Michael R BergerMICHAEL ROBERT BERGER began his journey into "the way" as a young amateur athlete whose interests, in addi- tion to martial arts, included boxing, wrestling, and other sports, as well as meditation and academics. In 1983, fol- lowing a successful career as a scholar- ship athlete (wrestling), he graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. in English and relocated to Japan to fur- ther his martial arts training, which he had begun with the Japan Karate Association. He would reside there for a cumulative time period of over four years spanning a ten year period. After enduring several hours a day of arduous training at a small country dojo in rural Japan, he was awarded his Black Belt in 1984 by legendary Chief Instructor Masatoshi Nakayama at the JKA World Headquarters in Tokyo. That same year, he qualified for and competed in the All-Japan Tournament at the Nippon Budokan. In 1986, he would return to compete again in the Budokan as part of an elite International Team. That same year, he became one of few for- eigners ever to be accepted to train at Takushoku University, a perennial power renowned for its rigorous karate program and alma mater to many JKA legends. A successful competitor both nationally and internationally, he holds numerous titles in both kata and kumite, including a 2nd place finish in kumite at the IKA World Cup in 2000, and several titles in Japan. He currently teaches in San Pedro, Calif., and continues training and teaching under the tutelage of Soke Takayuki Kubota at the International Karate Association World Headquarters in Los Angeles. He continues to travel, teaching seminars world- wide, and makes frequent trips to Japan and China to further his training. He has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and is an actor, writer, poet, musician, and Zen practitioner. He is currently pursuing an advanced graduate degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. For more details, please visit www.wayoflifekarate.com. Read More Read Less