CT029 ISA Kobudo Seminar - Joseph Walker and Joey Johnston

On Saturday I made the drive to Ft. Wayne Indiana to take part in the International Shuri Ryu Association's annual Kobudo Seminar. The director of the ISA, 10th Dan, Hanshi Robert Bowles led the training, going over traditional kata, interpretation, and application for the bo, sai, and tonfa. It was a great seminar with a very good turn out and I would definitely recommend it to anyone when it rolls around next year.
One of the great things about events like this is getting the chance to catch up with karate-ka from around the country that you don't get to see that often.  After the seminar I was chatting with Josh Carter and Joey Johnston, who is the head of the Academy of Okinawan Karate's branch in Morton, IL, When we realized that  a few months back I ran into one of Joey's former students while in Wisconsin at Neil Stolsmark's school. This started us reminiscing about old times so I decided to flip on the recorder for a very impromptu interview.
A few minutes in, my first teacher, Joey's Step-Father,  and the owner of the Academy of Okinawan Karate,  Shihan Joseph Walker, walked by and joined in the discussion.  He told us about his very first judo class, traveling to Phoenix to train with Grandmaster Trias, and a few adventures he had in Japan.  
The discussion was cut short when Osensei Bowles realized we were the last people left in the training hall, and asked us to wrap it up! We are planning on having both Mr. Johnston and Shihan Walker in for a more formal interview in the near future.
To find out more about the International Shuri Ryu Organization and Osensei Robert Bowles, go to www.shuri-ryu.com  to find out more about the Robert Bowles Karate Academy go to www.bowleskarate.com or call (260) 456-7788
To find out more about Shihan Joseph Walker, Joey Johnston, and the Academy of Okinawan Karate go to www.peoriakarate.com, visit the school's page on facebook, or call 309-692-2499.