"Friendship"

Dear A.K.S. Members and Friends:

At first, I was not certain what my topic for our Punchline might be. But then my friend, Byung In Choi from Korea, wrote to me.   That letter certainly narrowed down my choices.

In that letter to me, he sent along two old pictures he just found.   The year was 1964, and I had just turned 24 years of age. My nickname for him was "Langman".   Throughout my stay in South Korea, we became very good friends.   The thing which many people do not realize is that no one likes an occupation force.   No matter how friendly that force may be.   We where there to stop another war with North Korea.

I noticed that quite often he was shunned by his fellow Koreans.   It hurt me to see this as he was being punished for being my good friend.   Although most U.S. Military personnel had good manners, it was the few young men who acted without manners that gave us, at times, a bad reputation with the people of that nation.   Most Koreans saw through this; accepting it as part of the protective umbrella we provided for their country.   But others used those few incidences as a way to stir up animosity toward our military men and women.

Langman and I would train together in Ji-Do-Kwan.   We both did very well in our style.   He eventually became team captain of his team.   I became team captain of my American team.   Instead of acting stupid, which all of us at that age are bound to do, he had me get involved in helping out Korean orphanages.   It provided me a way to stay busy in a very positive manner.   I traveled all over South Korea, competing at their Martial Arts events.   In time, we bonded; and it has lasted over 42 years now.

About 8 years ago, Langman sent to me his son named Du-Seon.   He wanted me to help him learn about America.   To learn about business, and the old fashioned traditions of my family.   He knew I was brought up very hard by my father.   I did what my friend asked of me.   I had Du-Seon enroll at Muskegon Community College.   I also had him train with me in our American Karate System.   He even won at Mr. Reinecke’s A.K.S. tournament in North Muskegon.  When he found too much free time on his hands, I provided him manual labor.   He hated it, and quite often tried to fall back on his easy lifestyle.   We even dug post holes together.   Not being used to manual labor, he ended up getting his first blisters on his hands.   He was upset.   So I just told him to put a bandage on them and keep working.   As the months went by, he started to realize that not doing what I asked, made it worse later on.   He was given a very sizeable allowance each month.   Equal to most peoples monthly wages.

I put a quick stop to that.   I closed down his account, and wired the money back home.   The $200 sneakers and $80 dollar T-shirts where history.   I felt terrible inside, but I had given my word.   When he left a year later for Korea, I thought I would never hear from him again.   Several years later, I did.   He had gone on to Korea’s Seoul University which is ranked number one in South Korea.   His grades where excellent, and he was doing well.   He told me "he knew and understood" why his father sent him to me.   It is very unusual, for any father, to send his only son to a foreign country.   To entrust his only son with someone that he had not seen for over 34 years.   Yet, my friend and I understood, that our bond as friends was for a lifetime.

Several years ago, I received this wonderful email from Du-Seon.   He was the proud father of a newborn baby boy.   He made sure I would recognize his new son.   He then told me that I am now the American grandfather of his son.   I cannot ever put into words what that meant to me.   I shall treasure that honor for the rest of my life.

So when you think about "Friendship," think about Langman and me.   To not have seen one another for over 42 years; yet, know in our hearts, we are friends for life.   That to me is the true definition of what friendship is all about.   So next time when you have a disagreement with a good friend, do not give up on that friendship so easily.   It may be the one that can last a lifetime!

Best regards,
Ernest H. Lieb 9th Dan.
American Karate System

Article from the "Past"

by Mike Sullenger

I came across an article that was written up back in November of 1987. That was the month Rob Debelak and I were able to bring Ernie over to Germany. Prior to that visit, he hadn't been back to his native land since leaving in 1952.

Eighteen months prior, Rob and I started working towards this goal. Rob ran two tournaments in north-central Germany, where he was stationed. When Ernie came over, we ran a third at the Air Station where I was stationed. The money from these endeavors allowed us to pay all of the expenses.

United States Air Force
7100 Combat Support Wing
Lindsey Air Station
Wiesbaden West Germany
December 1, 1987
(Story and photos by SrA Linda M. Ipser-Nelson)

Lindsey Air Station, West Germany ---- He looked just like another spectator as he walked into the Field House here, November 22. The five-foot seven-inch frame belonged to a middle-aged man, but one who obviously knows the benefits of physical fitness.

The receding gray hair and big brown eyes gave no clue. A few seconds later, when he removed his tan trench coat and replaced it with a black robe, the mystery was solved.

Carefully, he tried a long, thin black-and-red belt around his middle-section with precision. As he turned, the back of the robe had the name “Lieb” sewn to it.

