Kyokushin Karate Blog – In Search of Ultimate Truth

I began my journey in Kyokushin Karate in 1980. In this blog, I will share reflections on life, training, and my experiences in martial arts.

The photos below represent two points in that journey. The first photo shows me as a white belt with my first teacher, Sensei Jim Swanson. The second was taken forty-two years later, after training at the 2022 USA-IFK Summer Camp with IFK President Shihan David Pickthall as the guest instructor.

For more about my martial arts history, click here. See my Instagram and visit my YouTube channel.

Kyokushin karate class group photo at NTC Orlando in 1980 following a tournament. Front row left to right Sensei Jim Swanson, Dixie Bishop (1st Place Adult), Angel Swanson (1st Place Juniors), Jimmy Swanson, Sensei Mike Scott. Back row left to right- Bill Stewart, Debbie Scott, Leta Swanson
Group shot after class for the base newspaper. Dixie Bishop on the left and Angel Swanson on the right had won 1st place in Kumite in the Adult and Teen Divisions, respectively at a tournament the previous weekend. My teacher, Sensei Jim “Swanny” Swanson on the left and Sensei Mike Scott on the right in the front row. I’m standing behind Sensei Swanson. NTC Orlando, Florida-1980
2022 USA-IFK Kyokushin Summer Camp group photo with Shihan David Pickthall, Shihan Mike Monaco, Shihan Bill Schrader, Shihan Jerry Poe, Sensei Karl Biedlingmaier, Bill Stewart, and other USA-IFK members.
Group shot taken at the 2022 USA-IFK Kyokushin Summer Camp with IFK President, Shihan David Pickthall (7th dan) (center right) and Shihan Mike Monaco (8th dan) (center left). I’m standing 1st row on far left.