VietNamNet Bridge – It took nearly 32 years of training in the martial art of karate before Master Doan Dinh Long was ready to set up his own school in Ha Noi, following his introduction to the Japan-born art in the central city of Hue.

Originally called the Karate Doan Long School, it was renamed in honour of martial arts guru Choiji Suzuki - the founder of Viet Nam's Suzucho Karatedo Ryu branch of karate in 1940.

Long, 64, built the karate school to develop the martial art in Viet Nam, and has trained thousands of martial arts enthusiasts since he set up his first centre in Dong Da district in 1983.

"The martial arts school was my dream. I wanted to develop one of the most popular codes of karate in Viet Nam. I hope that more and more young people will take up the sport, because I'm afraid that the Suzucho strain in Viet Nam will die out if the next generation does not follow in my footsteps," Long said.

He also explained that karate had brought him a happy life and helped him stay strong through a heart condition he has had for nearly 40 years ago.

The seventh dan (grade) black belt master survived heart surgery in 1974, 1994 and 2001.

The master was born in the Year of the Pig – a year astrologers say ensures a life of contentment.

At just 27 years old, he underwent his first major operation at Viet Duc Hospital in Ha Noi, but he never forgot his passion for martial arts.

During his six months' convalescence, Long found another reason to go on. A trainee nurse at the hospital, Le Thi Ai, took a fancy to him. Three months after he was discharged, they were married.

Long said most doctors had given him little more than seven years to live, but he said he felt he had to fight the disease head-on.

"I had to win – it was the only way."

He said we all meet death in the end, but if a person gets a second chance, they have to return to what they love.

Five years after his first heart operation, Long started attending the school of Master Le Van Thanh - a student of Master Choiji Suzuki.

"I started training with Chinese shaolin and shandong when I was young. I saved money and time to study and practise at different martial arts schools, which gave me a deep knowledge and diverse skill-set," he recalled.

Long, who has trained dozens of Vietnamese karatedo artists to international glory, became coach of the Ha Noi karate team in 1986.

He took charge of the national team in 1992, one year before the team won two gold medals at the Southeast Asia Games.

Following his second successful heart operation, he took the national team to the 1994 Japan Asian Games, where his proteges Pham Hong Ha and Tran Van Thong both won silver medals in combat events.

In 1999, the Hanoian achieved the highest rank of a karate master, seventh dan black belt, after tough examinations in Japan, Germany and China.

In early 2001, he fell ill for the third time, but he continued to coach his team for the SEA Games in Malaysia, before going under the knife.

Once again, he walked away as the winner from a fight to the death, something of a miracle given his previous problems.

Long explained that karate had made him sanguine and calm.

"He is not only a teacher, but also a friend. He instils us with the determination and ambition to be the best we can," said colleague Pham Hong Ha, who is now assistant coach of the national karate team.

Nguyen Trong Hung, one of Long's students, said karate had its beauty, with short and quick hand blows.

"A skillful black belt performs with both balance and power. You cannot sway your body like in other martial arts, you have to keep your head and eyes straight at all times," Hung said.

The 37-year-old, who is a former member of the Public Security team, added that Long had acquired the best skills from Suzucho, and combined them with other techniques from different martial arts schools in Viet Nam.

"Long can stun an opponent by delivering a punch longer than his arm length. It's a technique you can develop by lengthening the joints in the shoulders, elbows and wrists. You should not know that if you are a beginner with a brown belt," Hung confided.

Last year, Hung decided to send his 10-year-old daughter, Nguyen Khanh Linh, to train at Long's School.

"I love training at the school. I want to be a skilful artist, so at least I can defend myself against bullies," Linh said.

Nguyen Nhat Minh, an overweight eight-year-old, said his parent let him train at the school three times a week, for a monthly fee of just VND100,000 (US$4.5).

"I really enjoy martial arts. My coaches told me that training would make me stronger and brave. However, the first few weeks haven't been easy, but I'll try to catch up with my friends," Minh said.

Long said each trainee at the school had to pass an exam after three or four months training. If they did not pass, they were relegated to a lower class.

"I still have the discipline that was instilled in me years ago. Only hard-working trainees pass the exams we organise every three months," Long said.

Long and his five coaches work for four hours every afternoon at the school with 200 trainees.

"I've developed a course that allows kids to start training from the age of five or six. It helps to promote Suzucho in Viet Nam. I hope my descendants will continue on the path that I've followed for half a century."

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News