Ernest Lieb, the only eighth degree black belt in the American Karate System, visited this community for a two day martial arts clinic and tournament (November 21 – 22).

Ironically, it was also Lieb’s first visit to his German homeland since he and his parents emigrated from Germany to the U.S. over 35 years ago. Before his official visit to Wiesbaden as chief referee in the tournament of over 130 competitors, Lieb traveled to Berlin to see his older brother and his family. The reunion with his relatives was “phenomenal,” said Lieb. But that wasn’t the only memorable item of his tour.

The infamous wall that divides his hometown was the “hardest part” of the visit for the man who has now made a vow to visit Germany at least every two years. “If I had a hammer, I had the emotions to knock it down,” said Lieb. “No country should be divided.”

Lieb’s belief in fighting for freedom and his devotion to his adopted country, the U.S., are reflected throughout the 47 year old’s life. Before fleeing war shattered Berlin, Lieb has memories of death, destruction and of his older brother stealing food to keep his family alive.

Lieb had thought those memories were just childhood nightmares, but his conversations with his brother confirmed that the nightmares were all too real. Emotional hurts aren’t the only youthful scars the karate expert carries. An inch wide spiral mark still drapes his left arm – the result of an incident in Chicago when Lieb was only 14 years old. It forced the newly emigrated family to Muskegon, Michigan, which Lieb still calls home.

Two years later Lieb met a Marine sergeant who taught him aspects of the martial arts. He became a citizen of the U.S. three years later and his campaign for freedom and America grew. Lieb enlisted in the Air Force and later became an Army tactical training officer in Korea during the onset of the Vietnam War.

“I trained soldiers in many things from martial arts to intelligence gathering techniques,” said Lieb. Martial arts became a bigger art of his life as each year passed. Still in Korea in 1964, Lieb took the distinct honor of a first place finish in his weight division in a martial arts tournament – the only American up until that time to do so.

And when he returned to America, Lieb fought and won many more laurels. He won nine various titles in nine consecutive years and remained undefeated in 200 fights in his weight division and had 23 straight wins in non-weight class contests. He earned 43 international championship titles and in 1969 became the U.S. lightweight karate champion.

“I just plain love to fight. I always have and I always will,” explained Lieb. Loving to fight was not enough for him though. He had a dream to form a system of martial arts – an American Karate System – for all Americans to excel in. He wanted other Americans to be proud of participating in the martial arts, but at the same time, to be just as proud to be American.

“I was angry and my dream to form an American karate system was tooted in fellow Americans. I’d win a tournament or something and I’d get ridiculed for not wearing an oriental patch representing an oriental karate form,” Lieb said with conviction. “I wasn’t Korean, Okinawan, Japanese or Chinese. I am an American and America is the country I want to represent.”

In the mid-1960’s the first step of the process was completed. Lieb developed the American Karate Association as the umbrella organization for the different systems of karate. It is currently one of the largest such organizations in the world.

In 1973 Lieb’s dream of an American style was realized with the formulation of the American Karate System. The guidelines established for students to follow allows them to achieve success in the new form of American karate. The AKS has spread to five countries and currently has over 370 black belts on record. The AKS represents the American form of karate in the United States as well as abroad.

Now that Lieb’s dream has been attained, he isn’t stopping there. His next dream is to put all styles of martial arts under one international ruling body. He does have the time to purse this goal. Lieb, who worked as a prison supervisor in Michigan for over ten years, has now devoted himself fulltime into his sport.

“All styles have their own requirements, but in the competition aspect, I think we need one set of rules,” Lieb pointed out. The karate expert is quick to add that the AKS has “extreme and rigorous standards.” Lieb’s AKS has consistently had the highest failure rate at achieving “rank” of all the systems, he noted. “I look at it this way – I’d rather be a damn good yellow belt than a mediocre green belt,” he concluded.

In fact, Lieb long ago proved himself to be far more than either of those. He was promoted to the first notch of the black belt 24 years ago and is now a eighth dan black belt – the only person of that highest rank in the AKS.

Meet Our Members

In this issue, we'd like to introduce Jeff Cobb, 1st Dan A.K.S. Jeff was a student of Mr. Sullenger's back in 1988-1990. Today, he is a police officer in Florida. Here is a brief account of Jeff's latest tournament. Also, be sure to read page 5 of this Punchline. Jeff "details" the importance and validation of "repetitive" training.

Hello Jeff, and thanks for sharing your experiences.

"This past weekend (Aug 7-8) I competed, for the first time in 10 years 1 month (but who's counting) in an open tournament, the 17th annual Sunshine Classic in Panama City, FL. I represented the AKS in this tournament, and placed FIRST in the men's Black Belt heavyweight division. I have attached two pretty good pics of one of my matches. I am the one in the red pads.

