“Phil Brain”
Phil guided me inside the UQ martial arts gym, which was very impressive. There was a large shower room and a changing room, and I changed into the Judo Gi I borrowed from the judo club. I brought my S.A.W black belt from Japan because I thought it was my soul, just like the samurai thought their swords were their souls.
The students from the judo club started to gather one after another. They were all big and powerful black belts.
Phil was saying something about me to the black belts.
After that, their eyes somehow became challenging.
Training started, and after some light warm-up, Randori (sparring) started suddenly.
He asked me to show them what S.A.W was, so I thought he wanted me to show them some techniques, but he started sparring right away.
But this is exactly what I had planned anyway, to show my abilities in sparring from the beginning.
I guess Phil also wanted to check out my actual abilities first.
From the first person, they attacked me roughly as if it were a competition.
On the second day after arriving in Australia, I sparred for over an hour with Australian black belts, who I had never faced before, changing opponents. Everyone was big and powerful, but I remember it was fun.
After the sparring, everyone who had looked so scary suddenly became kind and asked me to teach them my techniques how to beat big opponents with my small body.
I guess they recognised my ability.
After that, Phil gave me about an hour to demonstrate what S.A.W is and showed them some techniques.
Phil probably got me doing sparring first because he thought that was the best way to get people interested in me and S.A.W.
In fact, everyone was very interested in my techniques and S.A.W.
In my next post, I will write about how this training at UQ Judo Club on the second day after arriving in Australia became a big first step in establishing the S.A.W Australian branch soon after.
From that day on, I started attending training at the UQ Judo Club every day, and Phil and I became good friends, going out for beers with some of the judo students after each judo class, he sometimes took me for drives.
His son, Stewart Brain is an Australian champion and a strong judoka who has even competed in the Olympics. Stewart used to come to train at the UQ Judo Club and we used to train together too. Even now, when we meet at competition venues, we catch up on each other’s lives.
I hadn’t seen Phil for a while, but I heard he had recently passed away.
Thank you for everything Phil. Rest in peace.
