Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio Podcast #6: Shihan Wayne Mello

This week’s episode of Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio features an interview with a man I respect very much. As both an individual and a martial artist, Shihan Mello is great. Jeremy Lesniak: Hello everyone and welcome back to episode 6 of whistlekickMartialArtsRadio, my name’s Jeremy Lesniak your host for the show and the president of whistlekick sparring gear and apparel. On today’s show, we have Shihan Wayne Mello, a Shotokan karate instructor and promoter from central Massachusetts. Shihan Mello is one of my former instructors and I had a great time talking to him. Despite knowing him for more than 20 years, I learned a lot about his past and what really makes him tick. Stay tuned, I think you’ll love this episode. Shihan Mello, welcome to whistlekickMartialArtsRadio. Wayne Mello: Good to be here. Jeremy Lesniak: Well I thank you for coming on and talking to me I know it’s a little early, I know you’re a little under the weather there but I think we can get through this okay, you sound fine on my end so. Wayne Mello: Well that’s good, I’m feeling good. Jeremy Lesniak: Okay so why don’t you start by telling us, I mean of course I know your martial arts history good portion of it, but how about you tell everybody else? How you got started, where and when and all that. Wayne Mello: Okay I got started in martial arts, I used to do boxing when I was a kid and then one day we had this guy come up who is a black belt and kyokushin and he just blew me away and I just knew that I had to do something like this is probably around 1968 and unfortunately I didn’t come from a well to do family and everything so, I wasn’t able to take a karate lessons and I was just follow this guy for a little while and I end up and stuff about 8 years and when I got out my instructor 01:46 and I trained with him and 01:49 out of Boston who just came here from japan. That’s where I got my martial arts black belt, from him and I studied the same style throughout my career. Always going to 02:05