At that time I wanted to hear about some of the courageous exploits he must have had in his youth, and asked him if he might relate some of them to me. Recently there are reports that some karate students are getting into trouble with hoodlums and the police. What they did was to repeat every technique at least one thousand times. Sensei seemed particularly pleased with this movement. Once he expressed his concern and regret about the tendency among many students who take the black belt examination without fully mastering their techniques.
Students nowadays are anxious to learn new techniques without mastering the ones they just learned.
Sensei always emphasized the spiritual and mental discipline as well, and admonished us against crude behavior in speech and action. Sensei spoke often about the value of old Okinawan weapons. I learned only one Bo kata although there were many students who knew many. When I was finally ordered overseas, I went to say goodbye to Sensei. I truly felt as though I was saying goodbye to my own father.