SANBON

An interview with Chad Eagan a competitor from California who is making the transition to instructor and entrepreneur.

Q: Chad you are a long time competitor and have an interesting background in that as a kata competitor you are probably one of the few to compete using both Unsu and Suparenpi? Tell us about your training and influences.

A:Yes, I am very lucky to have had a great training. Our style (Shindo Jinen Ryu) has elements of Shoto Kan, Goju Ryu, and Shito Ryu. My Sensei Yamazaki Sensei always emphasized the importance of kihon. It didn’t matter what kata I did, he made sure my kihon for that kata was correct.

Q: You along with Patrick Martin and Makato Braxton had a good kata team. Were you able to get the international exposure that you deserved and do you still get together?

A: We were very fortunate to be able to compete in the 2000 world championships in Germany. It was an incredible experience not only to compete at that level but als to train and travel with the U.S. Team. We would have liked to get more international exposure but unfortunately we were not given the opportunity, Patrick, Makoto, and I still get together to train, we recently got together to perform a demonstration for our JKR International Tournament.

Q: You are in a transition stage of your career now operating your own dojo. Can you tell us about your school, students and classes?

A: Yes, I am the Co-Owner of the Nihon Karate Dojo (NKD for Short) in Buena Park, CA, With Bruce Nguyen. I have to say I am very lucky to have a great partner, students and parents. I expect a lot from my students and it takes a lot of commitment from both the parents and students. We try to focus equally among Kihon, Kata, Kumite and Kobudo at our Dojo, for this reason we usually devote each day of the week to a specific area of karate so that there is a balance and our students excel in all the areas of karate-do. But we always do kihon everyday! I Love Kihon.

Q: In addition to teaching you have become an entrepreneur. We understand that the Sanbon company is taking off nicely. You had a distinct vision for Sanbon Apparel can you tell our readers about Sanbon?

A: My vision for Sanbon Pro Apparel is quite simple. I wanted to create a clothing line for our sport. For me, Sanbon was a way to express my passion, my teachings, and my learning’s in Karate-Do in everyday aspects of my life. With the designs and normal street-wear we provide, Karateka are given a sort of reminder of what they stand for. Basically, Sanbon Pro Apparel is a fashionable way to take the teachings and passions for Karate-Do and all martial arts in and outside of the dojo.

Q: These days you seem to be focusing less on competition and more on teaching and training. How do focus your energies these days?

A: I have been competing for over 20 years now and at this point I haven’t given up competing but developed a love and passion for teaching. I feel an obligation to share all that I have learned and experienced with the next generation. My personal training these days are focused less on how to win tournaments but more on teaching the values and techniques of Karate-do more efficiently to my students.

Suparimpei - Chad Eagan 2001

Q: Give us an idea of how your training schedule for competitions is different from regular training.

A: Well, for competition we focus more on quality rather than quantity. We will break one kata down into 3 section; Beginning, Middle, and End, and perform that kata over and over again. We also focus on just a few kumite technique, for example Gyaku-zuki reverse punch. We will spend one hour on how and when to use gyaku-zuki. We also stress endurance with a lot of ply metrics. We also have a team doctor that talks with all our kids about nutrition.

Q: You mentioned organizing a Gashuku circuit to help get out and share knowledge. You mentioned yourself, Akira Fukuda and others are working on this project. We here at American Samurai think this is a great idea – How can we help tell us about the idea and who is involved?

A: Yes, we are in the process of starting a Gassiku circuit. Growing up my Sensei organized many Gassiku and brought in many great instructor for us to train with. Many of my favorite memories came from these training camps. I along with my partner at the Dojo Bruce Nguyen, Akira Fakuda, and Robert MeDonough are in the process of organizing a few Gassiku locally there in Southern California. To see how it goes, we would be honored if American Samurai Would.

Q: Tell us about your style - it encompasses so much. We have made photos with sensei Yamazaki and other JKR members and it was an extensive project to record. Please explain about the system.

A: Japan Karate-Do Ryobu Kai practices a style called Shindo Jinen Ryu founded by Yasuhiro Konishi. Konishi Sensei trained with Funakoshi, Mabuni, Motobu, and Miyaki Sensei, therefore we have many influences that make up our style “took up from”

Q: You have a good relationship with your sensei. How do you see karate moving forward to the future and your role as an instructor and traditions?

A: Yes, I would say I have a great relationship with Yamazaki Sensei, with the new rules being more spectator friendly and the quality of competitor these days I see Karate-Do becoming much more excepted by more people worldwide. As in an instructor I hope to have students go on to represent the U.S. in International competition or hopefully the Olympics one day. But more importantly. I hope to teach that Karate-Do is more than just a punch and a kick, but rather a way of life and the values of Karate-Do can be applied to every parts of their lives.

Q: How do you feel about sport karate today?

A: I think it is exciting and the skill level of the competition today is just amazing. I’m not against sport Karate as long as there is a balance among traditional Karate training and sports karate training.

Q: Does your efforts with Sanbon bring karate-do more into the mainstream, it would appear that you are making strides to change the image or incorporate karate-do as a life style which in a new sense may be actually be redundant?

A: We are not trying to change Karate-Do reinvent the wheel. For most part Sanbon is created to represent the passion and teaching of Karate-Do. The Natural progression of Karate-Do into the mass appeal is due to a growing effort of all Karatekas. We are just fortunate to be along for the ride.

Q: What would you like to share with our readers about training and do you have any advice for upcoming karateka and competitors.

A: Yes, to persevere! The greatest thing I have learned from Karate is to always persevere and to completely eliminate the words give up from our mind!

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

A: I would like to thank all those who have supported me and Sanbon over the years.