Interviews

Raymond Morcomb – July 2004

JKA Sandan Raymond Morcomb, is the name on everyone's lips in JKA Australia at the moment. In late May this year, he won both the Men's Open Kata and Kumite events in his home state at the New South Wales JKA Championships after travelling north some weeks before to compete and win the same two premier events at the Queensland state championships!

Ray is a very focused young man who shows enormous fighting spirit and always rises to the big occasions. He has now secured his spot as a JKAA National Team member and is busy preparing for the JKAA National Championships being held on the Gold Coast later this month and the Karate world championships, the Shoto World Cup, in Tokyo Japan this September.

But for Ray, there is far more to Karate than competition. As you will read, he is a teacher as well as a competitor with a balanced view of things. He has a strong sense of tradition and a will to develop himself to his full potential and to eagerly participate in the development of his own students. Ray kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. (Pictures for this interview will be posted soon)

Thanks for your time Ray, when and where were you born?
I was born 22nd August 1980, Sydney

Do you still live there, at home?
Yes, I live in Sydney with my family and fiancee Tanya

What do you do for a living?
Student

How many kids are in your immediate family - brothers & sisters?
I have a younger brother Kelly Morcomb, who incidentally also practiced Karate-Do and is a 2nd Dan JKA

Were you interested much in sports at school?
Yes, I have always loved sport. I did soccer, athletics, swimming, and boxing all through my school years. I also love Rugby League ‘GO THE BULLDOGS’

When you were growing up, the Martial Arts boom was well and truly over, so tell us how you first heard about Karate?
Kelly and I both loved watching the Karate Kid movie so much so that we had our mother make us the karate kid headband which we proudly wore everywhere including shopping for groceries. We would pretend to punch and kick and jump all day long and sometimes even sleep with the karate kid headband still on. Yes, I think this movie may have been the very start of our interest in learning karate. My grandfather Harry also bought me for Christmas one year, the Bruce Lee movie – Fist of Fury. After watching this movie, my decision was final. I just had to learn some form of martial arts.

When did you start Karate training?
I started training in March 1989, when I was 8 years old

Was it JKA?
Yes, JKA Castle Hill Karate Club (dojo)

What did you like about it?
When I started training karate, Castle Hill dojo was huge, the biggest JKA club in Australia and NZ. Jake Sensei had around 150 students from memory, but there may have been more. Training was held three times a week, at the Castle Hill R.S.L. The trainings were all general classes, so there would sometimes be over 100 students in the one class. It was really awesome; there was probably 30 or more black belts at each training. It was like being at a State or National seminar, but it was just our dojo. When I first started out I was just in awe of the black belts from our dojo, especially Peter Strauss, Mathew and Steven Kwong, Michael Armstrong, and Gavin Black who were all junior national champions at the time.

Who was your first Instructor?
Mr. Jake Leslie Sensei (3rd Dan) When I was young I idolised this mans every movement. Jake Sensei was a very passionate and talented instructor, and his influence will always live in my karate. (Oss, thank you Jake Sensei)

Do you remember your first lesson?
Yes, I can still remember the clothes that I wore that night

Tell us about it?
My first class was with Bill Becker Sempai. He was the assistant instructor at the time for Castle Hill Dojo. When I started there were about 10 or 12 beginners having their first class. I was training in plain clothes just learning how to stand correctly and my mother was watching me from the side of the basketball court. When I looked over at mum, she was smiling at me so I was smiling back. Then, from behind me somewhere I heard this enormous shout “What do you think you’re smiling at?” After landing back on the floor from the fright I looked around to see a very scary Jake Sensei standing right behind me. I think my mum was just as scared as I was. This was my first memory of class.

What remains in your mind from your earliest training days?
Jake Sensei’s stick, bunny-hops, splinters from the floor, talking strategy and technique with dad every night on the way home from karate and Kelly not wanting to train anymore because karate started at 5:00pm, the same time as the Bugs Bunny Show was on TV.

How old were you when you first trained in one of Takahashi Sensei's classes?
9 years old and I have never missed one of his state or national seminars since. If I’m ever injured and unable to train, I still attend to watch and learn.

There are a lot of much bigger guys around than you. Did you get scared facing larger opponents as a beginner?
I have always been small, so I haven’t really known it to be any different. But, when we initially began training jiyu-kumite (free sparring), I would have preferred to train kata.

