Episode 24: Sensei Samuel Gagnon
Sensei Samuel Gagnon - Episode 24
Do your best. It's not just about winning - it's more about doing your best than winning. Sometimes you can give everything you have on a fight or in something and it won't happen like you want.
Today we're joined by Sensei Samuel Gagnon from Montreal, Canada. Sensei Gagnon is an accomplished kenpo karate martial artist as not only a competitor, but also as a coach and instructor. He's been involved in a number of martial arts teams, and has several world titles under his belt. His story is one of a man that truly loves the martial arts and he's dedicated his life to it. It's hard not to feel sentimental listening to him talk about the sport and the lifestyle that means so much to him.
Show Notes
Movie - BloodsportActors - Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal
Studios Unis de Val-Bélair (United Studios of Val-Bélair) Facebook Page & Website
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below or download here.
Hello everyone and thanks for checking us out today. You're listening to episode 24 of whistlekickMartialArtsRadio the only place to hear the best stories from the best martial artists. I'm your host Jeremy Lesniak and I'm also the founder of whistlekick, makers of the best sparring gear available as well as exciting apparel and accessories for traditional martial artists. You can learn more about our products like our awesome sweat pants over at whistlekick.com and you can learn more about the podcasts including all our past episodes show notes for this one and a lot more at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com and while you're on our website don't forget to sign up for our newsletter full of information, discounts and lots of useful martial arts content and if you're an Android user you can check out our Android app on the Google Play store just search for whistlekick. For all you iOS users out there don't worry your app's on the way and now to the episode. Today we're joined by Sensei Samuel Gagnon from Montreal Canada. Sensei Gagnon is an accomplished martial artist, is a competitor coach and an instructor. He's been involved in a number of martial arts teams and has several world titles under his belt. His story is one of a man that truly loves martial arts and he's dedicated his life to it. It's hard not to feel sentimental listening to him talk about the sport and the lifestyle that means so much to him and with that Sensei Gagnon welcome to whistlekickMartialArtsRadio.Hi Sir, how are you?
Samuel Gagnon:
I'm doing great and how are you today?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Very good very good. It's a we're not too far away, I'm over the border a couple hours from you but we're having a gorgeous Vermont end of summer day, hopefully it's just as beautiful up your way in Canada.
Samuel Gagnon:
Well right now it's raining a little bit but we still have a nice weather it's better than the winter, Canada is really bad in the winter.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yes, it is we have some rough winters in the North east don't we and I wanna thank you. Long time listeners are gonna know that you're the first international guest that we've had so that's kinda fun, that's exciting for me.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah, it's exciting for me to, thank you very much to having me as the first international guest, it's an honor.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wonderful, well let's jump in to our first question why don't you tell me, tell the listeners about how and why you got started in the martial arts.
Samuel Gagnon:
Well the first reason was when I was a kid I just think that my parents had like pretty much every kid starting martial arts I was very young 4 years old and they had to find something to, give me something to do like a sport or something to control my energy and everything so they just registered me at a first karate lessons which is yoseikan I don't know if you know that kind of martial arts and I did like for 6 months of that martial arts and I just find something that I really love and I just kept going but with another branch of martial arts kenpo here in Quebec City and I stick with that style of martial arts in 26 years now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay tell us how you got started with kenpo.
Samuel Gagnon:
Like I said before 6 months after I started with yoseikan my uncle was were doing martial arts and kenpo he was in a studio doing kenpo so I just switched it out for kenpo karate and that was, that way more my style of karate and I found great people that were inspiration for me at that time and my Sensei at that time was someone that I really let's say together he was the perfect sensei for me so I just kept going with them from the age of 5 years old to now and I'm still doing kenpo right now I have a school of kenpo on the same federation so it's under the same people so I'm doing kenpo with Studio Unis that's the name of our organization for 26 years now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's quite a long time to be with the same instructors and the same system there it's not something a lot of people do any more why have you stayed what is it about this group of people, this instructor that you love?
