Cancer survivor, 78, earns black belt from Arlington Heights dojo

Bob Koga has been practicing the Japanese martial art of aikido two hours a day, up to five times per week for the past nine years with one goal in mind - a black belt.

On Thursday, Koga, a 78-year-old Palatine resident and the oldest student at the Ryoshinkan Dojo in Arlington Heights, was presented with his black belt and a hakama - a traditional Japanese garment - inscribed with his name.

"'Ko' means engineer or creator and 'ga' means grace," sensei and chief instructor Tim Spies told him. "You truly are a creator of grace."

For Koga, the path to a black belt in aikido has been something of a lifelong journey, one that included numerous detours and, more recently, a battle with cancer.

Growing up in Hawaii, Koga wanted to try aikido, a method of self-defense that uses locks, holds and moves that cause an opponent's own momentum to work against him, but his friends were more interested in other sports. Later on he saw a Boy Scout leader demonstrate the skills and wished he knew how to send possible attackers flying through the air with ease.

But his interest took a back burner as Koga moved to the suburbs, got married and had a family.

After he retired, Koga saw a flyer for the Arlington Heights dojo and decided to finally give aikido a try.

"Time was running out," he said.

In classes filled with younger students, including teenagers, Koga said he wasn't intimidated to be the oldest in the room.

"I didn't have a choice; I'm just the oldest," he said. "This group of people is great. Everybody is willing to help you and encourage you."

Spies said Koga has always been his most dedicated student, never missing an event and often encouraging other students to practice more often.

But about a year ago Spies noticed that Koga was coming to practice only once or twice a week.

"I said 'Bob, what, are you getting lazy,'" Spies remembers. "He said, 'No sensei, I have cancer. I'm in treatment.'" It was the first that his friends had heard of Koga's prostate cancer diagnosis.

However, Koga didn't let radiation treatments keep him from the dojo.

"I thought if I stayed away too long I might get rusty," he said. "And if you're doing (aikido) you don't have time to think about, 'why is this happening to me?'"

When Koga finished his cancer treatments, he decided to dedicate the rest of 2015 to getting his black belt. In December, he passed a 30-minute demonstration of his skills that included fending off a four-man attack.

"Getting a black belt is not easy in any art," Spies said. "It's not just the physical aspect, but how you conduct yourself on the mat and off the mat as a person. It says a lot about perseverance, determination and commitment."

While presenting him with his new rank on Thursday, Spies told Koga that watching him train has touched his heart. His classmates bowed to him and clapped in congratulations.

Koga takes his new designation seriously.

"It's a lot of responsibility to have a black belt," he said.

Just because Koga finally reached his goal, doesn't mean he is slowing down anytime soon. He hopes to get a second black belt in the art, maybe by age 85.

He said aikido and his friends at the dojo keep his health and his sense of humor in good shape.

"I like to throw people around. I don't so much like when it happens to me, but I like to throw others," he said with a laugh. "I really enjoy this. I'll be here as long as I don't get hurt."