Memories of a Bukido master

Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed Rachel Resnick’s article about Richard Machowicz and Bukido (“Zen and the Art of Self-Defense,” Nov. 11).

I actually met Richard in 2000 and was in one of the first F.I.S.T. classes he instructed. My experiences mirrored Resnick’s almost to the letter. I came to Richard after 10 years and two black belts, studying conventional martial arts.

I was the person in my class that he choked. He even said to me, “Do what you have learned in the past, if you can,” and then he grabbed my throat. Ten years of traditional martial arts instruction flew out the window as I struggled to free his hand. It was earth-shattering and liberating in the same instant. At that moment I knew both he and Bukido were something special. You know what he did then? He apologized. He said with a kind and understanding smile, “I’m sorry, someone needs to show you the truth.”

Ben Cornforth

San Jose

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Thanks to Jenny Hontz on the sidebar on the martial art of aikido. It is a difficult art but I might have to argue with the “no pain” part. Hyperextension of joints is always painful! “Perfect for antiwar activists”? Believe it or not, I know many students who are police officers, military active duty/reserve, many of whom are now deployed in both Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom.

Dennis Lazarte

La Puente