when i was 17, i moved with my mother from parsipanny, new jersey, to reseda california. our apartment's handyman was an eccentric but kindly and humble okinawan immigrant named miyagi.
i befriended an attractive high school cheerleader, at the same time angering her arrogant ex-boyfriend, johnny. johnny was the best student at the cobra kai dojo where he was taught an unethical, vicious form of martial arts. i knew a little karate from books and a few classes at the YMCA, but johnny easily defeated me in our first encounter. thereafter, johnny and his gang of Cobra Kai students tormented me at every opportunity.
when Mr. Miyagi saw the gang giving me a savage beating, he intervenesd and single-handedly defeated five attackers with ease. awed, i asked Mr. Miyagi to be my teacher. Mr. Miyagi refused, but agreed to go with me to the Cobra Kai dojo in order to resolve the conflict. we met with the
sensei, John Kreese , an ex special forces vietnam vet who sneered at the concepts of mercy and restraint. Kreese and Mr. Miyagi agreed to a match between Johnny and I in two months' time at the "All Valley Karate Tournament," where the Cobra Kai students can fight Daniel on equal terms. Mr. Miyagi also requested that the bullying stop while I trained. Kreese ordered his students to leave me alone, but warned that if I did not show up for the tournament, the harassment would resume and Miyagi himself would also become a target.
Mr. Miyagi became my teacher and, slowly, a surrogate father figure. He began my training by having me perform menial tasks such as waxing cars, sanding a wooden floor, and painting a fence and Mr. Miyagi's house. Each chore was accompanied with specific movements involving clockwise/counter-clockwise and up-and-down hand motions.I failed to see any connection to his training and these chores and eventually felt frustrated, believing I had learned nothing of karate. When I expressed my frustration, Mr. Miyagi showed how while doing these chores I had been learning defensive blocks through muscle memory.
As my training continued more overtly, my bond with Mr. Miyagi became closer. I learned that Mr. Miyagi lost his wife and son in childbirth at
Manzanar internment camp while he was serving overseas with the United States Army during
World War II. The loss of his family and Daniel's loss of his father further strengthen the father-son surrogacy. I also discovered that the outwardly peaceful and serene Miyagi received the
Medal of Honor for valor against
German forces in
Europe. Through Mr. Miyagi's teaching, i learned not only karate but also important life lessons such as the importance of personal balance, reflected in the belief that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body. I applied the life lessons that Mr. Miyagi had taught me to strengthen my relationship with Ali.
At the tournament, I surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals. Johnny advanced to the finals, scoring three unanswered points against a highly skilled opponent. Kreese instructed Bobby Brown, one of his more compassionate students and the least vicious of my tormentors, to disable me with an illegal attack to the knee. Bobby reluctantly did so, severely injuring me and getting disqualified in the process.I was taken to the locker room and checked out, with the physician determining that I could not continue, but I believed that if I did not continue, my tormentors will have gotten the best of me. I got Miyagi to use a pain suppression technique to allow me to finish the tournament. As Johnny was about to be declared the winner by default, I hobbled into the ring. The championship final was a seesaw battle, as neither Johnny nor I were able to break through the other's defenses.
I successfully used a scissor leg technique, tripping Johnny and delivering a blow to the back of the head, giving Johnny a nose bleed. The match was paused for Johnny to be looked at by Kreese. Kreese directed Johnny to sweep my injured leg, an unethical move. Johnny looked horrified at the order but reluctantly agreed after Kreese's intimidation. Despite the moves, I got up each time.
Eventually, Johnny and I are tied, with the next point deciding victory. I tried to kick Johnny with my injured leg but Johnny grabbed it and delivered illegal contact to my injured knee.Barely able to stand, I assumed the "Crane" stance, a technique I observed Mr. Miyagi performing on the beach during his training. After the referee signaled to begin, Johnny lunged in. I jumped in the air and delivered a front kick to Johnny's chin, winning the tournament.
Johnny, having gained newfound respect for me, took my trophy from the
Master of Ceremonies and presented it to me himself, sincerely proclaiming "You're all right! Good match!" Mr. Miyagi, Ali, and my mother looked on admiringly as I celebrated my victory.
