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Voice of the Fox
The Newsletter of the Martial Arts Training Service

The Nicest Warrior You'll Ever Meet
by Alex Jovanovic
Autumn 1998

I'd heard many stories about Professor Lono Ancho, so as soon as I learned he would be teaching a jujitsu seminar in Greenville, Ill., I made plans to attend. Long ago, Sensei told me that he is the closest thing to a samurai left alive. And he is.

Professor Ancho started the first class with a couple of techniques from our yawara list, simple techniques that we show beginners. His yawara is surprisingly similar to ours. Although there are hundreds of ways to escape from a wrist grab, the way he did it is exactly the way we do it.

From there we went into a throw or two, de ashi harai or ogoshi. I must admit, I began to fear for the karateka in attendance at the seminar, because I wasn't sure they knew how to fall. Thankfully, they did surprisingly well, and on a floor half covered with wrestling mat and half with tumbling mat. Slowly we began to work more advanced technique, unbeknownst to the karateka or jujitsu beginners. Professor Ancho simply didn't mention that they were advanced.

Over lunch, I learned that this tough-as-nails guy—who served seven tours of duty in Vietnam and continues to work for the U.S. government—had a heck of a sense of humor. In fact, he was downright sweet. He told stories and jokes, and gave a couple of compliments to everyone at the seminar. Seeing what a nice 70-year-old man he is, you can't help but wonder about those killer instincts.

After lunch, it was the same routine as before: Start with a beginner technique and work your way into a very advanced technique. Again, my fear for the karateka grew, but we finished the day without any injuries. Before we bowed off, Professor Ancho personally shook hands with everyone and thanked us for coming.

At the evening party, Professor Ancho became extremely sociable, which I wasn't really expecting. He didn't really hold anything back. If you asked a question, he answered it. He told the funniest jokes about Professor Okazaki and other martial artists. But he told a few sad, sometimes horrible stories as well, about things that had happened to him or a friend, or a brief tale about a battle scar. So many things have happened to this man that my life began to seem unfulfilled, boring. Here's a guy who has seen and done so many things that he has lived the lives of 10 people. He made me wonder why I wasn't living the same way.

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