Lynda Hatch was born with a hearing impairment that was discovered around 6 months of age. So, don't be shocked when you hear a male voice on this podcast! Her husband, David Hatch, graciously translates throughout the interview. Lynda wanted to make sure that listeners knew she was the one answering the questions and her husband is translating so you will on occasion hear her respond verbally before David translates. Lynda and David met early in her training years and they have practiced and taught together ever since. They have resided in Michigan for many years.
Why did Lynda begin martial arts as a young woman at a time when women students were few and far between, anyway? She wanted to learn how to protect herself and she also experienced some bullying as a young girl (not for being deaf but for her red hair and religion!) which prompted her to seek out martial arts. Lynda began martial arts in the late 1960's. She earned her 1st degree black belt in Karate in April, 1977. She was the only female in a male-dominated karate club. She shares insights on how she learned martial arts during these years without any verbal cues like counting or not being able to hear an opponent's breath or movement during sparring.
In 1985, Lynda and David met Guru Dan Inosanto (Guru Dan Inosanto has over 40 years’ experience in the martial arts and is a world authority in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts) at a seminar and their training with him continued though seminars and private trainings. Lynda says that she learned to be a good instructor from those who trained her. She has a huge list of accomplishments and gives credit to Guru Dan Inosanto and Sifu Francis Fong, as well as others, for her accomplishments. We all know, though, that dedicated and determined martial artists put in the hard work and effort, which is exactly what Lynda did with the extra challenge of not hearing.
Lynda wrote a chapter for my book, The Martial Arts Woman, where she shares how she overcame adversity in her life. Today we learn what ignites her passion and commitment to martial arts and more importantly, why being hearing impaired is not a setback, but simply an alternate path for her. Lynda shares a favorite quote which encapsulates who she is as a martial art woman. She says, "If it's going to be, it's up to me."
Enjoy!
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