Martial artists who
made a difference
By AL HOOPER
Any list of the world’s great martial artists is bound to be arbitrary, but no compilation would be complete without these names: Motobu, Mitose, James Ibrao, Eric Lee, the Castros, Joe Simonet, Larry Tatum . . .
Or these:
Ted Tabura, Dennis Conaster, Roger Green, Alex Elias, Ray Arquilla, Richard Lee, Koshiro Tanaka, David German, Nick Chamberlain, Al Dacascos . . .
For a true student of the arts, meeting such stalwarts in an instructive environment would be a privilege. Being taught by each of them, even for a crowded hour, would be asking too much . . . wouldn’t it?
A little stage-setting, please.
It’s mid-August 2001. The scene is the boardroom floor of a spacious hotel in Las Vegas. The mood is dynamic. Exuberant, even. Just one month later, the events of Sept. 11 in New York and Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., would change the world forever. But for hundreds of martial artists converging on Las Vegas, the horror of 9-11 was still beyond our collective experience. For the instructors and students assembled here, these three days in August will form an enduring memory of a more innocent time – a time before presidential catch-phrases like “terrorist threat” and “axis of evil” became a permanent part of the language.
The occasion, of course, was Al Tracy’s Gathering Of Eagles. Al Tracy is perhaps best known as co-founder, with his brother Jim, of the Tracy System of Kenpo karate. The two brothers literally invented karate franchising. In a period of four years, from 1969-73, they had 70 franchises under their banner.
Then, in the wake of Bruce Lee’s stunning death at age 32 in 1973, the martial arts entered their Dark Ages. Dojo enrollments plummeted. Long-time instructors with impeccable credentials traded in their 2,000-foot showplace dojos for low-rent back rooms. Al Tracy himself scaled down, moving from California to Seattle, Washington, and keeping a relatively low profile while operating a series of regional studios.
But not for long. In 1988 he reinvented himself – and once again changed the martial arts landscape. Al and his wife Pat moved to Lexington, Kentucky to establish a more accessible base of operations for his system and his instructional seminars. Kentucky? Not exactly the center of the universe, some would say. But Al Tracy had a plan. He usually does.
Today, more than 2,000 studios in the U.S. and Canada teach the Tracy System. And Tracy, at 66, is still the foremost innovator in the martial arts subculture. In 1999 he inaugurated the first Gathering Of Eagles – a radical concept at the time. Immediately afterward, he decreed it would become an every-other-year event “that will go on as long as I do.”
Its surprising success is partly attributable to Tracy’s own bonafides – he was one of the late Ed Parker’s earliest students – and partly to his willingness to ignore barriers of style or system or internecine rivalries when it comes to making out a guest list.
True, there were more Kenpo stylists present at the Gathering Of Eagles than any other brand. Among them were Larry Tatum, Dennis Conaster, John Nieto, Roger Green, David German, Joe Simonet, Steve Spry, John Sepulveda, Tom Bolden, Thomas Ingargiola, Ray Arquilla, Bart Vale, Bill Ryusaki (Hawaiian Kenpo) and Ralph Chinnick (Kenpo Canada). Most teach versions of the art that differ from each other in details, but all relate to the root source.
On this occasion the root source was represented by James Ibrao, a direct link with Kenpo founder James Mitose. It was Mitose who taught William K.S. Chow, and Chow who taught Mitose’s art to a select group that included Ed Parker. When Parker opened his first West Coast studio, James Ibrao was among his original students.
Master Ibrao conducted workshops throughout the Gathering Of Eagles, always to a full house. On the final day he let the class members (many of them instructors with their own successful studios) choose the subject for that day’s seminar. The enthusiastic response: “Tiger & Crane!”
Most of the participants quickly learned there is a great deal more to Tiger & Crane than they imagined. Master Ibrao brought a storehouse of detail and complexity to each technique, elevating the kata to the level of – well, an art form.
It was a typical scenario. Students and instructors arrived here from throughout the U.S. and abroad – Japan, England, Australia, Denmark, Canada. All of them returned home as better students and better instructors.