What about now, is the size factor a problem?
Yes it’s a disadvantage, but it is something you can adapt to. I think a smaller person should always try to remember that big doesn’t necessarily mean good.

Shorter than average with less than perfect vision - did you realise early that you needed to work harder than everybody else to be successful?
Yes, it is something that I have been aware of from an early age, but it was probably my father that made me realise this when I was still young. I have always worked very hard at my training, especially when I was a kid. Everything that my karate is today I owe to the effort and dedication of my father. When Kelly and I were young and still today he gave us 100% support with everything that we did, and you can’t ask for any more than that. Dad and Mum have given me every chance possible to achieve my goals and dreams. I also have my younger brother Kelly to thank for his continuous encouragement and support of everything I do.

You had a dream to be in the Australian National Team. When did you start to think you had a real chance of selection?
Making the national team has certainly been a dream of mine for a long time and I was very happy to be selected, but selection for the team was something out of my control. I just love to learn and train.

It all seems to be coming together now, some big wins, off to Japan in September, how far do you want to go in Competition?
I have a long-term plan with competition. I have a lot of faith in my training, and I truly believe that my best results will happen when I’m around 30 years old. By this age I will have 22 years of training and experience behind me, and I will still be young.

Does the positive feedback and approval of your teammates mean a lot to you?
Yes, definitely. The friendship side of training is very important to me. I have a lot of respect and faith in the current Australian team members.

What is the feeling of winning like?
Winning is always a great feeling. It reinforces to me that my training is on track. But it is certainly not the most important thing in regards to my karate training.

Is winning good motivation for you?
I never have relied on winning for my motivation. You can sometimes perform well and lose; you can also perform average and win. I really don’t get too caught up in winning too much. I get motivation from the level of my own performance in competition. Every time I perform I want it to be a PB.

What kind of opponents do you have the most trouble with, eg, large, small, quick, and tactful?
I don’t have trouble with any particular size or style. Everybody I fight is big – I think it really comes down to the fighters with the most experience and intelligence on the court. They offer the most difficult challenges to me.

Who is your Instructor now?
My original instructor Jake Sensei retired from teaching due to ill health, when I was about fourteen, and I stayed training with Castle Hill dojo, until I left in 1999 to open my own dojo. My instructors now are Takahashi Shihan and Nishimura Sensei. I also receive help and advice with my training from the Australian team captain Michael sensei, and the team coaches Walter sensei and Lutie Sensei. I don’t have a formal dojo instructor – but I do have a great team behind me that helps and assists with my training. My fiancee Tanya is a Sports Scientist and she is currently my coach. I have also had great support over the past 8 years from Dr. Pat Downey, sport scientist. I also have a high performance training scholarship with the Sydney Academy of Sport where I receive assistance in training and testing from their Sports Scientist Meredith Evans.

Tell us about your normal training routine?
I train 4-5 days a week, depending on the time of the year. I spend 2 hours training weights and cardio at vital health club 4 days a week. I also walk every day around 5km. The walking helps me recover from the hard workouts and is great for my health. I really enjoy skipping. It’s great for warming up and working on my cardiovascular fitness. I skip almost every day, and I take my rope with me everywhere. I teach karate classes 4 times a week, and I generally train with the group. When I can, I make the effort to train with Michael Ettingshausen sensei, in one of the senior classes at his dojo. I also train at the Tszyu boxing academy for fun and fitness. Training at Kostya’s gym really keeps me motivated. I spend some mornings training basic kata by myself at the dojo, it’s hard just to train by your self but I feel that it gives my kata a little edge.

What about in the lead-up to a big event, what do you change?
My training is all programmed, and I spent a lot more time working in the dojo on my karate technique eg. Tokui-kata, and my tokui-waza for jiyu kumite. I do a lot more video analysis of my own karate technique; I also try to compete as often as possible. I work on more explosive training techniques like sprinting drills, and plyometrics training. I will spend more time working with the Academy at Narrabeen doing field-testing and monitoring my results. I also try to increase not just the quantity but also the quality of my trainings, plus I sleep a fair bit more, around ten hours a night. (Maybe more)

Do you stay fit for the sake of it, or does everything you do need to be about Karate.
At the end of the day, everything I do is mainly for my health and well-being. I hope to one day be a very active and motivated ‘little’ old man.

