June 2017 marked the completion of 50 years of my participation in the martial arts. Most significantly, my original instructor, and now my current instructor, is Grand Master Eugene Perceval.I don’t remember how I made my original contact with Grand Master Perceval, but I was extremely lucky to find him and start at the top. I asked him to teach karate at my synagogue. His classes were always interesting, and I came away from each lesson with the feeling that I learned something new. That feeling, now a certainty, has never left me, even after all these years. Every lesson is a step forward.I well remember our first lesson. Grand Master Perceval selected the biggest student, a six- footer who weighed close to 200 pounds, and placed three chest protectors on him. With one kick, he sent that poor fellow flying backward off his feet. I was hooked.A few months into the lessons, Grand Master Perceval took each of us outside for a walk around. His other higher grade students posed as attackers, with knives, clubs and guns, and we had to defend ourselves. Needless to say, it was a rude awakening. Grand Master Perceval gave us a lesson in reality, which continues to this day.I stayed with Grand Master Perceval for several years, until he sold his school in Oceanside. A succession of instructors followed. Along the way, I had the good fortune to meet another student, Master Richard Kaufman, who became a fast friend and who learns with me to this day.About nineteen years ago, I reconnected with Grand Master Perceval. Master Richard Kaufman, Kelly Dong and I have weekly lessons, and our progress, thanks to Grand Master Perceval, has been steadily upward. On Sundays, to the extent that our schedules permit, Grand Master Perceval, Master Richard Kaufman and I have been writing a book on martial arts injuries and their treatments, and on martial arts etiquette. This, too, has been a unique learning experience.Every week, I look forward to our lessons. While each one is different, I always come away with the assurance that I learned something new, or gained an insight into an aspect of the martial arts, or improved upon a technique. I look forward to continuing on this path, because new doors keep opening, and each one is an adventure.Master Robert M. SpilkyDecember, 2017