Ohana Abroad
by Austin Stahl
One of the greatest things about practicing Danzan Ryu is undeniably the great people you meet who are in the same pursuit of self-cultivation. While it is common to meet other DZR practitioners in the United States, the American martial art hasn’t yet caught on in the “Land of Smiles” (Thailand) where I am currently living and training. Luckily in our modern day in age the internet has made communication much easier, especially from across the world.
I connected recently with a martial artist, on Youtube of all places, after he commented on a video of mine saying he planned to visit Phuket, Thailand in the near future. After a bit of back-and-forth, I came to learn that this gentleman is a DZR sensei based out of the Fallon, Nevada dojo Koshinkan named Brad. Small world! Naturally, when he arrived on vacation I had to let him throw me around a bit…I’m sure you all know how fun that feeling is when it has been a while.
Sensei Brad wanted to pick my brain on some Muay Thai technique (he was visiting Thailand after all), we got together for the first time on the beach. I showed him how to blend the “Art of 8 Limbs” with our native DZR until an hour passed in the blink of an eye. It was a good session that left us covered in sand, likely a few bruises as well, with smiles on our faces that can only be earned and understood by fellow martial artists.
Although this story may not seem like much, to me it was an amazing experience to connect with a member of a family over 8000 miles away. What a small world and what a big family.
Check out some training clips here.
-Austin