Karate Kid season upon us again

Today marks the official begining of Karate Kid season!

Running from September 3rd to December 19th, these next four months are holy months for any true Karate Kid'er.

And to celebrate today I have new information that I have found on the web to add to my Karate Kid Studies archive.

Thanks to a post on another Karate Kid fan website by a New Jersey resident who did some investigating, Daniel's New Jersey home has been found!

Estimated to be 8 Franklin Ave in Harrison NJ, the street looks much the way it did in 1983.

According to the New Jersey fan, the water tower that was at the end of the street in the opening scene of
the movie was torn down years ago to make way for a high school. (I hope they named that high school either West Valley High, or Larusso High.)

As we can see the blue building in the movie has been painted a peach/tan color, but other than that much is still the same.

I believe a pilgrimage is called for the next time I have a layover in Newark airport.

Night before the All Valley

Daniel and Ali share a kiss, at this point their 3rd, in Daniel's car the night before the All Valley.

And Johnny invited Ali to the tournament?

Chapter 25, pages 109-110

"How do you like it?"

"This is yours?" she asked, excited. Daniel nodded and displayed the keys.

"Oh, it's wonderful. Beautiful. It's the neatest car I've ever seen."

"You want to drive?"

"Me? Wow!" She kissed him on the cheek and ran to the driver's seat. They both climbed in for a drive.

Much later, they pulled up in front of Ali's house. Ali combed her windblown hair and asked, unnecessarily, "How do I look?"

"Really beautiful." He put his arm up around her shoulder and wiped a smudge from her forehead, pleased with the calm of the moment. He was uncertain about the future - their future and his. After all, there was the tournament in the morning, but at that instant, he knew he was where he wanted to be.

"I'm in the karate tournament tomorrow."

"I know."

"So I guess you are already invited."

Ali nodded, and Daniel's hopes sank.

"But I haven't accepted," said Ali. "However, I have decided to accept the very next invitation I get," she said impishly, smiling.

"Will you be my guest?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

"I'll probably get killed in the first match."

Ali's eyes twinkled.

"So we'll leave early."

What a girl, he thought, reaching to hold her warmly. Softly, the kissed good-night.

Daniel and the Crane Technique

In the book Daniel's first attempt at the Crane has a different outcome, one where Daniel almost loses his life!

Chapter 23, page 100-101

Then next afternoon, Daniel was back at the beach - this time alone.

With the utmost care, he made his way to the last piling and pulled himself up on its precarious surface. Carefully, between waves, he stood as straight and tall as he could and lifted his right leg into the crane position he'd seen Mr. Miyagi use, in time to greet the oncoming wave. At the last second, he flexed his left leg to jump, but he was too late. The powerful sea grabbed him and pulled him from the piling, slamming him into another one, making a gash in his head. He lost his sense of direction as the water tossed and dragged him mercilessly. He struggled against the clawing grasp of the undertow, barely escaping its pull. Continuously, the waves pushed him to danger while the undertow dragged him to the depths.

It took every ounce of Daniel's strength to overcome the forces of the icy Pacific, but some time later, coughing up salty water, Daniel pulled himself onto the beach, exhausted, spent.

It was then, semiconscious, that Daniel remembered Mr. Miyagi's words:

"First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature's rules, Danielsan, not mine."

How long, he wondered, lying half in and half out of the water, still unable to move. How long before he could stand?

Daniel learns how to punch....at Miyagi's house

More examples of how the book differs from the movie.

Daniel's punching lesson comes the same day he and Mr. Miyagi go to the lake where Daniel practices his balance, (the whole scene taking place after the country club scene) but his punching lesson comes at Mr. Miyagi's house.

So confusing.

Chapter 22, page 96

That afternoon Daniel sat at the oars of a rowboat on a lake with Mr. Miyagi. No mention was made of the scene at Mr. Miyagi's on Friday night. It was as if it had never happened. But it had.

"Stop. Stand. Bow," commanded the old man.

Carefully, Daniel lay down the oars and stood, bowing courteously.

"Not bow. Bow," said Mr. Miyagi, pointing to the front of the boat.

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page 97

"When am I going to learn to punch?" he asked.

In response, Mr. Miyagi began to rock the boat, breaking Daniel's rhythm and tipping him. Unceremoniously, Daniel landed, shoulder first, in the cold water. When he emerged, sputtering, Mr. Miyagi answered his question.

"When learn keep dry," he said wryly, and helped Daniel climb back into the boat.

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page 98

"Why train then?" the old man challenged.

"So I won't have to fight."

Mr. Miyagi smiles broadly, obviously proud of Daniel's growing wisdom.

"Hope for you yet," he complimented. "Come, row."

"Where to?" asked Daniel, obeying.

"Ready to learn punch."

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Chapter 23, page 99

"One inch," said Mr. Miyagi, standing on the new deck of his house. "Secret of punch is to make whole power of body fit into one inch."

"Oh yeah?" said Daniel, laughing at the idea. "Which inch?"

In a split second, Mr. Miyagi's fist came into Daniel's vision, powered by the awesome energy of the old man's body. The fist stopped as suddenly as it had started, a hair's breadth from Daniel's nose. Mr. Miyagi pointed to his first two knuckles.

"This inch."

Daniel understood.

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