Samuel Gagnon:
Well right now my instructor quit martial arts but we have the same master 04:50 from Studio Unis he used to be the promoter of the Quebec open so maybe lot of people know Quebec open so Claremont is the first guy right now of 05:01 kenpo and I just like I said my first teacher Benny was for me like a second father and we just fit together very well. But one day he quit and I just kept going into my class with Claremont in another school but it's the same organization and the reason why I did that is in the past when I was young let's say at the age of 15, 16 years old I had like kind of a moment in my life was a little bit hard for me like I did not bad things but I was not let's say an example for people but those people just stay with me and keep me feel that if I need help or if I need them they were there all the time and I got a lot of respect for them, they did a lot for me so I'm never gonna quit that organization and that master. It's just like kind of let's say I don't know
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sounds like a family.
Samuel Gagnon:
It is a family for sure but I mean it's something I don't have the word right now cause I'll try to find the right word but I'm gonna stick with those guys and my master and that kind of martial arts yes cause I love kenpo but first of all it's more about the people in that organization than the style that we practice.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Excellent I think it's something that those of us that have trained for a long time can relate to we've all hopefully all have had at least some experience training with a group of people that became more than just training partners or instructors or students that you get to have that family dynamic that you're describing so I think that's wonderful.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah, the way you keep people with you and like you said is it's more than just martial arts I mean all martial arts have their good and bad side I mean some of them are better with punch and kick and self-defense and forms and some of them are but if you find people that you love and you can appreciate not only what you do but the times 07:34 work with them and I think that's the goal.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Absolutely, now you've been training a long and all martial artists have a lot of stories, a lot of great stories but I'd like you to think about your favorite one the best martial arts story you've got and share it with us.
Samuel Gagnon:
Oh I got so much story with martial arts cause like I said I start that when I was 5, 4 years old actually but 5 years old at that actual federation well probably like everybody who does martial arts one of my best story or one of my best moments and so it's more souvenir than story I think for me it's my black belt graduation was like something very special for me cause I was I think 11 years old and with all the group pf adult people we can't say exactly what we do in a black belt graduation but that day was very special. But another one story for me cause I do a lot of tournaments so most of my bog story are about tournaments and traveling and people that I have met in tournaments. One where very funny like I said is another souvenir but it's my first world championship at the age of 16 years old cause we had to travel from Quebec city to Venezuela first cause we had a tournament that week before the world championships and when we were heading back to Canada to Quebec city we just our flight were delayed we had like 35, 36 hours flight to Quebec City and then we had to take a bus from Quebec to Kentucky in the USA to go to that world Championship so we had like 35 hours trip from Venezuela to Quebec and ride in Quebec a bus we had I think it's 30 hours drive from Quebec city going to the World Championships and that was my first one at 16 years old so I was really nervous and very like you know you wanna do well you train hard for this and that was all my life and I had a very big competition at that weekend for the world championship and it ends to a fight in overtime with a guy from Canada for the gold and silver medal and I did that point and I won that tournament so when I wasn't on stage on the podium with that flag for me it's like I said it's more of souvenir than a story with people and things like this but it's probably the best moments of my life in martial arts cause you worked so hard since the age of 5 years old and win that a couple of years like 11 years after was very very a big thing for me.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, that's certainly an incredible story and I think the part that I'm most tuned into is all of that travel I spent a number of years competing pretty heavily at tournaments you know some of them smaller some of them larger and I know that I didn't do my best when I had to drive you know even if a few hours you know I always did my best when I got to stay overnight and I can imagine how I would do with that much travel in the week before, that's incredible and certainly says a lot about your ability to focus and to just put yourself in the moment.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah well, I guess at the age of 16 I was more in shape than right now cause I don't think I can do it again, I don't think it's something I would be able to I need a day before to rest and then be able to fight but like you said it's yeah if we think about it it looks like it was 12:04 like a very big thing after all that traveling but honestly at that moment at that point I don't remember anything else than being a like you said in the moment. I didn't thought about the trip for even if I was tired or it was just the tournaments, that was the only thing in my head you have to like do your best. It's not just about winning it's more about doing your best than winning cause sometimes you can give everything you have on a fight or and something it won't happen like you want. I mean sometimes you can lose sometimes you can win but at that times I had to win might be different but.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, absolutely so let's move on. Normally this next question is about how the martial arts has made you a better person but you've done martial arts let's say your whole life, you started when you were 4. I started when I was 4 I know what that's like to have your entire life from a martial arts beginning. I don't remember anything before martial arts really and
Samuel Gagnon:
I don't remember anything either
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, so your life has been a martial arts life but what would you if you were to imagine yourself in another dimension where you didn't have the martial arts how would you have been different?