I went on to face the lightweight division winner in a final match for black belt grand champion, but was defeated 4 points to 2 points when time expired. He "out-quicked" me. We both had excellent kicks and engaged in a "front leg battle". The fight was decided when we would clash after setting our front legs down and he had superior hand speed and transition from feet to hands. Still, it was a good experience and placing first was a great motivator for me to continue training and compete more in the near future.

My opponent in the attached pics was not the grand champion match, but a competitor I outpointed 5 to 1 in the heavyweight final match."

WINNERS and LOSERS

The loser is controlled by obstacles; the winner is excited by challenges.

The loser is fearful of failure; the winner is confident of victory.

The loser magnifies misfortunes; the winner creates opportunities.

The loser worships conformity; the winner expresses originality.

The loser is a pessimistic part of the problem; the winner is a dynamic part of the answer.

The loser resists changes; the winner dares to be different.

The loser has a convenient excuse; the winner has a compelling purpose.

The loser believes the worst; the winner expects the best.

.....William Arthur Ward

The Value of Martial Arts Training.
Prologue by Mike Sullenger / Story by Jeff Cobb

As an instructor for nearly four decades, I’ve learned the value of training in the martial arts.   Both from the stand point of having to use it to defend myself, and also for the benefits one derives from those years of training.    These additional benefits include good health and mental peace, as well as the self-confidence that results from knowing what you’re capable of.   But there is another benefit one sometimes gains.  That is learning about how the training you provided to a student has helped them.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to have had former students share with me stories about how the training they received by studying with me aided them in their work, or saved their life.   For me there is no greater satisfaction (save watching a student test and earn his or her black belt) than in knowing my teaching efforts with a student gave them the skills and knowledge to defend themselves, or in the case of a law enforcement officer, apprehend an individual with minimal harm.

The email I received from Jeff Cobb, a student of mine while I was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama from 1988 to 1990, is a great example of what I mean.   I’m sharing this with you to illustrate the points made above.

Dear Mr. Sullenger:

I wanted to take the time to tell you about an incident I had where the martial arts almost got me killed, then literally saved my life, all in the time span of about 2 minutes.   I plan to build a thesis around the physical and mental implications of this incident when I test with the AKS again.

In 1997, I had been an Anniston Police Officer for about 2 years and had worked for a year at Oxford PD previous to that.  I had been in martial arts for about 12-13 years and was still very actively training.

It was a summer afternoon and I was working 2nd shift, 3 p to 11 p.  I responded to a call in my zone of a possible suicide/ suicide threat.   My backup was Officer Chuck Zeissler, a very active and aggressive officer.  We responded to a house in the Wellborn community in far west Anniston, near the Anniston army depot.  When we arrived, an elderly couple explained that their son lived in the house we were at, had emotional problems stemming from a recent divorce, had gotten drunk and took some pills that day, and called to tell his mother goodbye, he was going to commit suicide.  The truth is, in just a couple of years, I had been to probably 50 similar calls, but this one was the real deal.

The son had locked all the doors of the house and the phone was off the hook.  A neighbor informed us that he had talked to the suspect, who he said was very drunk/high and had a pistol in his hand that he had taken out of his truck.  In the truck seat we found an empty handgun case.   (Yes, we knew this was going downhill fast).

The elderly mother was frantic and sure her son had killed himself.  By this time, paramedics and firemen had arrived to be on standby.  We looked in all the windows and could not see any sign of the suspect.  I informed the mother that our policy dictated we could not force entry into his house unless we had more to go on.  She informed me that the house belonged to her, and he was just staying there.  She didn’t have a key, but she and her husband decided to break a window, go in and open the door for us, and let us investigate, which they did.  The mother opened the door in a panic and said her son had shot himself in the head.  I entered the house, weapon drawn, my partner, Zeissler, at my six, and 8 firemen/paramedics following a close distance behind.

When I entered the suspect's bedroom, he was prone on the bed with a small revolver in his right hand at his head, and it did initially appear he had shot himself.  (I should be so lucky) in fact, he had not, he had passed out before he could do the deed.

My initial plan was to quickly close the distance, secure the weapon, and go from there.  Oh by the way, all of us, the parents the officers and 8 paramedics were stuffed into the entrance of this room.

Well, the mother freaked out, she started screaming and pushed past me and started shaking her son.  Before I could get to him, he woke up, raised up, pointed the revolver, said "f****** police!" and started to pull the trigger.  I am about 3-4 feet from him, pointing a glock 17 at him.  Mexican standoff.  No problem.  All I have to do is pull the trigger.  If he gets a round off, its a 22 pointed at my midsection, and I am wearing a vest.

