Success in
(article from 1998)
By Tammy Pilon
Only a year after opening his dojo, Ed Hohmann has already developed a class including 12 yellow belts and 11 white belts. There is a family-like bond between Ed and his students as well as between his students themselves.
In the dojo there are two father-son relationships, one mother daughter relationship, a brother-sister relationship and a pair of twins and their sister, all training together. When I was there, I even observed one mother who was sitting at the back of the class and during the break she helped her son with his kata, knowing the terminology and sequence as well as he did. Meanwhile the other students had gathered around their sensei on the floor as if he were a story teller about to spin a tale that they wouldn't want to miss.
Ed says he takes a keen interest in his students, he likes to find out what they like to do in their spare-time. He says it helps him understand their strengths and weaknesses in training. For instance the girl who is ninth in BC in figure skating already has a sense of balance and the kids who play hockey twice a week already get a good cardio workout.
"I expect my students to train hard. That is 'try hard' and train regularly and develop proper attitude. This is what I most respect in a karate student. Some white belts drop out. I've lost about six so far. But the ones who stay put in a lot of effort," he says.
"I think that my students expect from me an instructor that can motivate them and not waste their efforts. Analyze and guide them and bring out something in them that they never thought they had."
Another program offered at is the 'Karate Kids' classes for ages 8 to 13 that runs for two months at a time. Fred Masaro from North Vancouver instructs it giving the kids a enjoyable karate experience that they will always remember.
At this time, there are only three adults in the club. "I'd like to have it 50-50," he says. Ed is determined to increase the number of adults in his class. To acheive his goal, he has done some advertising and offered a few introductory programs. For example just before his Thursday Karate class, Ed will be starting an on-going women's self-defense classes for an hour a week. He hopes this will draw some of the women to join his regular class. The women will also be able to use the weight training room across the hall from the dojo.
is like a fitness centre within a school. The dojo, that over looks one of two gymnasiums where there is often a basketball game going on below, is one of two exercise rooms. There's also an indoor track, always active with joggers, that goes around the top floor of the gym. Unfortunately, being within a school has only brought two teen boys to his club but no teen girls. Members of the club say that they have a strong sense of spirit. At tournaments they cheer each other on and almost half of the club competes. They say sensei Ed encourages them with a Œyou're going!' type of attitude that makes them want to attend.
Ed says, "At first I had to push a few of them, but some of them actually enjoy it now. I think the most important thing about competing at this time is that they learn to support each other." As a club they've done well, bringing home medals from every tournament.
I can't help but think of Ed as a farmer setting up his first farm and turning out a first year crop. If he keeps tending to his fields this way the successful growth will continue for years to come.