Do you teach?
Yes – I am the instructor of Northern Districts Dojo in Northern Sydney. I started this school at the end of 1999. www.ndkarate.com

How many students do you have and what are the age ranges?
We have about 20 students – aged from 10 up to late 30’s. The majority of our group are teenagers.

Do you structure your classes in a particular way?
All of my classes begin with 5-10 mins of skipping, then a stretching and warm-up routine (which in total takes about 20-25 mins). Of course, like everyone our training consists of kihon, kata and kumite – following the JKA grading syllabus. I also like to spend a great deal of time working on my student’s cardiovascular fitness and strength and conditioning. I always try to give my class some type of flavour so I can keep the students interested and motivated and therefore keep a consistent quality in their day-to-day training.

Do any of them look like potential stars?
It’s still a little early to say yet. There are some very dedicated students. Our dojo will have two students representing Australia in the junior shoto world cup later this year 2004 at Tokyo.

Are you the kind of person who gets inspired by other people?
Yes, definitely

Who are your role models in Karate, people you have tried to be like?
Where do I start? There are so many that have guided, supported, and influenced my karate and life, I can’t name them all. Takahashi Shihan, and Nishimura Sensei, my original instructor Jake Leslie Sensei, Jeff Green Sensei, and Mrs Noela Green, Mrs Pat Day, and Sammy Noble Sensei. Luke Byrne and his family have always given me so much support and inspiration. The person that I most try to emulate in karate is Michael Ettingshausen Sensei. His approach to training has always influenced my karate. In my opinion he is by far the best competitor in the history of JKAA. I can still remember being about fifteen years old and telling my father that my main goal in karate was to one day be as good at karate as Michael Sensei. This is a goal that I’m still busily working towards.

Ray with World Champ Kostya Tszyu

What about outside of Karate, do you get inspired by anyone in particular?
Yes, the four times World-boxing champion Kostya Tszyu.

What is it about him that you like?
Everything, he is a great athlete. Kostya has an uncanny ability to focus his mind 100% on the job at hand. His training ethic is second to none, and that’s why he’s the best in the World.

What about your diet, are you conscious of eating the correct food?
Yes, but unfortunately I am a very fussy eater. I do eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet. I don’t force myself to eat a strict and boring diet because there is no need to make a weight division and I exercise enough to always keep my weight consistent. I believe that hydration is a very important factor with training, but so many people over look it. I try to drink 2L of water a day. My favourite food is grilled fish lemon and rice, and I love a cup of tea.

Do you drink alcohol?
Yes – but only on special occasions. I can really count on one hand how many times a year I drink.

Do you smoke cigarettes (or anything else)?
No.

Do you take dietary or training supplements?
Yes. I supplement my diet with multi-complex vitamins. I use Colostrum for recovery, and do use protein shakes to assist with my weights training. I also use sports and carbohydrate drinks.

Performance enhancing drugs are found in almost all sports. Would you consider using them?
No I would never use performance-enhancing drugs. I would never cheat to win, even if I knew I couldn’t win any other way. I know in my heart that every thing I have achieved has only come from hard work, dedication, and a bit of good luck.

What else from outside of Karate helps in your approach to training?
Music & dance by certain performers. Watching and listening helps me to understand feeling and energy. I think karate students can learn a lot from dancers. Kata is a visual art form that must have feeling, energy, and beauty. I feel that these elements are lacking in kata seen today. I really find that most men’s kata has strong technique but looks too heavy and ugly. The best kata that I have seen is that of the famous Japanese ladies competitor Yuki Mimura. Mimura’s kata had it all, timing, balance, speed, beauty, strength, and grace. When you look at the best musicians and dancers they also have these present, they can feel and understand timing and movement. When I perform kata I try to have the feeling of music inside me. I wish that I had trained in some type of dance when I was young, because I can see and feel a relationship between kata and dance. I’m certainly not saying that karate or kata should be a dance. I just think that there are certain elements of dance and music that you may be able to relate to your karate, and that these elements help me with my approach to training.

Do you think Karate is generally good for a person's health and well being?
Yes for sure, but a student relies heavily on the guidance of their instructor. You must seek a good karate instructor. This can prove to be difficult for a beginner if they don’t know a great deal about karate.

Would you recommend Karate training for everyone or do you think some people should avoid it?
Karate-Do has so much to offer, I think everyone can learn something from this art form and way of life.

You are very focused in training, why do you stay on high alert?
I have always taken my karate very seriously. I try to keep myself focused in training, because I believe it creates a better quality work out for me.