That’s when something funny happened.  I threw down my weapon.  (Notice I didn’t say drop).  I’m effectively a dead man.  It would be said later, and speculated about for sometime, that I froze or had some hang up with pulling the trigger, but here's what really happened.

You see, I had been a police officer for about 3 years, and trained for such situations.  But I had been a martial artist all of my adolescent and adult life, and this thing called muscle memory prevailed over my police training.  To my brain it was a simple equation, gun pointed at you at close range = step to the side, grab the weapon and rotate.   And that's what I did.   I didn’t "drop" my gun, I unconsciously threw it down because it wasn’t part of my equation.  Muscle memory took over and reacted the way I had been trained, a move I had practiced thousands of times and taught countless others.

Well the gun didn’t rotate out as it should have, it was a small 22 revolver, like a Saturday night special.  So here I am on the bed beside this guy, who has a 2-handed grip now on his weapon, controlling his hands to keep the gun pointed away.

Oh yeah, remember those 10 other people in the room with me, including Officer Zeissler?   They had done beat a hasty retreat from the whole house and it was just me and the suspect now.  He got one round off that went into the opposite wall.  After that, time slowed down.  A karate instructor of mine (guess who?) had taken the time to explain to me, and record it on video, the mechanism of revolvers Vs automatics and how they relate to self defense.

So I placed my hands on top of his with both thumbs behind the hammer of the gun.   I could have let him empty the weapon, but I didn’t know where everyone went, this prevented him from firing anymore rounds.   At this point, Officer Zeissler decided he would rejoin me and began to pistol whip the suspect with the butt of his glock, and then with his radio, and then with his hands, all to no real avail.   I am trying to keep up with the pistol, but the subject is flip flopping around and keep losing sight of it, but still have the hammer restricted and under control.

I would love to know exactly how much time REALLY passed, it seemed like an hour, but I do know for sure from radio tapes later it was at least over 2 minutes (an eternity in a fight).   I was losing hope of dislodging the weapon or the subject getting knocked out, Zeissler didn’t have the know how to incapacitate the suspect.

So, Officer Zeissler made the decision to shoot the suspect, but his earlier pistol whipping the suspect had pushed the plastic magazine up into the glock and, for whatever reason, it was now nonfunctional.  Mine was on the floor somewhere.

Critics and non-martial artists always like to quip "you'd never have time to remember all those fancy moves in a real situation."   And they are typically right, that’s why we practice continually to develop muscle memory and make them instinctive.  But in this case, I literally had time to analyze the situation and, just when I was thinking this was a no win situation, the light bulb came on and I literally had a flashback (like the old kung fu series) of being taught a technique by you that would work.

The technique was originally taught as a disarm technique for a knife, but you had commented that it would work on a gun, stick or other weapon.  The technique: you slightly accept the motion of the weapon, steadying it with the closer hand, while then launching a palm strike to the knuckles, which would open the hand up, dislodging the weapon.  Now to do this I had to give up my restraint on the hammer, so I knew it had to be quick.  I let go with my right hand, formed a lever with my left on the inside of his wrist, and struck with my palm, it took 3 strikes, but on the 3rd strike, the gun literally flew out and hit the opposite wall.  We then of course subdued the suspect using only the force necessary to effect the arrest. :)

X-rays would later reveal that my strikes fractured almost all the small bones of his hand.  I would watch the tape later and realize that that was the exact technique, word for word, you had given me.

And so I say, thank you.
Jeff Cobb

PROMOTIONS!!

A.K.S. Summer Camp 2004 - Muskegon, Michigan

E. Judo Gore - 4th Dan

Brian Greynolds - 3rd Dan

Lonnie Sprouse - 3rd Dan

Roy Almanza - 2nd Dan

Keith Wenzel - 2nd Dan

Andrew Hartnett - 1st Dan

The following people from Muskegon Karate Club were tested and presented with their promotions on August 18th, 2004

Shawn Pike - 6th Grade Green Belt

John Griffin III - 4th Grade Green Belt

Ingrid Coughlan (1st Dan "Shodan", Shodokan) - 4th Grade Green

Mrs. Coughlan is from Germany and trained with the Muskegon Karate Club during her 2-month stay in the US, while gathering information for Mr. Lieb's biography. Mrs. Coughlan also holds a 1st Dan in Shotokan.

