Martial Arts Teacher Taught Life Lessons

Patch and When the Game Stands Tall are asking about the coaches, teachers or mentors who inspired you.

Don Snyder nominated Herb Olayvar of Oceanside:

Mr. Olayvar taught martial arts at the Melba Bishop Recreational Center in the early 1980s and continued his teachings at the San Luis Rey Resource Center until his retirement in 2004. He taught out of love and respect, never asking for, and never receiving any money.

In his years of teaching martial arts, he helped countless juveniles and adults alike learn how to defend themselves. But it goes much further than that. He instilled principals that would last a lifetime. Some of his students have become firefighters, police officers, military men and women. The list goes on. Mr. Olayvar was instrumental in getting some of the Oceanside Police officers training that would help them in the field and keep them safe from attack.

A former Marine, Mr. Olayvar fought in the Vietnam War and was highly decorated. He raised five children in the Oceanside area and became a fixture at both the center and the resource center.

Two of his students, Doug Parish and Don Snyder, continued his teachings until the San Luis Rey Resource Center was closed in 2011. Mr. Olayvar not only taught how to defend yourself, he taught you how to act around people. How to help people in need and how to befriend those less fortunate. His teachings will carry the students he taught through hard times and good times alike.

In my 30+ years, I have never met a Sensei (teacher) who did all of those things Mr. Olayvar did. And he did it out of love and respect, not to draw attention to himself.Now retired, Mr. Olayvar can still be seen riding his bike around Oceanside and doing his katas (martial arts forms) up on the hills surrounding Oceanside.