30 years of teaching people how not to fight
Pester preaches conflict resolution through martial arts
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There is often a misconception about martial arts that Nancy Pester wants to clarify. Pester, the instructor at the Bushido Dojo School in Southold, said the idea that martial arts teaches techniques for fighting couldn't be further from the truth.
"Martial arts are not about hurting someone," the Cutchogue resident said. "We teach people how not to fight. We teach someone how to defend themselves with minimal effort. We know sometimes it is hard to walk away from a fight. It takes the highest skill ability to be able to subdue someone without fighting. But it is nice to know you can still defend yourself."
Pester, a seventh-degree black belt, is the highest-ranking woman in the International Federation of Jujitsu. Pester first became interested in the martial arts by watching television shows like the "Green Hornet" and "Kung Fu." After graduating from Southold High School in 1973, she attended Suffolk County Community College and would often carpool with Niko Sutmoeller, who helped teach her the art of tae kwon do. So when the Air Force base in Westhampton began a martial arts class that was open to the public in 1976, Pester jumped at the opportunity.
"I was curious, so I went to the air base," Pester said. "It was the hardest class I ever took. It was almost three hours long, with a lot of big guys in the class, and I was the only woman."
The following year, an instructor from the air base came to Southold High School and taught a jujitsu class two nights a week. Two years later, when that instructor was relocated to California, Pester traveled to New Jersey every weekend to continue to take classes. She had the opportunity to meet President Ronald Reagan, Tiny Tim and Liza Minnelli when she visited the school. "We were all on our best behavior when President Reagan came," she said. "We put on a demonstration for him. It was really neat to be able to shake his hand."
By then, Pester had become a black belt, and in 1979 opened a jujitsu school in Flanders. She held classes there for five years. After spending a couple of years away from the sport, she began taking karate classes again in Glen Cove and in Middle Island. In 1992, at the urging of PTA advocate Lisa Israel, Pester taught a martial arts class during the summer at Greenport High School. Sixty kids from the ages of 5 to 16 took part in the Saturday morning classes for three years. Pester reopened her school in the Mini Mall in Greenport, and in 1998 moved it to the current location on Beckwith Avenue in Southold.
Pester said that as she progresses in martial arts, the more she learns, and the more she wants to give back. "In the beginning, it was so hard, I just wanted to make it through the class," she recalled. "I didn't want to be the first girl to quit. I talked myself out of quitting. No one encouraged me. I had to encourage myself. After a while, the exercises became easier. I wanted to achieve the next belt. But as you learn, you want to give back. So I opened the school and encouraged others to try it."
One of Pester's longtime students, John Nobile, 54, of Southold, said he initially took his son to the class 16 years ago, but he was really interested himself. Nobile, who works for the Riverhead Central School District, is now a fourth-degree black belt.
"Martial arts have kept me pretty young," Nobile said. "I'm still able to do it and I feel confident doing it and defending myself. This is about honing skills and perseverance. It teaches respect and honor. You learn to respect each other's value system. Your confidence carries over to other aspects of your life."
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