Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Loading
TP![]()
author
Thomas Pressimone
Tommy Pressimone, born in N.Y. in January 1957 was first introduced to karate around 1969 and was immediately hooked. However back then karate training in his area was scarce and he wasn't learnin...view moreTommy Pressimone, born in N.Y. in January 1957 was first introduced to karate around 1969 and was immediately hooked. However back then karate training in his area was scarce and he wasn't learning much. Getting hold of any reading material he could find and practicing wherever he could he continued on. However his training was sporadic and he was pretty much only learning to kick and punch. Then in1982 he found a traditional Shotokan dojo run by Miyazaki Toyotaro sensei and got serious. His life was changed. This is where he learned there was more to karate and where it originated and his journey began. He is thankful to his teacher and his dojo for it was there that the seed was planted that led to his growth and where he is today.
Over the years he kept trying to connect with where karate came from. This led to researching Okinawan karate and that continued throughout his years of training. These days his practice is much different from the Shotokan he learned. Different meaning it follows more of an Okinawan way. His research took him back to the karate that Funakoshi first brought to Japan from Okinawa and that is where he is now; a more traditional version of karate than the more modern Japanese version of Shotokan. More "Funakoshi karate." He still practices all the kata within Shotokan however the kata he practices are older versions that Funakoshi sensei taught before modern Shotokan was formed. His training is about Budo karate and has nothing to do with sport or competition. Preferring to keep his karate simple and natural he doesn't concern himself with common karate bragging rights such as tenure or rank believing these to be unimportant and misleading. Being a karateka or a "budoka" is about continued improvement and he believes that time or rank have no bearing on how much you know believing that after all these years he still has much to learn. His training has become simple and very personal as his journey continues. He maintains his personal dojo in his home which he refers to as Shizen or natural. This reflects his belief in keeping karate natural and simple and about the constant battle to improve ones self. He maintains that true karate, "dentou" karate is about self defense; defense of both the inner as well as the outer self. It's not about perfecting ones movements but rather perfecting ones attitude.view less