Lynda Hatch

Khuen Khru Lynda Hatch tells her story of how a person with a handicap can still succeed in achieving goals. Lynda's been married for 30+ years to her husband, Dave. 

Q. You were born deaf, correct?

Lynda:  Yes, but the politically correct word nowadays is, hearing-impaired.

Q. How does this affect your martial arts training?

Lynda:  Well, I miss a lot during seminars, lectures, and dialogue with more than two people.  Lip-reading helps but it is sporadically understood as to what someone is saying.  Everybody’s lips move differently.  Most Instructors move around, and I cannot read their lips.  I rely on my husband to interpret during seminars, which can be difficult at times for him as things move fast.  At best, I go by visual movements.  During sparring/demos, I cannot hear verbal instructions, or subtle sounds such as an opponent’s breathing, foot & hand movements.  It is strictly a visual event for me. 

Q. When did you begin studying martial arts?

Lynda:  In 1969, I started learning martial arts when I was in my first year at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Michigan.   It was a Japanese system of Karate called Shito-Ryu.  During that time I met my husband, Dave, who was an assistant Instructor.  Later, I received my first Black Belt in 1977.

Q. What other martial arts have you studied?

Lynda:  We moved in 1985, and Dave and I started going to seminars on Jun Fan Gung-Fu / JKD and the Filipino Martial Arts taught by Guro Dan Inosanto in Lansing, Michigan.  I really wanted to learn how to handle knife attacks, and this seminar was an eye-opening experience.  Since then, I became a part of Guro Dan’s Instructor program and achieved the Associate Level in 2001. I have several rankings which include Mande Muda Pencak Silat under the late Pendakar Herman Suwanda, Lameco Escrima under the late Punong Guro Edgar Sulite, Wing Chun under Sifu Francis Fong, and Muay Thai / Thai Boxing under Ajarn Surachai Sirisute.

Q. How and when were you exposed to Muay Thai?

Lynda:   During the late 1980’s, my husband and I attended at a joint seminar in Chicago with Guro Dan and Ajarn Chai, and my first impression was, WOW!  What a workout.  It was tough, but it kept me in great shape.  I had never even thought about testing for an Instructor Level in Muay Thai.  My initial impression of Ajarn Chai was not too good.  To me he seemed mean and arrogant.  But as the years went by, I got to know him better, and would enjoy seeing him smile.  However, the training and conditioning were still tough and demanding.  More then ten years later, I finally decided to take the Muay Thai apprenticeship test, six months after my husband took his test.  

Q. How old were you when you took your test?

Lynda:  I was 48 years old.  I’m 5’2” tall and weigh 112 pounds. My two feeders were, LaTanya Charlson from Virginia, and Oscar Kallet from Ohio.  Both were taller, bigger, and younger than me, and because I was over 40, Ajarn Chai said that they would not be as hard on me during the test as they are with younger people.  HA!  It was not quite true as far as I was concerned.  It was a tough and nerve-wracking test, but I was determined and focused to get through it as best as I could.  

Q. Because of your profound hearing loss, were there any adjustments to your test?

Lynda:  I went through the same test, as any hearing person would have to go through.  Dave would interpret the instructions from Ajarn Chai for me.  Due to not hearing the music for the Ram Muay (ceremony), I had to perform at a pace that I thought to be correct.  According to Ajarn Chai, I was a little too fast but I had great form.  During the two 3-minute rounds of my test, I could not hear the counters for knee strikes and round kicks, or people cheering me on.  Dave tried to fill me in on the numbers of kicks and knees when I happened to see him in front of me.  But to get through it, I just had to depend totally on an inner strength and faith in myself.  Plus, knowing that the people were supporting me really helped a lot.

Q. Any last comments?