Also, he didn’t want to give me anything he felt I didn’t
earn or deserve. He told me many times, “If I didn’t think
you were worthy or didn’t have the ability, I wouldn’t be
leaving you in charge.”
Now that he’s older and has fewer filters, I see that
same demanding person in class from time to time. He
will tell students, “You are punching like a bunch of old
ladies. If you aren’t going to do it right, then get out!”
I know some must think he’s just getting old and
crabby, but that’s actually the way he was with me and
[the way] I think Bruce was with him.
Dad told me a story of Bruce watching him in class
when he had just started. He was speaking to someone
else and said while pointing toward where my father was,
“That guy will never make it.” My father said that made
him want to work even harder. In retrospect, he wasn’t
actually sure that Bruce was talking about him, but it
served the purpose of lighting a fire under his ass and
making him work harder than ever.was young. But Bruce judged people on their actions and
by what was in their hearts. He depended on my father for
a lot of things such as running his club, paying the bills
and providing advice on many subjects. In a lot of ways,
Dad was a father or big-brother figure to Bruce. Bruce
didn’t have a car in the early days, so my father would
drive him on dates and pick him up like a parent would.
What was it like being taught by your father?
He has always been different with me than [with]
other students. He would never give me praise unless
I deserved it. I can remember crying after workouts
because he was so hard on me, not getting something to
the degree he expected. Much like the stories of Bruce
teaching him, my father demanded perfection. I would
get so frustrated that I couldn’t get the approval I was
working so hard for. He would tell me, “That’s good that
you are frustrated — that means you will get it if you
don’t give up! Keep trying.”
BRUCE WAS A TASKMASTER, AND HE DEMANDED
PERFECTION. MY FATHER TOLD ME OF TIMES HE
THOUGHT BRUCE WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM WHEN THEY
WORKED OUT. I KNOW THE FEELING, AS MY FATHER
DEMANDED PERFECTION OF ME.”
Taky Kimura and
Andrew Kimura46 BLACKBELTMAG.COM § AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019