The following people from Muskegon Karate Club were tested and presented with their promotions on September 13, 2004:

Ed Baessler - 3rd Dan

Bob Essenberg - 3rd Dan

Raymond Sinclair - 3rd Dan

David Eric Thomas - 3rd Dan

Congratulations to all the above, and best wishes in your continued training.

-----

If you have students who have been promoted, please send this information so that we may acknowledge their accomplishments.

Dear A.K.S. Members;

I would like to update you, in regards to our Black Belt testing at Summer camp.

Our seminar was a lot of fun for everyone.  This year it seemed to be a male orientated training session as we had only one female Black Belt in attendance.  Which is very unusual, if you compare our past seminars.   Her name is Ingrid Coughlan from Germany. She holds the rank of 1st Dan, "Shodan" in Shodokan.  Plus she tested during her visit, for her 4th grade green belt.

These Senseis came from Oklahoma, Ohio, W. Virginia, and Texas.   I would certainly say, "that is true dedication."  The testing ran quite smoothly, and the instructors reviewing did an excellent job.

As you know, all karate organizations have their own way of testing.   We do ours in stages.

[1]  The student is prepared by his or her Instructor by constantly going over all of the requirements. Then the instructor reviews each major area seperately.  This includes basics, katas "forms", self defense, teaching methods, history, martial art weapons, attitude, law requirements, first aid, teaching hours, and tournament attendance.  When the student is ready, his instructor will pretest that student.

[2]  The actual test at Summer camp is a formality. It puts the student or instructor under stress.  It allows us to evaluate that person, in a stressful environment.  Failures are few, but they do happen.  We are not interested in running a marathon test.  But the student must be in good physical condition.  Anyone who is overweight, is encouraged to reduce that weight.  If that is not done, and we feel there might be a danger to that students health.  He or she will not be reviewed.  The Martial Arts represents a good mental attitude.  The student and instructor must be physically fit, to be able to perform the sometimes difficult requirements.

[3]  We constantly evaluate a persons attitude and values.  They must believe in the laws of our land.  They cannot be felons, or have had altercations with the police.  They simply must be of good ethical and moral character.  Our schools have trained at least 50,000+ karate students since 1964.  Yet, we have had only two students who had problems with the law where they used their skills in an improper manner.

I hope this provides you with an idea about how we test our members.

Best regards, Ernest H. Lieb 9th Dan.
American Karate System, U.S.A. Hq.

Tournament Results

by Roy Almanza, 2nd Dan
South Texas

As of the latest Punchline Newsletter publication, my brother, Ruben, and I have competed in two tournaments.   One was in April, 2004 at Robstown, Texas.   The other tournament was held in our hometown of Edinburg, Texas.   Go about two hundred twenty two miles south of San Antonio and you will run into us.   That tournament was held on August 21, 2004.

The first tournament was a Tae Kwon Do tournament.   Ruben competed in the adult beginner's division.   He placed 1st in kata, using Tiger One.   I placed fourth in Black Belt forms.   I demonstrated Cat Form One.   I also place 2nd in sparring.   Unfortunately, I also got a bloodied nose to go along with it.   Needless to say, the tournament was not a place for a karate-ka.  It was my first encounter with a biased judging panel and tournament all around.

The second tournament went a lot better.  Ruben placed first again in kata, using Tiger 3 and placed 2nd in sparring.   I placed 2nd in both kata and sparring.   No bloodied nose this time.

The highlight of the tournament was the formal introduction of Mr. Michael Sullenger.  He was treated with the utmost respect.  He received a formal introduction from the tournament director and was made an honorary judge during the tournament.

Needless to say, I'm still amazed at how fortunate my brother and I are that we belong to such a wonderful organization.  While other students and teachers whined and complained about not getting a trophy, Mr. Sullenger just kept reminding me that this is the reason the AKS is head and shoulders above the rest.

Thank you very much Mr. Lieb.

DON'T FORGET TO VISIT OUR "A.K.S. MESSAGE BOARD" at

http://americankarate.proboards12.com

. . . . there is a link to this page on the A.K.S. 'Home' page.

We are in need of Moderators for this forum. If you are interested, please contact David Eric Thomas

David Eric Thomas

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Definition. . . "RYU" . . . as defined in Black Belt Magazine Dictionary http://www.blackbeltmag.com/dictionary

"Way," "school," or "method." A term used as a suffix after almost all styles of Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.   Ryu basically means a formalized martial tradition under an established teacher and school.

i.e. Wado ryu:   "Way of peace."   A Japanese style of karate developed from jujutsu and earlier karate styles.   It is one of the four major karate systems practiced in the world today.

Quote for September, 2004

"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home."

The Philosopher Confucius. 551-479 BC
- many attributed and translated sayings and chinese proverbs.



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