Interview with Shihan Becky Sheetz-Runkle

An old proverb says that out of 10,000.00 students only one will be called Sensei. My first question is how does it feel to have the title of Shihan?
One of the things I've always like about Sho Bushido Ryu is that we don't get too caught up on titles. I've learned that people who demand you call them by a certain title in the martial arts are typically full of hot air. A sensei is, by definition, one who has gone before. A shihan is typically a master distinction and I feel like I fall very short of that. It's my title because my instructor says it's my title and that's our standard. Besides in traditional Japanese martial arts, these titles are typically used on paper more than spoken.

Searched the internet and there are not a lot of women with your rank in martial arts. I must say, you are the fist women I've known that reached your level in the Martial Arts and especially Jujitsu. Do you know any women that are at your grade?
One of the other things I really like about Sho Bushido Ryu, we don't get caught up in gender or any of the other things that make each of us different. They don't matter on the mat. Hutchins Sensei never taught me as his female student. He taught me as his student. And I have always highly regarded that. I've noticed that instructors who make that distinction teach their females differently, often requiring less. And that's ironic since women really need to be better in order to defend themselves.

I've never met a female over the rank of 3rd, as far as I can remember, in any system. But I'm sure there are quite a number out there.

I assume grade increases your duties and responsibilities under Sho Bushido Ryu Bujutsu? And may I ask, what are they and how does it affect your life?
The highest responsibility is to my instructor, because all the jujitsu I have is because of him. Next to that, the highest responsibility is to myself. Some may think it should be to my students, but I don't see it that way. I'm responsible for training, for learning and for growing. If I don't take that seriously, I'm nothing to my students, myself or Sho Bushido.

As to Sho Bushido, I'm responsible for furthering the art. Our Soke founded the art and its come very far in the few years since it has been formal. But we can do much more with it, and that's what he expects. I'm not sure exactly how I'll be able to contribute to it, but I am committed to doing so. I require excellence of myself every time I represent Sho Bushido, but I think we should all have that responsibility, no matter what our rank.

What is required to obtain a black belt, and how long does it take to reach a fifth degree?
We have hourly requirements on paper. But I think Hutchins Sensei's requirements are much like the modern head of ninjitsu, Hatsumi . He is known for having arbitrary standards for rank, but they are his standards. When he thinks you are ready to be promoted, you're promoted.

On paper, under average circumstances with average time in training, it should take 2 years to get to Sho Dan. And Sho Dan is really only a baseline. It's a great achievement, but it's a start. Then it should take 2 more to Ni Dan, 3 to San Dan, 4 to Yon Dan and 5 to Go Dan. That's sixteen years. I was promoted to Go Dan in 10 years. I've been very consistent in my training since opening the Woodbridge dojo in 2002. And I train all the time. I'm always teaching, working on jujitsu movements, doing bag work, and working out. I read and write a lot about martial arts. It's a passion and it defines me. I think that passion should be a requirement for Go Dan. Being a very good teacher with a desire to pass Sho Bushido on should also be a requirement.

But like Hatsumi's students, I don't really know Hutchins Sensei's standards. They are his. And when he says you're ready, you're ready.

I notice before you started studying Jujitsu you were already an accomplished martial artist. You hold an E Dan (2nd Degree, Korean) in Tang Soo Do under Master John Weaver, and a Sho Dan in Shotokan under Sensei Rick Litton. Are you parents and grandparents martial art practitioners too?
Oh, no nobody I knew even trained. None of my friends trained and it wasn't until I'd been training for a few years that I even shared with any friends that I trained. It was very personal to me. I've always been a loaner, which is more suited to martial arts than team sports. If my parents or grandparents trained, I'd probably do something different that was entirely my own. But I can't imagine not training.


Impressive, you have seventeen years experience in the martial arts. As well a rounded artist, you also studied karate and kickboxing. How did you get started in martial arts? And do you have a style preference?
Every September I commemorate another year training and it's always a big deal to me. How I got started was just to walk in the doors of my first dojo. I was hooked and knew I wanted to run my own school in no time. I stayed in my community and went to community college before going to Temple University. I wanted to get my first Dan in karate before leaving. Watching Steven Segall movies in high school turned me onto jujitsu, and I found Sho Bushido, though it went by a different name, shortly after arriving at Temple.

If I could only study one style, it would be jujitsu. I love jujitsu. I am jujitsu and jujitsu is me. But I enjoy some elements of other systems, particularly kickboxing. I like hitting, especially punching. I really like hitting. And I like teaching myself to generate more and more power. It's just fun to me.

If somebody wants to try and harm me, they aren't picking a fight with jujitsu. They're fighting with Becky. The tools in my toolbox are the ones I think I need to defend myself, make me well rounded and that I enjoy doing. I would one day like to train in a traditional Japanese sword style and am currently looking to find time in my schedule to do so. Why? Because I think it will make my jujitsu better.


A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend one of your classes. I really enjoyed your class. You are an excellent teacher. How did you discover Jujitsu? What encouraged you to study martial arts?
Segall movies had as much to do with me and jujitsu as anything. I will always have a special place in my heart for him, like him or not. If not for him, I'd probably be a high ranking karate practitioner, wondering why I wasn't good enough to overtake the bigger stronger guys.


My last question, what is martial art to you?
This could be the topic of a book, you know. I could talk about this for days. I think one of my favorite Bruce Lee quotes speaks well here. He said when he first started training, a punch was just a punch and a kick was just a kick. As he got better and learned more, he began to understand all of the intricacies, complexities and nuances of punching and kicking. Then, after many years later, he realized that a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.

To me, martial arts is that essence. It's when you reach the point where you stop examining the nuances, because you finally understand them. It's when you begin to internalize the essence of the techniques. It's that point when you aren't focusing on learning jujitsu; you become jujitsu. Having said that, learning new things should be a never-ending pursuit. If you don't want to learn, you should pack it up and retire from martial arts. Find a new hobby. But if you are internalizing the essence of jujitsu, you approach learning differently. And this is a process you can't rush. As one of my white belt students said very well, "Less is more."