11/16/2025
My best friend from middle school (also named Dave) trained with me at KNMA Burbank for years to red belt level. He lived about a mile from me so I'd often walk over to his house after school and we'd drive to karate together.
His mom Sita had a background in dance so was a very astute observer of our training, and made a comment that stuck with me through the decades:
It's common to see men who are physically strong.
Far less common to see ones who are strong and graceful.
She cited the actor Patrick Swayze as an example: the way he carries himself, his movements flow like water. It's common among men to who study dance, since that's one of the few activities that prioritize grace.
Athleticism asks how high can you jump, grace asks how quietly can you land.
The funny thing about grace, she further commented, is that it often comes with a cost of naturalism. That's most apparent when you watch dancers just walk. They can soar through the air, but for something as mundane as walking down the street, it just looks odd.
Her final comment was that Master Nagayama posses that rarest capability to have movements that are graceful yet remain grounded and natural. On the street, he walks like a normal person. But on the mat, he kicks and steps like water.
Those comments were the driving principle behind today's Sat Mobility for Health class - thanks for the lesson Sita!
To the rest of the dojo community, I hope the dojo serves as a conduit for connections that remain meaningful to you through the years like Dave and Sita's family were for me. One thing I've learned as an instructor is that while specifics fade from memory, the general principles remain
Have a great weekend!
