Sensei Beverley Cook Yondan (4th Dan) JKA is Australia’s longest participating and highest graded female JKA Karateka. A long time national team member and several times national champion, she belongs to a generation of players who set the strong foundations for the Japan Karate Association in this country.

Bev & former JKA World Kata Champ Yuki Mimura

Bev is a natural athlete. At high school she was 400m, 800m and cross country champion which she achieved without any kind of training. Those records stood for many years. In Karate she established a distinctive style of her own which met with great success. She immersed herself in the Japanese culture to mix with the best by living and training at the JKA world headquarters from 1991 until 1995. In that time she represented Tokyo (a first for a westerner) for 3 consecutive years in regional events and at the prestigious JKA All Japan Championships.

Beverley was JKAA National Women’s Kata Champion a record 4 consecutive times and one time National Women’s Kumite Champion. That time she ran a very close second in Kata to World Champion Mimura (pictured) but defeated her in the Kumite division to win first place. She was also a semi-finalist in the 5th Shoto World Cup in Philadelphia and runner-up in the Shotokan World Cup New York Goodwill Championship in 1994. Now living, working and training in the Victorian goldfields town of Bendigo, she is still as active as ever in JKA Karate.

Bev was happy (as always) to answer some questions for us.

Chook, I mean Beverley, I mean Sensei Bev, thanks for your time today. Where were you born and what is your family background?
(Laughs) I was born in Melbourne but grew up in North West Victoria in the grape growing town of Mildura. I'm the 4th of 8 siblings. With 5 brothers, I was a bit of a tom-boy as a child.

What do you do for a living?
I'm a school teacher. I also tutor Japanese and am presently studying to qualify as a in specialist in LOTE (languages other than English).

When and how did you get started in Karate?
I started in 1976. It was introduced as a sport elective at high school and a friend of mine asked me to go along with her. A week later I joined the local JKA Club.

So that we can work out your age, how old were you then?
About 16

Do you remember your first session?
Yes, I remember it vividly. I couldn't believe how complicated soto uke was, and the stances I thought were really interesting. I was hooked immediately! I went home and tried to do the techniques. I couldn't remember them all and couldn't wait to go back the next week to try them again.

Who was your first Instructor?
Sempai Pat Zappia. His oitsuki was like dynamite. He's one of the pioneers of JKA in Australia. I think JKA Mildura Dojo had just very recently started up at the time.

Everyone has a mental picture of what Karate training is like. Was your very early training any different from what you expected?
Yes, it was. I was taken aback by the atmosphere of the etiquette in the Dojo. Especially when Takahashi Sensei and some Japanese students visited. I had never been exposed to anything as cultured that was both tough and humble at the same time. I think most people have the wrong impression of what Karate is. People hear and see of it in the media but are not aware of Karate-do. Karate without "do" is very different. It's just about fighting.

Are any of the people you started Karate with still training?
No, no-one, sad to say.

Do you have a set training routine?
At the moment no, not really. Lately it's been a bit up and down unfortunately. Ideally, I'd like to have a more rigorous routine. Presently I go to the Dojo two days a week plus focus on one kata a month plus tokui kata and practice by myself.

You trained for some years at the Melbourne Instructors class, what are your memories of that?
(Giggles) Crazy! Those were the good old days. It was very hard training, and with world class instruction equivalent to Japan. I learnt so much from training with Nishimura Sensei, And training along side strong Karateka like Omar Sampai and Walter Sampai week after week really kept me on my toes – or should I say heels. The instructors class really built strength in my Karate and refined many finer points.

Do you teach now and who is your Instructor?
I teach twice a week at Bendigo Dojo, and when I can, I travel to Melbourne to train with Nishimura Sensei or Walter Sensei. and of course, Takahashi sensei, something that I would love to do more often.

Are you concentrating on any particular techniques or aspects of your Karate at the moment?
Yes, Shuto uke

You are a vegetarian but how much attention do you pay to your diet?
I just try to eat a variety things.

Do you think vegetarianism and Karate are compatible?
I had never been a big meat eater, but when I decided to become a strict vegetarian, I did wonder. But now I feel it's much better being a vegetarian. I feel very healthy, not lacking in any energy at all, I think it is quite natural. When I was in Japan, there was one Sensei who use to call me Poppi. There's a Japanese dish called Horenzou Goma Aie (Spinach with sesame seeds), I think it must be about my favourite Japanese dish, I used to eat all the time.

In very heavy training, how would one adapt a vegetarian diet to provide adequate nourishment?
I Eat more. Whole grains are probably the most important part of my diet. They are low GI, so they release glucose at a slower rate which can last through a whole 3 hour session. I'm a lover of beans too, any of the dozens of bean varieties are good. Soya beans alone come in many different forms, whether it be tofu, miso or a vegie burger.

Do you do any other kind of other training to assist with Karate?
No, nothing really. Lately I've been doing some bike riding with my son, which keeps up my fitness a bit. My son's just seven and into just about any sport there is. He keeps me quite busy playing something or another when we're not at the Dojo.

