As a child growing up in Honolulu Hawaii, I remember hearing stories about “Kill Haole Day”, and how it got really bad an intermediate school, which was grade 7 through nine back then. I was a skinny boy with long blonde hair, Not the kind that could be mistaken for anything but a haole. I remember practicing fighting techniques in my bedroom on Sunday evenings while the rest of my family was watching Carol Burnett show. I became infatuated with fighting techniques, So I started looking through the Yellow Pages for a martial arts school where I could learn Real fighting techniques. The first one I found was a traditional Shotokan School which was close and classes were held in the YMCA. I did train there for a little while, maybe close to a year, but I never really felt like I was learning how to fight. I kept looking in the Yellow Pages, And I found a really cool ad, It was a drawing of someone doing a kick to someone’s face, it was called “Godins School Of Self Defense”. I got the address and I caught the bus there after school the next day. I remember having to transfer buses, and I got off the bus on the corner of Piikoi and Kapiolani. From there it was about a 10-minute walk to 404 Piikoi, up the stairs and into the 600 square foot room that changed my life forever.
The room itself was a very basic room, with dark tile floor two punching bags, hey makiwara in the corner, and a small office, and a small storage room with a tatame mat in it. The drinking fountain and the bathroom were down the hallway. The gym was one of about four little businesses on the second floor, including a small art supply store, and a water bed store (remember waterbeds?). I remember it being extremely hot, especially since week always wore our gi’s when we were training, but Chief, that’s what his Piikoi students called Walter Godin, most others called him Professor or Walter, he did not like us drinking water during practice, during breaks were allowed to go outside and swish and spit the water, he says that drinking water during training would take away from our conditioning, and give us a side pain. Sometimes I would get so thirsty during hard training, with no water allowed, by the time I got home I would down I half gallon of guava juice in one sitting. I would usually catch the bus right after school, and train for about three hours, then I would catch the bus home. I remember always caring my gi in a Pan Am bag. I would usually train Monday through Saturday.
I remember when I went into Godin’s office and gave him my $15 first month’s dues (it was my last as well), I felt though he was very intimidating and mean looking, I felt he was on my side, and that everything would be fine. I felt safe there. I instantly knew that I belonged there and it was exactly what I wanted and needed. I was with Walter Godin from that day circa mid-1970 until he died in 2001… and I am still loyal to him till this day.