Do you do any kind of mental training, visualisation etc?
Yes I practice this training before and after class in mokuso, at night before sleeping, also before performing. This helps me to keep positive and relaxed.

Do you think attention to breathing can help in Karate?
Breathing is balance and control, all the best karate students are aware of their breathing, and it makes a difference to the structure of their technique I believe.

Don't be shy here Ray. What do you think are your strong points?
This is a hard question to answer, I don’t really know. I would probably like to thing that my strong points would be my commitment to training, and that I’m a dedicated JKA karate student. I train and teach purely because I love it.

How about your weaker points?
Well I do suffer from asthma, and this does affect my training sometimes. (Especially during winter) I also have had to spend a great deal of time working to increase my physical strength, because of my lack of size. I only weigh around 60kg. My flexibility could be much better. I didn’t pay enough attention to this when I was young, and now I’m trying to play catch up.

You recently got engaged, congratulations. Would you like to teach Karate to your own children?
‘Thank you’ I would love to one day have a little team kata. (Boys only ?) Tanya also trains karate and will be grading for her Sho-Dan soon, so if mum and dad are both training they might not have much of a choice. Unfortunately karate is not everybody’s cup of tea, so I will support my children in whatever they may choose to do.

Do you make time to relax or are you always on the go?
I’m very good at relaxing. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy watching the fights (boxing) and rugby league. I also love spending the afternoon with Tan walking around parts of Sydney harbour.

Do you like competing?
I do enjoy competing, but I get a lot more out of gasshuku training and seminars. Competing is an over rated part of karate in my opinion. I have always put competition a distant second to the importance of training.

Most players get nervous to some degree. How do you handle nerves?
I really play it down. I don’t get very nervous leading into comps, because I don’t put a great deal of emphasis on competition results. I enjoy performing I train hard and just try to perform my best on the day. Competition is just training under pressure for me.

Do you prepare for competitions in a specific way?
I try to focus on my training 100%. I stay home and don’t go out at night, because I feel that it disrupts my training routine. Knowing that I have fully committed to my training program helps my confidence on competition day.

Is your general preparation the same for a Kata as it is for Kumite?
No, similar but different. I place more emphasis on kata training because I find kata more difficult than kumite. I don’t think that kumite is easy but there is certainly a lot more luck involved in kumite matches. I find that whenever my kata is feeling sharp I generally perform better in kumite anyway.

You've had some good competition matches in your time. Do any stand out in your mind, and why?
I remember one not so long ago when I was competing in a team kumite event at the 2000 NSW State titles. I can remember being a bit tired because I had just fought in the final of the men’s kumite, and it had been a long day. I was the first fight up, and being tired I was a bit careless rushing in I walked into a nice right hand. That’s all I can remember of the match. Takahashi Shihan was referee and I can remember him picking me up off the floor and saying ‘you ok boy’ I was really gone I felt like I was in a black cave and I could not hear very much. I felt like I was drunk and just forgot where I was. Takahashi Shihan held me on my feet until the first aid officer got to me. I can remember the man asking me some questions and I just said I’m fine, I’m ok but I really had no idea. Then I was back on my line just able to stand facing my opponent. Takahashi Shihan then gave my opponent hansoku chui (warning for violation of rules) I was then asked ‘you ok boy’ again so I said oss, and we went at it again. I scored two waza ari and won the match for our team, but I still have no memory of the event. Then it only got worst because my other team-mates both got beaten and we lost the event 2-1.

What kind of Karate matches do you like to watch?
I like to watch performers that are different and entertaining. Competition is not life and death, its just sport. I think all sport should be entertaining and exciting, it should display the sport at it’s best. When you watch some karate events all you see is gyaku-zuki all day, I don’t believe this is good karate, it’s not even really karate. This looks like the World tag championships to me. I like to watch the best fighters use all their karate skills hand and foot techniques.

Now that you are a high-level competitor, is your training much different to before?
No, because I have always trained very seriously. Now my goals are just getting a little closer to being achieved.

Have you ever trained in Japan?
Yes I trained in 1990, and in 1996.

What did you think of training there?
At the time it was the best experience of my life, I gained so much from my visits to Japan. Training in Japan at such an early age made me aware of the true depth of JKA, it also gave me inspiration and motivation. I would highly recommend training in Japan to any Karate student, if the opportunity were available.

