Dian Tanaka interview (part 1)

There have been a lot of great interviews come out lately, and here is another one from the Blood, Sweat, and Cinema YouTube channel. Dian Tanaka is a very accomplished kenpoist and became quite famous in the kenpo community for her skills with performing forms at the Long Beach Internationals.

(There is also a "part 2" but that is for members only it looks like.)

I've only listened to half of the interview so far but loved her stories about being at the West LA studio and how you couldn't part in front of the building unless you drove a Cadillac.

(If you drove just a normal car you had to park around back.)

Ms. Dian Tanaka on forms

 "When judging forms, to me the most important part of forms competition goes beyond the physical. By this I mean that the judges gravitate toward the person who performs the kata with such intensity that they stop seeing them as a competitor and can actually visualize the opponent getting hit. Moreover, they can personalize the experience, thinking, 'Oh my god, if I was on the other end of that shot, that would hurt?' And so, when I work with people to ready them for a competition, I always say please do not forget this is not just a bunch of moves in the air. Think of the shot. Visualize it. You have to feel this as if the opponent were right in front of your face. And you have to turn your head sharply because there is someone right on your back, and you just can’t lollygag and turn slowly and make it unrealistic. It has to be real, and it has to be so real that the judges actually forget about seeing you. They’re seeing the opponent be the recipient of all of your shots." --Dian Tanaka, "The Journey" (2001)

Larry Tatum, Dian Tanaka, and Mr. Parker

Here is a little bit of info about Dian Tanaka from the Women in Kenpo website.

For more information see the link below.

She is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her KENPO FORMS, yet when I let her know that I had watched a video of her doing Form VI and that I was so impressed with what I saw, her first response was “oh did you see my mistakes”? I said “NO”, she replied, “I made them” and laughed.  As someone simply watching her form on video, you would never have known. She stated that during the context of sport competition, it’s natural to conceal your errors, she would keep a straight face and maintain her composure by moving forward, letting no one know she made a mistake. Ms. Tanaka also wanted to be very clear that in any other setting, if she did wrong, she would say so openly and without hesitation.

Mr. Parker promoted Ms. Tanaka to 5th Degree Black belt and she had always been content with that rank though her peers promoted her to the rank of 6^th degree. She mentions this as a matter of fact, in her view rank being unimportant, merit is.

If anyone has read “The Journey” (page 25) they would learn Ms. Tanaka’s basic story. She was born in Japan and moved to the United States at the age of 7 and attended UCLA where she achieved her Bachelor’s Degree during the late 1970’s. While at college she found a place to train in karate that suited her needs and was one of a few women at her school. She recalls when Mr. Parker walked into the studio for the first time; she was a purple belt and didn’t know who he was. When they met he seemed to like her, maybe he recognized her slight accent and felt an “Island connection”. After their initial meeting Mr. Parker asked her to participate in demos and essentially put her under his wing. She did know why she was a favorite of Mr. Parker’s, maybe because of her Japanese heritage, but whatever the reason was it didn’t matter to her. She was allowed to watch the advanced classes while the other lower belts weren’t. She was part of Mr. Parker’s forms and demos team, something she took great honor in. It was while watching those advanced classes she learned a valuable lesson. The students were practicing the same material that they did in the beginning class, all Basics, just at a higher, faster level.  She never missed one of those classes, she would sit on the bench to watch, learn and absorb.

-------------------

http://www.kenpowomen.com/2012/08/28/dian-tanaka/