You spent a very long time living and training in Japan. Tell us why you went there.
To pursue Karate endeavours. I was invited by Takahashi Sensei to come and work in his Karaoke Snack Bar 'Queensland'. I first visited Japan in 1981 when I first got my Shodan and again for 8 months in 1985. Then from 1990 I was there for four years. Karate was my life and training was the only thing I wanted to do. It was an opportunity to train everyday with top instructors.

What did you do for an income there?
I taught English at a few different schools and also worked at 'Queensland Snack bar'.

Describe a typical day for you while you were there.
Always on the run. Throw down a bowl of cereal and ride my bike or run to the train station to go to the So-Honbu in Ebisu for morning special class, then teach English every afternoon. It was then back to Ebisu or Izumiya Sensei's Dojo in Sangenjaya after teaching. Then off to "Queensland till about 1.00am. And sometimes even till 4.00am. During the Uni semesters I would train at Aoyama Gakuin for 3 hours six days a week and try to grab at least one session at the Honbu a day. I would adjust my English teaching schedule around my training. Laugh, giggle. I did a lot of sleeping on trains commuting.

What was it like training at the JKA Hombu Dojo?
A very relaxed and friendly atmosphere I think. It was good to train under and get to know the many world class Sensei's. The morning class was the best. There were always two Sensei's taking the class, a senior like Osaka Sensei and a junior so to speak, like Kobayashi Sensei for example. The class size was small too and it was just before the kenshusei class, so all the sensei used to turn up while you were there. Each class only went for an hour, so endurance wise, it wasn't that hard, but the finer technical points, it was a Karateka dream. All Sensei's had their own style and strengths. As my Japanese improved, I also did most of the interpreting for the many other gaijin (foreigners) that came to train there. That in itself was a privilege.

Did you get a chance to train at the Hoitsugan (Nakayama Shihan’s private Dojo)
Yes. I trained there for team kata, receiving some finer points from Kawawada Sensei. There's a good feeling to that Dojo, it would've been good to training there more often.

You also trained at Aoyama University. Did you get any special treatment there because you are a female?
(Laughs again) Only when we went out afterwards I think, laugh... Teeth were lost there, and thank goodness for that spray whatever you call it, that spray can numb just about any part of your body. It was pretty crazy training. It was hard! Doing hard kumite with over 20 partners 3 or 4 times each was a tremendous way to gain experience, everyone with their individual style. The experience was invaluable. Over three years I trained there - that in itself, I think I was treated accordingly.

Did you have a chance to train with another Karate group or style in Japan?
Yes I did. Twice I attended a Budo Seminar which was specifically for gaijin (foreigners) practising traditional Japanese Budo arts. They went over a weekend and were restricted to dan grades only. The aim was for serious Budoka to experience other arts. The first year I tried out aikido and kendo, and the second year I had a go at kyudo and sumo. Kendo was pretty wild. Being able to actually hit your opponent with a big stick! Sumo was a fun experience, we got to learn the rite too, the one they perform before their bouts. The JKA Sensei's and all my Japanese friend were quite bemused to think that I had tried sumo, especially as I had not an ounce of fat on me, at the time.

What are your best Karate memories of the times in Japan?
Wow….. that’s a hard one, I have so many good memories. Kangeiko, Gasshuku, the Master's camp one year I got to train with the Japanese National team and got a great whack in the mouth by one of the women.

You must have made some lasting friendships there too?
Yes, some of my best friends are in Japan. I didn't want to leave, I was really sad to leave them.

Did your Karate improve after visiting Japan?
Definitely. Just the sheer amount of training, let alone the opportunity to train with the large number of people and great instructors. I trained so much I think zenkutsu dachi became more natural to me than regular walking.

Did your routine alter much after that training?
Yes. Through the hard training I learnt to do light training. I relax more now, take things slowly. I think more about how to improve technically and how to use both my kinetic and chi energy better.

Bev, you were the Australian ladies JKA national champion several times. What did those achievements do for your personal development?
The realisation that just hard work alone is not enough, you truly have to act with the right heart for things to be made possible.

Did you enjoy competing?
Yes I did, very much so. It was fun. Although I think I took it a little too seriously sometimes.

You had more success in Kata competition than in Kumite. Did you prefer one or the other?
Yes, overall I have been more successful in kata, although in Japan, many times I was noticed better for kumite. I reached the best 16 round of the All Japan Championships and at the Shoto Cup in Philadelphia in Kumite. But yes, I have a passion for kata, my heart is really in it. I think that's what the difference is.

Who were your big rivals?
I did have a rival I guess. Hirayama Yuko San. Three times I came second to her in the Tokyo Champs. She was invited into the elite kenshusei course the year I left Japan and has placed well a number of times in the All Japan since then. I think its fantastic. I even heard she visited Germany with Tanaka Sensei, last year, I think it was?

