Sensei Mike Forner, of the South Africa JKA Benoni dojo, said the biggest lesson karate has taught him is that there are no shortcuts in life.
“To grade to first dan, on average, takes four years of training. To grade from shodan to nidan takes another two years and so on.
“In other words, to get to the next level, it becomes progressively difficult and more advanced. It’s a lifetime experience and that’s why karate is a way of life. Do you want to grade to eighth dan in four years? Impossible. It can’t be done. There are no short-cuts,” he said.
The fourth dan is among a legion of instructors in the country who can boast about learning the basics of the craft from the father of South African karate, the late sensei Stan Schmidt.
“I trained under him on Sundays at the Wanderers Club. Those classes were intense. It was all the top guys in the country who trained in that class as well.”
A martial artist from a young age, Forner was a judoka from the age of 15 – obtaining a brown belt before the hard and more attractive style piqued his interest.
“I took part in karate in my second year of university, training at the honbu dojo in Johannesburg.”
In 1977, after obtaining all the junior belts, he accompanied his instructor to Japan to grade for third dan at the second IKAF Karate-Do World Championships.
“Japan had a profound effect on me. I trained in the foreigners’ class and gained valuable experience. We were instructed by top guys who were former world champions.”
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The father of three obtained his first black belt in 1978 and graded to second dan in late 1980, training in the early birds classes instructed by Schmidt.
It took him 32 years before grading to third dan after deciding to take some time away from the sport to look after his young family.
“I had a young family and a business. I had to create an income so that my children could have a good education.”
Forner said Schmidt played a vital role in his career and it was the sixth dan’s words that kept him encouraged even when a back injury from his work in engineering, threatened to end his career as a karateka.
“One of his sayings was, ‘train man, train’. In other words, never stop training even when faced with adversity.
“Through the hard times when I couldn’t train regularly, I still trained. Because of this lesson, I hate missing a class.”
After his back healed, he began mild training in 2009 and from there he never looked back.
“In 2010, I was training on my own and in 2011 I began training in Bedfordview under sensei Les Stevens. While there I graded to third dan in 2012 and fourth dan in 2017.”
In May 2019, he opened his dojo with only a handful of students. The Covid19 pandemic was a blessing in disguise for him as he retired and can now dedicate his time to teaching.
“I have got no regrets about sacrificing my karate career. I know what I know. I’m happy with where I am.
“Never give up and do what you love.”
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