Samuel Gagnon:
Well I can easily imagine that cause I've quit martial arts for 1 years and a half maybe 2 years at the age of 18 years old and well everything I learned before that was in my mind at that time but I just quit martial arts cause I did too much martial arts from the age of 5 years to 18 years old. That was like 6 days a week with all those tournaments almost every weekend so you know how it is. We go to school in the morning and then karate school in that night so I just decide to quit and I can tell you that at that time I thought that was a good idea to live without martial arts but I told you a little bit earlier that I had like a moment in my life called that like I don't know how to say that like a bad moment or something that I would erase if I can right now is the moment that I quit martial arts and when I decide to come back on the good side or under the during the good things I had the everything I learned like control discipline, you know how the principle and the honesty and everything we learned with martial arts were there and I just decide to come back at training. I didn't have the intention of being a karate teacher or going to martial arts for the rest of my life I just had in mind that I need martial arts to set my life on the right way and I just came back to martial arts and from that time since that moment I just start training again. I won other tournaments I have my school I everything in my life is now straight way more than when I stopped martial arts. So, I know what it is my life without martial arts and for me being there for 1 years and a half I'm not gonna quit martial arts anymore for sure.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's part of you it is who you are.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah it is who I am and it's everything you learn I mean everything you learn in martial arts helps in you in different area in your life could be at school, could be in your personal life, could be in at work if you don't cause I'm lucky I live for martial arts. I have a school I'm promoting tournaments I have a team so I'm very lucky that I can live from martial arts like I do but if I was not able to I'm pretty sure that everything I learned in martial arts will help me to be a better person or a better or worker or any like you know what I mean. So, everything you learn helps you to be better than you were before.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, I think it you know you're talking a lot excuse me a lot about the side of martial arts that people that are not in martial arts don't fully grasp you know. One of the things that I often say to people is that martial arts makes people better people. It's not just about I mean we notice this is cliché for us. Martial arts isn't just kicking and punching and blocking and fitness, it's ultimately, it's a way to become a better person.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yes, well exactly.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sound like that's what you're saying.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yes, exactly but well I think that's the goal and it's like every other things in life there is a good side and a bad side. I think maybe people think that or don't know a lot about this part of martial arts cause they see maybe the bad things of martial arts. They see the fighting they see hitting each other, they see I don't think the UFC or things like this are a bad bad circuit that's not what I mean but they just see the first degree of that. They see 2 people in a cage beating each other but it's not martial arts I mean it's not the first goal. I use martial arts to teach kids and people like you said I try to bring them to be a better person that's my goal and I use kick and punch to do this but I could be a soccer teacher and I would try to do the same but my things to it would be the soccer but right now I use karate. So, I use fighting and forms and self-defense to teach that but that's my goal.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And it's a great goal and it's one that it sounds like with your passion I'm sure your students are learning those things and that's great and I hope you can continue as you said that you would.
Samuel Gagnon:
Well I would try for sure.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So now I don't know if with the next question you're gonna talk about that time where you weren't in the martial arts but I'd like you to tell us about a rough point a difficult time in your life and how you were able to lean on your martial arts training to make that time better.
