vmilewski

I had to look up a hashtag this morning while I reviewed my FB feed. #METTA. It means something like, wishing others well; goodwill; loving kindness. I am sure others have their own twist on what it means. It’s hard to go wrong with “goodwill toward” all living beings, even though that sounds like a Christmas card. Exercising compassion toward yourself and others is part of the Code of Bushido. It is part of living your practice. I’ve been trying to exercise it every time I hear, “I don’t...

I’ve been training in the martial arts continuously for 35 years, teaching for 30. Yet, those who have never stepped into a gi or on a dojo floor or practiced self-defense in its practical applications over decades seem to want to diminish, dismiss, or denigrate those who do have training. Why—hubris, ego, bullying? Who knows. What I do know is that it’s consistent, whether it’s me or a world champion who has nearly a foot on me and over a decade more teaching. Haters gonna hate. No getting...

We officially opened Midwest Shorin Ryu Health & Wellness Center on June 2nd, 2025, after the death of our Sensei, Dan Schroeder, Master Tadashi Yamashita’s top student. There was considerable questioning among Sensei Schroeder’s students as to what should happen next. I decided that I wanted to continue what Sensei Schroeder passed on to all of us. So, Vince and I, together with dojomates from the old school who liked my vision and were inclined to journey down the path we were beginning to...