Did you get nervous in the time approaching a competition?
Always

How did you handle your approach to a big event?
I liked to go off on my own and train. I practiced the points that my instructors made to me and work on parts that I don't feel comfortable with. In Japan I would sometimes go to a sporting complex where I could hire a Dojo and train by myself at my own pace.

What has been your most memorable competitive match?
I would have to say the Goodwill Shotokan World Cup New York.

If you had a message for the lady competitors of today, what would it be?
Don't think about being a woman. Just go out there as a human being.

Are you interested in other sports/arts?
As a spectator! I like to watch AFL (Australian Football League), athletics, tennis. I do like to do a bit of Tai Chi though.

Who has influenced your Karate the most so far and why?
Two people have been a huge influence, Takahashi Sensei and Nishimura Sensei and both these great Sensei's in very different ways. Takahashi Sensei has taught me to be very tough, loyal and humble, while Nishimura Sensei influenced me by his own love of Karate and looking at the finer technical points.

Is there a particular person you try to model your Karate on?
No, I think all Karateka have different qualities, both technically and in character . Many people have inspired me.

You come from a big family. Are any of your brothers or sisters sportspeople?
My youngest brother, Ian, is a Nidan and another did Karate for a while. One of my older brothers, Paul, was two times World Police Games power lifting Champion, and Allan, brother number 3, an AFL umpire with 3 Grand finals.

Do any of your family members train in JKA Karate?
Just Ian

In a technical sense, what would you like to improve on?
Quite a few things actually. Shuto uke, uchi uke, heian kata just to name a few. I really don't think there is any technique that doesn't need lots of improvement.

What do you think are the better aspects of your Karate? (don’t be shy)
Umm. Strong technique maybe.

What is your favourite Kata and why?
Nijushiho. I like the flow of it.

Is there anything you have never managed to do, a technique that you just can’t do very well?
Shoto uke and uchi uke. But I won't accept not been able to do them forever, so I'm working on them

When did you retire from competition Karate and what do you think would be an ideal age?
Well, I was 34, but I don't think there is an ideal age. For me, I retired due to family commitments. Everyone's different. I have met competitors in the Shoto Cup that are 35 plus.

Are you at all interested in either judging or coaching?
Judging is OK, but I'm more interested in coaching.

What do you want to do in the future in Karate?
I would like to teach Karate in schools.

What do you think JKA Karate can offer people looking for a new sport or activity?
Karate has a lot to offer I think. It helps develop your perseverance, inner strength and gives you a life long enriching culture.

Do you ever talk to people and explain that you are involved in Karate?
Lots of people know I do Karate, but many of them have a pre-conceived idea of what Karate is that rarely matches what JKA is all about. If people take an interest, I'll talk to them about it.

What is your opinion of the JKA Dojo Kun and Karate etiquette in general?
I think it is very important. 'Do' is the essence of Karate and without etiquette, we could not practise the 'Do'. We can use technique training to be able to understand how difficult the Dojo kun is to achieve. It takes a lot of hard work to perfect even one technique. I endeavour to improve oi-zuki year after year, and I don't think it's any easier seeking perfection of character. As the old saying goes, 'easier said than done'. Through diligent practise of Karate techniques, we can see that the Dojo Kun is no easy task.

What do you think Karate can offer specifically to females?
I think independence. It helps develop both your physical and inner strength. Personally, it made me more street wise. I travelled around the world by myself and got through some sticky situations unscathed.

Do you think Karate can be made to appeal to everyone?
Yes. Karate styles can do what they like to attract members. But what and how much you want to change is important. Karate can become Tai-bo if you want (absolutely no offence against Tai-bo). Classical music does not appeal to everyone, if it did, it would then be pop music. Personally, I would like to keep the essence of 'Do' in Karate.

Did you ever suffer a long term or serious injury?
Yes. I've been hit in the teeth and they have never been the same, a knee injury from being thrown by the scissors technique (kani sabami). Everything else, nothing that acupuncture can't help.

Have you ever tried other Martial Arts?
Apart from while I was at the Budo Seminar I tried Judo once and when I lived in Alice Springs I came across a Karate club that also practised with weapons. I only went once.

Do you think your Karate can develop much in the future?
Heaps. I feel as though I am just getting started.

Do you ever get bored with Karate?
No, never, not even for a minute.

What do you do in your spare time?
Lay on the couch and watch TV… (Laugh). After snapping out of that, I like to read, visit friends, take in some nature or do some Shodo (Japanese calligraphy).

What would you say is the most important thing about Karate training?
Repetition. Having an open mind and always endeavouring to improve.

What do you think the future holds for JKA in Australia?
JKA Australia has been around for a long time. It's a strong association that hasn't encountered any real major hiccups. There's a strong kinship amongst the members. It runs to a protocol similar to Japan and technically has a foundation of strong basics. I think JKA will continue to be strong in the future

Finally, what has JKA Karate training given you?
Health, fitness, personal strength and direction in life.

Oss Chook-san, Domo Arigato Gosaimashita
Oss.

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Reproduced with the kind permission of Beverley Cook.
Copyright © Japan Karate Association of Australia (Victoria) Limited 2004