Samuel Gagnon:
Well when I quit martial arts and I had that bad moments like I said is it a right way to say that bad moments cause I'm French so sometimes my explanations
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah don't worry
Samuel Gagnon:
Are okay, I didn't have the everything in my life to like I said to put together everything together and then have a nice life. So I didn't have money, didn't have a good work, didn't have a nice apartment, didn't have so when you start in that way you just feel that nothing's go well and you don't I mean you try to find excuse why but the real excuse is that you didn't do the right thing and I think martial arts learned me in the past that everything I did let's say we were talking about that first world championship I did, it's all the works I had put together and for 11 years to come to a world champion title so I just had that moment when I had to come back I just thought about all the efforts and training and things I did to be a world champion and a world champion in point fighting and I said if I can't do this to be a world champion I can put all those same effort and the same hard work discipline, determination, everything we learned to set up my life and try to come back on the right way. So that's I think it's all the ethic of the work and the discipline and the respect and everything you have like I said it's it's all it comes around the same things all the time for me cause it's that's what martial arts brings to me. Brings all those tools to go to anything in my life, could be in a relationship could be in the business relationship could be with my school, with my karate school but it's always around the same things but for me that's what martial arts is all about like you said before.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, so I'd like you to think of someone now other than your instructor that was really important in your martial arts upbringing and that doesn't necessarily mean your training but just someone that was influential for you in the martial arts that you got that meant a lot to you.
Samuel Gagnon:
Does this have to be in the past at my beginning or it could be like in to couple of years or
Jeremy Lesniak:
In anytime.
Samuel Gagnon:
Okay right now one of the person who was very inspiration for me and made a big difference in my martial arts life is Mike Conroy. He's the he was the coach of pretty much all the big teams in the US 22:39 team CGB you know Mike Conroy, right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I know that name absolutely.
Samuel Gagnon:
So, he was for me he's probably the best coach from all time. A couple of years ago when I was picked up on full team full circle. I was a Canadian and he picked me in the team and we would just start to do tournaments together and he's way to coach people, his way to analyze the fight, his way to be close with all of us and be a very good coach but not just a good coach a good for everybody on the team was very for me I'd learn a lot of things from him not just about my fighting style or the way to beat people but the way he coaches people. He makes me a better coach cause right now I can't fight anymore cause I got some injury so I'm a coach now I'm running a team. I have junior teams and a professional teams and Mike Conroy still work with me right now but from what I learned from him in coaching he made me a better coach and a better person in tournaments that I was before I met him so he's one of the big influence in my martial arts life if we don't talk about all my instructor and 24:05 he's one of the he was my master before so I could not talk about my lineage of martial arts Mike Conroy is the most influence people in my life right now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, and he's a great person to pick to answer that question absolutely. So, we've talked a little bit about your time with competition but now let's focus on it and tell us about what it was that you loved about competition or didn't love why did you do it, tell us about your time for you as a competitor.
Samuel Gagnon:
Well I used to do tournaments since I'm 6 years old. I love tournaments I love the not compare myself to other fighters or to other martial artist. I love to compete against myself I love to work to be the best not the best of the other guys like I said just the best that I can be. I'd love to train and I love the I love to have a goal. So that competition world gave me that things that I need to be motivated I mean it keeps me working harder and harder and I've never been the best fighters in the circuit or but just to be able to fight with all the best and giving them challenge cause I know that I can beat anybody anyway but I'm not the best on the circuit was for me a big inspiration so it keeps me training than and working very hard every single time I wasn't in the dojo or at the gyms. So and tournaments brings you a lot of things it learns you how to lose how to win, 25:55 to respect on every body teach you how to work on you cause you need to work a lot of things when you lose or win at tournaments not only on your martial arts side but also on yourself person cause it's not all about kick and punch and technique when you lose at tournaments, you have to know why and what can I do and so I really love tournaments, I think tournaments brings people another aspects of the martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah I agree and I think for a lot of people that outside motivation especially if you're someone that is towards the upper ranks or maybe you're the best fighter in your gym your dojo or you're the best at doing your forms to compete especially on a large scale like you did gives you the opportunity to be around so many other people that are potentially better than you and some of them are definitely going to be better than you at least on some days and that motivation can be really good for a lot of people. I know it was for me and it sounds like it was for you.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah and just the amount of people that we met in tournaments and the amount of friends, let's call it this friends cause it's people that we see 6, 7, 8, 10 times a year and we only see those person in tournaments but when we see those guys and we are competing with those but before and after it's kind of a big family in the tournaments. It's weird cause we're gonna hit each other but before and after everybody talks together, everybody goes and have dinner before the tournaments or after the tournaments and just the amount of friends that I have met in tournaments gives me the well I mean it works every minute that I worked for tournaments or that I had to travel just cause I've met all those people.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, and I can relate to that I have friends that I have known for more than 20 years now because of tournaments and if it wasn't for those friendships, those relationships, whistlekick the business that you know has this podcast it wouldn't exist I wouldn't have been able to start it.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah. So, I mean every second we worked and everything we do to go on tournaments cause it's a lot of time then work and money and everything but if weren't just when we look at the big pictures at the end and you say I've been there and there and I've met those people and I've have so many good friends now that I can count on it and so it's I mean I think nothing can be better than martial arts world in the tournament. I like the tournament works I can't competing anymore like I said but I'm still going in it, pretty much every tournament cause I just love it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Are you willing to talk about this injury that you have?