A special moment was the introduction of Chosei Motobu, son of the legendary founder of Okinawan Kenpo, Master Choki Motobu. The “younger” Motobu, in his mid-70s, accepted Al Tracy’s invitation to make a rare trip from Japan to attend the event. He was accompanied by his chief instructor, Sensei Takeji Inaba, neither of whom speaks English.
Master Motobu stood, bowed, and demonstrated the first and second Naifanchi katas. Each movement was exactly as he learned it from his father 60 years ago. Each technique was precise, purposeful, traditional. For those who were privileged to be there, it was a glimpse of living history.
The appearance of Thomas Mitose evoked similar respect and expectations from knowledgeable attendees. Not surprisingly, the son of the founder of Chinese Kenpo bears a strong resemblance to photos of his father, who died in controversial circumstances but whose Kenpo legacy has proven immortal.
Now . . . let’s drop in on some of those workshops:
Nick Chamberlain is presenting an overview of the late Nick Cerio’s combat Kenpo. He becomes aware that the two Japanese visitors seated near the entrance are Chosei Motobu and Takeji Inabu. Master Chamberlain immediately halts the class, approaches the visitors, bows, and assumes the seiza position. Deferentially, he tells the guide assigned to the esteemed Japanese guests, “You should have stopped me when they came in!” This interlude demonstrates a quality shared by all outstanding martial artists. They respect other martial artists, and revere those of rank and accomplishment. Only the immature and insecure among us swagger through their small lives.
Roger Green, 37 years in the martial arts, asks the youngest member in his workshop how much he weighs. 70 pounds, the young man says. Is that big enough to inflict damage in a self-defense situation? Roger Green turns to the class. “Ask yourself if a 70-pound steel ball dropped on your head would do any damage. It would damage me. Karate is about building on your potential. It’s not about being the biggest or strongest. It’s about being the best trained.”
Dennis Conaster talks about master keys. He has a high-ranking student demonstrate a reverse punch and a back punch. On the reverse punch, notes Conaster, the student uses fist rotation. On the back punch he does not. Why not? It reflects a common failure to apply basic principles across the board, he says. Fist rotation should occur in every technique. “We’re the worst trained upper ranks in the world right now,” Conaster says candidly. “We need to get back to paying attention to these fundamentals.” Dennis Conaster ends the class with this: “Conditioning and guts take over where training and control leave off.”
Eric Lee is a legendary kata performer. He painstakingly leads his workshop participants through a series of moves and principles, then says: “I used to be good at kata . . . but now not so much.” He then performs a kata. Which is nothing less than electrifying. And humbling – none of the kata practitioners in the hall performed the moves remotely like Eric Lee. Afterward, his own seminar over, Master Lee drops into various other workshops. Observing, taking notes, always learning. For the great martial artists, the pursuit of excellence is a lifetime commitment, and everyone in the arts can teach you something.
Larry Tatum began studying Kenpo at 15. Now 54, he is one of the most respected Kenpoists in the world. “The principles of the martial arts are more important than any specifics,” he says. “It’s not how many techniques you know, but how many you know well enough to adapt to any situation.” He demonstrates combinations ranging from elusive to punishing. “These are examples of responses to an attack,” he tells his packed gallery. “But only examples. They’re not rules.” More important than rules is “Kenpo distortion” – relying on your subconscious. What you learn in the dojo becomes part of you – always there for when you need it. Under pressure, you explode into action instinctively. “God has given us the ability to be aware,” Larry Tatum says. “But how many are truly aware that they are aware?”
Three memorable days . . . the “eagles” had flown in from all points of the compass to share their insights and inspiration. Which they did with casual generosity.
Not long afterward, as 9-11 entered our consciousness, this unifying act would seem even more meaningful to those who shared it with them.
* * *
Al Hooper, promoted to black belt by Morris Mack of Yakima (Shudokan) and Al Tracy (Chinese Kenpo), is the author of the action/mystery novel “Martial Law In Yakima,” which draws heavily on Kenpo lore and legend and may be purchased from 1stBooks Library ( HYPERLINK "http://www.1stbooks.com/" www.1stBooks.com); or by ordering from most bookstores worldwide or from amazon.com; or by calling the 1stBooks toll-free number: 1 - 800 - 839-8640.
Aug. 11, 2002.
(1,560 words)