and the pavement. His head required 27 stitches. He told me he’d always wondered if he could whip a cop. He was 18 and had just received his taekwondo black belt. (Ed Carol holds yodan judo rank and sandan jujitsu rank. He teaches judo and jujitsu at his Ichi Ni San Judo and Jujitsu Club in Ennis, Texas. Thanks to his training, his USJA, USJF, USJI, and USJJF life memberships have not expired. Carol Sensei also is an American Kennel Club Judge for Companion Dog Certification, though not licensed to promote canines to Showdog rank.)
2007-05-02
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