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah, I got I have 3 hernias in my neck I think it's between C, but I think that I know it's between C3, C4, C5 and C6 and one of them is touching the spinal cord so every time I got hit it's kinda a danger well I got a big chance that if I get hit hard I could be half of paralyzed or just paralyzed like 100% paralyzed. So, I mean I love tournaments but it doesn't worth my life so that's why I have to quit and now I try to work differently but I'm still involved in tournaments everywhere cause I love it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Good, now if you could train with some one that you haven't before whether they're a live or not who would that be and why?
Samuel Gagnon:
That I haven't trained, Bill Wallace he was a great fighter a great martial artist I would really like to know how he kicks like this cause that's crazy. He's one of the good point fighter we had in tournaments so I would say him or Pedro Xavier was for me when I was young Pedro Xavier was he was the man in fighting. I've never seen something like this and I remember one time he probably doesn’t even know that he doesn't know me probably but I was young and we had a team fight with them. So, I didn't train with him and I was I think I was 15 years old not more than this cause I used to fight in the adult division at that age and we had a team fight with Paul Mitchell and I fought with Pedro Xavier and he just kicked me like I think it's 4 times in the face like boom boom boom boom. I never see anything and I mean even if I try the 100% I cannot what happened, I just didn't see anything and that was crazy. I was happy after the fight just I fought Pedro Xavier and I was beat 8 - 0 probably but I was happy. But I would like to learn some that guys cause he was phenomenal.
Jeremy Lesniak:
They're 2 tremendous fighters and I think those are great choices. I haven't been lucky enough to meet Mr. Xavier but we actually did a seminar with Bill Wallace just a couple of weeks ago down here in Vermont and I've gotten to know him a little bit and he's been on the show and he's gonna be 70 years old this year and he is still a better fighter than I will ever be. He's incredible.
Samuel Gagnon:
Oh, he's incredible but like I said there are so many people but you said people that I didn't train wit cause I have trained with lots of great fighters, great martial artists in the past but I didn't train with those ones so those ones would be my best pick up right now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, who's let's go off script a little bit who's maybe the most fun you've ever had training with someone.
Samuel Gagnon:
I've trained with Raymond Daniels a couple months ago, we trained with one of my best training was Jayson 33:05. He came in Quebec City long time ago and he was supposed to be here for a seminar and he just stick with us for 3 months in Quebec City. Yeah, he came down for seminars and he hand out with giving all the summer camps and everything and for me Jayson 33:30 is one of the better martial artists we had since long time cause he's a crazy athletic guy, he can do forms traditional forms and of course fighting he was a great fighter, he's still a great fighter he's still competing right now. He's not that old if you compare to me I think he's like 6 or 7 years more than me but when I was young 12, 13, 14 I was looking at him as a big star and he came down in Quebec and he we had very big fun and I learned a lot from him. He's a very very talented martial artist, the most for me he's one for the most talented martial artist we had.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure cool, how about movies do you have any martial arts movies a favorite maybe?
