Hi, my name is Jack Gustafson. My wife Beverly and I started our business, St. Cloud Karate Instruction, in 1975. We've been teaching martial arts in St. Cloud, Minnesota and surrounding towns continuously up to the present day ever since.
Our path of study and training has been long and varied. As for myself, I started out training in boxing at the age of (5) with my father. My formal martial arts training started with Japanese Shotokan karate and Kodokan Judo back in the fall of 1967, when I first attended what was then called St. Cloud State College. I trained for one year in both arts until my judo instructor moved away. I continued my karate training for one more year until I was drafted by the U.S. Army and underwent another kind of training (military) during the Viet Nam era.
After my stint in the service I returned to SCSU to "finish" (is education EVER really finished?) my formal education with a degree in Sociology. I also took up where my karate studies had left off, though I did have to start in again with a new teacher. During the twenty years I primarily trained in Shotokan karate, I also trained in Aikido for a number of years, followed by Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan. I later trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu, Ryukyu (Okinawan) Kempo and Kobudo (Ancient Weapons), and the Russian art of Systema ("The System"). My study of T'ai Chi, Kempo, and Systema continues today.
Beverly's training started after I had returned from my military service obligation. When I came back to college, she joined me and we both trained under the same instructor in Shotokan. Once the "karate bug" had bitten her Beverly made a life-long commitment to it and has continuously trained in Karate, Kempo, Kobudo, and T'ai Chi Ch'uan ever since. Her training continues as well.
As of this writing, neither one of us ever sees a need to stop training--or passing along to future generation--all the wonderful benefits that the martial arts have bestowed upon us. We both have great health, strength, flexibility, and balance. Our minds are clear, and we take no medications. What a great way for us to enter our Golden Years! We have been greatly blessed by our practice of the martial arts, that's for sure. Retirement? What's that?!
Our path of study and training has been long and varied. As for myself, I started out training in boxing at the age of (5) with my father. My formal martial arts training started with Japanese Shotokan karate and Kodokan Judo back in the fall of 1967, when I first attended what was then called St. Cloud State College. I trained for one year in both arts until my judo instructor moved away. I continued my karate training for one more year until I was drafted by the U.S. Army and underwent another kind of training (military) during the Viet Nam era.
After my stint in the service I returned to SCSU to "finish" (is education EVER really finished?) my formal education with a degree in Sociology. I also took up where my karate studies had left off, though I did have to start in again with a new teacher. During the twenty years I primarily trained in Shotokan karate, I also trained in Aikido for a number of years, followed by Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan. I later trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu, Ryukyu (Okinawan) Kempo and Kobudo (Ancient Weapons), and the Russian art of Systema ("The System"). My study of T'ai Chi, Kempo, and Systema continues today.
Beverly's training started after I had returned from my military service obligation. When I came back to college, she joined me and we both trained under the same instructor in Shotokan. Once the "karate bug" had bitten her Beverly made a life-long commitment to it and has continuously trained in Karate, Kempo, Kobudo, and T'ai Chi Ch'uan ever since. Her training continues as well.
As of this writing, neither one of us ever sees a need to stop training--or passing along to future generation--all the wonderful benefits that the martial arts have bestowed upon us. We both have great health, strength, flexibility, and balance. Our minds are clear, and we take no medications. What a great way for us to enter our Golden Years! We have been greatly blessed by our practice of the martial arts, that's for sure. Retirement? What's that?!
