Learning to Breakfall

Recently I spent some time this weekend with my Uncle Pat; we had a good old time and reminisced about when we were growing up.

When I was little, Pat spent a period of time living with us and studying karate with my father. Pat actually started karate a few years before me and was my senior for several years, we have always had a very close relationship, almost more brother like then uncle and nephew.  Pat took some breaks from karate along the way, due to family obligations and work obligations, but he always comes back around.

I have a lot of stories about Pat and I, but one of the earliest I remember was when we were younger and we were upstairs at our home and Pat asked me, if I knew how to break fall, I said yes, dad has showed me, Pat then shoved me down the stairs and as I rolled to the bottom and landed all sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs, I remember him saying, well you didn’t learn very well, come back up here, so you can try it again.

This is just one of the many things that Pat did to me over the years, I took many an ass whooping from him while we were growing up, and hated fighting him, but I was determined to give one back to him, and continued to come back time after time, I remember when we were both brown belts, that I finally stood my ground and gave him a beating as good as he gave me that day. He just looked at me and said I am proud of you, I have been kicking your ass for years, it is about time that you kicked mine.

Pat was the one that drilled me over and over on basics, he was the one that continued to be tough on me and never let me settle for less than my best, while my father was my teacher, Pat was also instrumental in helping shape me as a young man and in helping me develop who I have become today, for that I am eternally grateful.