Samuel Gagnon:
Bloodsport that was my it’s movie that I, if I didn't see that movie 100 times I didn't see that movie.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Really, what is it about that movie that you like?
Samuel Gagnon:
Honestly everything, the way it's just maybe because it's related to tournaments cause it's kind of martial arts tournaments with all different kind of martial arts involved on that. The ways the guys win the tournaments with that just the honesty that he did it and the way he trained and the way everything happened. I think that that's a great movie and I just saw this movie maybe I don't know when it came out but probably at the same time than the first years it came out I just love that movie so since there I think I look in this movie every year 2 3 times a year.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think I mean of course we list all of our guest movie picks in the show notes on the website which for everyone listening whistlekickmartialartsradio.com but I wanna say cause we've had bloodsport as a pick before I wanna say with 89, 90 somewhere in there so it's been out for a long time but it's a classic.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah it is.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think it's the first movie that made Van Damme a star.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah, I think yes, I don't know cause I was young at that time so I don't know he was a star before but for me it's one of my best movies. I'm not a guy who listen to lots of movie but this is one of my favorites for sure.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay how about a favorite martial arts actor?
Samuel Gagnon:
Jeremy Lesniak:
Why Jackie Chan?
Samuel Gagnon:
Everything is funny with Jackie Chan and I think he works pretty much everything he does he'd do it himself I mean he try to do all these stunts and everything, everything is almost real. What I don't like in martial arts movie right now it's the way they, everything is not the take but I mean you cannot jump in the air do 5 turns and the 360 kicks and then going down a guy it looks incredible when you look at it but for me it doesn't make sense. If you look at Jackie Chan movie everything kinda makes sense. So, I would say Jackie Chan or the guy from Aikido.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Steven Seagal.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah exactly, him or Steven Seagal cause I like to see something real and it looks real when you look at Steven Seagal or Jackie Chan
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah
Samuel Gagnon:
More than lots of those karate actors.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah absolutely, it's nice to be able to see someone that they don't have to play tricks with the camera. They don't have to speed things up they don't have to do a lot of edits to show that it's real martial arts. I can appreciate that absolutely.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah go for it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
How about books?
Samuel Gagnon:
I don't read a lot of books honestly.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Samuel Gagnon:
I'm not a fan of books of course I've read a couple of books about kenpo or I have a couple of books about martial arts but I'm learning the story when I go into seminars or when I listen people or when I talk with people. I'm not a big fan of books.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's okay, not everyone is and you're not the first person to say that it's I think the martial arts attracts so many different types of people that different people learn different ways. Some people learn better from seminar, some people learn better from reading and being able to reread and so that's fine.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah and I guess it's something I would like to try to start slowly I mean one point in my life I think I would be able to sit down and take the time to read and learn story and learn more about martial arts and there's a lot of things you can learn when you read but since I'm young and not like I said a big fan of that but I wanna became more a reader a little bit. I wanna try to but right now the life is so fast that I don't even have the time to sit down and read for an hour.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I can relate. So, you're still training you're still teaching, you're coaching, you've got a lot going on are there any goals that you have any martial arts goals?
Samuel Gagnon:
Well my martial arts goal right now we have a new let's call this a new master or we work a lot with Hanshi 39:47. So about my traditional martial arts life I wanna go deeper into that kyushu ryu and kenpo self-defense and technique and everything so yeah it's all the difference that we used to do before so it's new for me so that is one of my goals to learn as much as I can from Hanshi 40:15 and bring that to my style of kenpo but if we talk about my goal in tournaments and in my sport karate life, I just started new teams 3, 4 months ago. You probably the company Hayabusa, right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Samuel Gagnon:
So Hayabusa just start 40:39 one year ago with all the karate equipment the gear uniforms, fighting uniforms, traditional gi, belt everything we need to do martial arts. We didn't have these before and from that we have professional teams. So, my goal is to bring Hayabusa team to be the number 1 team at tournaments. It's a goal that I try to work with Mike Conroy and me as a manager and Mike Conroy as the head coach so that's my big goal right now, this and the team Hayabusa junior team. I got a big Hayabusa team in Canada for junior, for me they are the best junior in Canada of course are my kids so I'm not a
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure and of course it was one of the team members on Hayabusa that introduced us and a past guest on the show Freddie Lapan.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah exactly and like I said right now I cannot compete anymore so my goal is to use everything I've learned in tournaments and in martial arts and in my life to bring my team, team Hayabusa as the team the number 1 team in the circuit but also to bring all my students to be a better fighter and to try to give them what Mike Conroy and my teacher and everybody gave to me in the past so they can just perform more. So right now, I try to work more in my students in my teams than on me.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay do you see that changing at any point?
