DICKINSON -- When Frank Kushner opened his dojo -- FMK Karate, 782 Chenango St., Port Dickinson -- 15 years ago, he had a few things working for him.
He was a 10th-degree black belt, the highest level you can achieve in the martial art of Shotokan-style karate. Since then, he's been inducted into as many as 20 karate halls of fame worldwide.
He'd also already taught karate for several years in other schools. He knew what worked, and what didn't. He'd earned the title of sensei, which means teacher in Japanese.
And he knew kids.
John Cline, 10, and his tag-along sister, Madison, 7, of Binghamton, have been students at Kushner's school for more than a year. Asked about his first impression of Kushner and FMK, John answered the way only a 10-year-old can.
"I thought it was bright in here," he said, sporting his brown belt tied tightly around his white gi (Japanese for uniform).
But when pressed, John dug deeper. Karate now has become part of his life. And so has Kushner.
"I started coming just to have fun," John said. "We picked this place because it was closest to our house. But Sensei is great. He's a funny guy. I made a friend instantly when I walked out on the floor."
And therein may lie Kushner's pull. Or push. Or spin.
He's notorious for walking past Madison Cline, a chronic giggler and already a dedicated competitive dancer, as she stretches before class. Kushner might playfully nudge the mini-brown belt with his weapon of a right foot.
Elias Horowitz didn't sign up for any of that. But the Binghamton 9-year-old likes it just the same.
"I saw a friend of mine doing karate one day and that's what made me want to try," said Elias, who lists BMX bicycling, playing Nintendo and "sitting in front of the TV like a couch potato" alongside karate as his favorite activities.
Dancer, son dive in
It's doubtful the junior Horowitz sits still much. His father, you see, is professional dancer and performing artist Andy Horowitz, he of the wildly popular, locally based three-man troupe "Galumpha," formerly "The Second Hand."
The elder Horowitz began taking karate lessons when he was 10 years old, he said. He got his first black belt six years later. Today, he's a seventh-degree black belt.
His son, though, rarely saw him practice. Horowitz had set the martial arts aside in more recent years.
"But a little more than a year ago, my son came to me and said he wanted to try," said Andy Horowitz. "I had fallen on complacency. But I knew Sensei from years back, when we went to a different dojo (which literally means "the way" of the school, but more casually can mean training hall) together. So coming to his dojo was an absolute no-brainer. I knew coming to this dojo was absolutely the right thing for my son."
Horowitz described his boy as a bit frenetic when he began taking classes. The child would move in slow circles during concentration drills in which all students are required to close their eyes and stand stock still.
"Now to watch him stand still with his eyes closed, it's quite something," said Horowitz. "I'm very proud of him, and you can see that's he's also very proud of himself, and that's important."
Karate, and specifically this school, said Horowitz, has done wonders for his son, not to mention the natural connection to his passion.
"Professionally, the practice of martial arts is so important for me," Horowitz said. "Even though I'm a dancer by profession, I actually warm up with katas (pre-arranged movements that simulate self-defense) I use in the dojo. I have to memorize a lot of dance moves, as well as to create them, so perhaps learning katas is just an extension of that."
Teacher's tolerance cited
Horowitz reviewed his shopping list from when he and his son were in the market for a karate school.
"I wanted a sensei who was an excellent martial artist, so from the start I knew Frank Kushner would be perfect," he said. "Then, what I didn't know until I got in the dojo to see it was Sensei's gentle approach with children. He's very tolerant. He's great with kids. They learn, but they're having fun.
"Many (martial arts) schools are taught with a more militaristic approach," Horowitz said, "and I knew Elias would not flourish in that environment."
Kushner, standing about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing 160-plus pounds, is the antithesis of intimidating. Sure, he could kill you with his bare hands. But much more likely is that he'd make you groan with an assault of pithy puns and corny one-liners.
Often heard in his dojo are: "Yes, sir" or "Yes, Sensei." They're always said with conviction. But sometimes they're followed by a student's eye roll and a smile.
"There are a lot of people in the world of karate who will try to force respect on you," said the 48-year-old Kushner, himself a father of five. "That's not me. I carry myself a certain way and lead by example.
"Anyone who walks through our door can do something better than me. Whether it's business, or music, or writing. I teach, but I like to learn from them, too."
Especially from the kids.
"I try to look at things the way they might," he said. "Every time I talk to a child in our school, I try to remember how it was to be their age, and that helps get through to them. They see that you're actually speaking to them and that you care."
Kushner can see through the eyes of his young students because he remembers, all too well, when he wasn't able to defend himself.
"It was a classic case. When I was a kid, I once had to go home the long way to avoid a bully," he said, "and to me, at that time, it was the most critical thing in my life.
"Kids feel just as much pressure as adults, and they have just as much on their minds. It might be different, but it's a lot. Kids are individuals and I try to remember how they think. If I listen to them, they'll hear me, too."
Kushner's karate school isn't the area's largest, he admitted. But, he said, with his trademark grin, "we're the friendliest."
About half the 200 enrolled are children. The oldest FMK member is 69. The youngest members are 4.
"I'm proud of that," Kushner said. "Nationally, the trend is to have more kids in a school, and those schools might have to do marketing research to attract adults.
"Then again, there are some (schools) that won't gear programs toward kids at all. They'll gear their system toward street self-defense. For some reason, a lot of the schools you'll find don't do both," he added. "I'm proud of the makeup of our school."
Self-confidence rises
Janis Cline of Binghamton, like Andy Horowitz, was prompted to study karate at FMK after her children, John and Madison, were enrolled. For a time, she watched. Now, she's a brown belt.
"When John first got involved, I wanted him to learn more concentration," she said. "He's a typical little boy, but he also really liked Asian animated cartoons and culture, so this is one area I felt karate would fit for him.
"This is the first thing he's really enjoyed and stuck with. I don't have to twist his arm to get him to come."
Janis Cline also takes kickboxing classes.
"I have a lot more self-confidence," she said. "I feel like I could handle myself better in a sticky situation. Plus, it's something I can do with the kids. There are a lot of families who come to class together. It's very welcoming."
Just then, Kushner walked past. He was in a conversation with an adult student, but took a moment to correct the hand position of a teenage yellow belt.
"Move that hand up, right, like that," he said, never breaking stride.
Xeque (pronounced X) Wales, 14, of Endwell, has a purple belt. She was never afraid of bullies.
"But now I feel a lot stronger and have a lot more energy," she said. "I come three or four times a week.
"And now," she added, laughing, "I can defend other people if they ever need help."
Seemingly hearing everything, Kushner quietly chimed in: "And there you have it."