Are you interested in any other fighting systems?
Yes I love boxing both amateur and professional. My younger brother Kell is an amateur boxer, and is the NSW junior welter-weight novice state champion. I study tapes of all the great fighters, both of their fights and their trainings. There is a unique science to this sport. I think that Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest fighter of all time.

Have you ever trained with another Karate style?
No, just JKA

What about non-traditional training methods, do you believe in them?
Yes definitely, I always try to keep an open mind towards stretching, performance and skills training methods. I think that it is important to make training as safe as possible for all students. If you look at all sports over the past 100 years the methods used for training have changed so much. Karate is a little different because it is an art form, and it is very important to stay with tradition. I believe Karate instructors can still keep with tradition and work with today’s sports science. Sports science is changing the way we train and look at the body all the time, and for instructors to just ignore the facts so they can keep with tradition is a mistake. The only people that suffer are the students. A good example of this is the old school training method of bunny hops. Designed to strengthen the legs, this training has been found to be a real hazard on the knees, especially with children. There are now much better ways to strengthen the muscular system in the legs, if instructors change the way they teach, I feel they are only fixing tradition.

Do you use any new or radical training ways to supplement your personal training?
No not really, I do like to cross train because it stops me from getting bored with my training. I also like to supplement my own karate by training with different instructors. I find that getting a different point of view with training and technique helps me no end.

What do you think would make JKA Karate a better fighting art?
I find JKA karate to be a very proficient fighting art. I find that the JKA syllabus for kumite, is excellent for teaching beginners basic technique and self-defence. I really couldn’t say what would make JKA a better fighting art.

Do you emphasise etiquette (Dojo Kun) in your dojo?
Yes, I believe that etiquette is probably the most important factor of karate that I try to teach my students. The dojo kun to me is not simply about karate, it can reflect on almost every part of ones life.

Have you ever been involved in real fights?
Yes, unfortunately

Was Karate any use to you?
Yes certainly with defence, but Karate has given me the strength to walk away from altercations.

What about the future, what do you want to achieve in Karate?
I don’t really know what I want to achieve, I just want to reach a level of satisfaction with my own technique, and ability that I can be happy with. I feel that my karate will improve much more, and that is exciting for me. I want to know how far I can push my body, and how good my technique can become. I want to be the best I can possibly be.

Can you see yourself getting involved as an official or coach one day?
When the time is right I would love to put back into JKAA what I have got out. I always try to help others with their training in any way that I can, I really hope to one day be a coach. I find helping or teaching people with their training so self-rewarding.

What do you think JKAA could do to raise the level in this country?
I really believe JKA Australia need to make a much bigger effort with the juniors. When you look at some of the other JKA countries that have been very successful like Japan, Great- Britain, and South Africa their juniors are so talented and strong. The juniors are the future; they really need to be shown how interesting and rewarding JKA karate can be. They need more motivation and incentive to stay training and become successful. Every year I look to see less and less junior boys and girl’s black belts at the nationals. I think JKAA as a whole should show a little bit more initiative towards our junior black belts.

From the point of view of a young Instructor and successful competition player, what do you think the future holds for JKA in Australia?
JKA Australia is still only very young. I think JKAA can only continue to grow and evolve. I think the standard of JKAA karate has improved a great deal over the past fifteen years, through the efforts and dedication of Takahashi Shihan and Nishimura Sensei. I think the size of Australia with its capital cities being so far spread, will always be a disadvantage that we will have to work against. This is why I believe the key towards the future success of JKAA lies in each of the states becoming a strong body.

What do you think is the most important thing about Karate training?
I believe the most important think is to stay in touch with tradition, and to keep the art of JKA karate pure. I don’t teach my students any new or different techniques. I don’t change dojo etiquette to suit people. I only teach what I learn from Takahashi Shihan and Nishimura Sensei. We need to keep our karate as close as possible to the Japanese JKA system, with out to many changes. Learn it and pass it on to the kids, so they can benefit from JKA as much as we all have.

Ray, thanks very much for answering our questions and good luck in the future. Lastly, what has JKA Karate training given you?
JKA karate has given me a very healthy and positive way of life. Thank you to JKA Vic for this opportunity. I look forward to seeing everyone from JKAA soon, also best of luck to all competitors in the 2004 JKAA National Championships on the Gold Coast. Oss

Postscript. Ray Morcomb was crowned the new Australian JKA Mens Open Kata Champion at the JKAA Nationals on Saturday 31st July 2004

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