Samuel Gagnon:
You mean changing for the kids and the team?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well to focus on you?
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah of course it makes me work different, it's a different way of life to work at that way but I just like it like I said I if I was able to keep doing tournaments and fighting and stuff like this I would continue for sure but I wanna stay involved in this.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure
Samuel Gagnon:
So, I'm gonna do everything I can to help those kids and the teams to better team or a better fighter, or better kids or, that's my goal.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, okay and of course we're gonna have links, I'll get link from you to the team and so people can follow team Hayabusa on social media you know you guys really have quite a good roster of athletes, it's pretty impressive the folks that you've put together in sort of a short time, of course.
Samuel Gagnon:
Yeah yeah, it's a new team. It's hard to put everybody together and bring fighters and we don't my goal is not to go on another team and pick another fighter, if they are coming to us and they are interested in being on our team of course if it fits with our goal and everything we will think about it but it's hard to tell people that we have a good team and bring all those good guys cause of course if they're that good people are looking at them and then we are new on the circuit so we have to work very hard to have that good 44:16 like you said but I think we did pretty much a good job right now actually.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I would agree so let's wrap it up what do you have for advice, people that are listening, that are training maybe they're feeling like they're at a point where you were they're thinking about stepping away from martial arts or they've just come back or whatever else they've got going on, what advice would you give to people?
Samuel Gagnon:
Well I would have 2 advices, first is for all the parents that are listening that if you don't do martial arts or your kids doesn't do martial arts I guess not a lot of people who listen to this doesn't do martial arts but just involve your kids in martial arts and keep them involved in martial arts. Sometimes we are afraid to force our kids at the age of 6, 7, 8 years old cause we don't wanna push them somewhere they don't wanna go but I think that sometimes it gives them just the little things they need to keep going in martial arts and that martial arts life will help them forever, that's the first advice, if you have kids just show them in the martial arts world and try to keep them involved in this any way you can cause it's a good way of living that's my first advice. The other one is more for competitors or even just a practitioner, sometimes we are tired of something or we just want to quit like you said but we never know how close we are to succeed. Sometimes people quit and if they would just try one more time they would succeed on some things, could be in tournaments, could be in graduation, could be in something in your life so I would say never quit just keep going on cause you never know how close you are to win or succeed or to be able to reach your goal.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Excellent advice, well Sensei Gagnon I really appreciate you being here coming on the show and sharing all of this with us.
Samuel Gagnon:
Well I appreciate that you have me on the show, thank you very much.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thanks for listening to episode 24 of whistlekickMartialArtsRadio and thank you to Sensei Gagnon. If you liked the show please subscribe so you never miss out in the future and if you could help us by leaving a 5-star review wherever you download your podcast, it really would make a difference. Those reviews that help new listeners find the show and if you hear us read yours on the air, go ahead and email us and we're gonna send you out a shirt, water bottle and some other great stuff, just email us info@whistlekick.com and we're even gonna cover the shipping on that. Don't forget you can check out the show notes with photos and links to all the stuff that we talked about today over at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com and while you're there if you wanna be a guest on the show or you know someone that would be a great interview please fill out the guest form and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you can keep up on everything whistlekick. If you wanna follow us on social media we're on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and Instagram all with the username whistlekick. And while you're at it check out the great stuff we have at whistlekick.com, gears, shirts, pants and a whole bunch more. All made for martial artists by martial artists. So, until next time train hard, smile and have a great day.