Dear A.K.S. members and friends.

Below are some very important pictures of mine.  They represent an important part of the Martial Arts history in America.

The first picture, clockwise, is of Cihak H. Cho (gentleman with hat), Jhoon Rhee, Ed Parker, Ernie Lieb, Khee Wang Kim and others.  It was the beginning of the Koreans in America breaking away from their own S. Korean Tae Kwan Do organization.  The following day, they established their own International Tae Kwan Do association.  Mr. Ed Sell and I attended that meeting.  We both declined to be a part of it.  The following year, I put the word "American" in front of everything I did.  But I never broke ties with my teacher, Mr. Kim, of South Korea.  I faced many difficult and frustrating years when I competed if these Korean instructors where judging or refereeing my fights.  Several times, I even challenged them to fight me in the square.  They where not stupid and never did.   My loyalty became known to Chong Woo Lee himself, later head of the Tae Kwan Do association in Korea.  I remember receiving a very kind letter from him for keeping my honor and that of my teacher.  Later on, both organizations made peace with each other.   I am glad for the sake of Tae Kwon Do.

The second picture is of me sitting on top of a very tall American fighter, named Bob Yarborough.  Mr. Julio La Salle is breaking the boards, with a high jump kick.  He is the fighter that was rated the East Coast Light Weight Champion out of New York.  He was a student of Cihak H. Cho also a Ji Do Kwan ["Chi Do Kwan"] instructor.  I beat Mr. La Salle in Boston the previous year.  He was glad he said another guy from the same style won.  Just not glad he lost to an unknown, which is what I was until 1967.  But he was a heck of a sportsman and bought my dinner that evening.  Mr. Cho was not as happy, but he was polite.

So there you have a bit more of American history on how Karate began in our Nation.

Best regards,

Ernest H. Lieb. 10th Dan.
The American Karate System U.S.A.

As I stated in my first article above with regards to our arrival on the internet, our German counterpart, under the direction of Herr Andreas Modl 6th Dan A.K.S. and 5th Dan Wado Ryu [left], seemed to be constantly ahead of us on their website by using modern and innovative ideas and programs.  They had some very up-to-date and interesting concepts.  We seemed to be always just one step behind.  If you now compare the two A.K.S. websites, you will find not only have we caught up to our German A.K.S. counterpart, but in some areas, we have surpassed them.  This is great as it is healthy to compete against each other.

Herr Andreas Modl is a very dilligent, and loyal member of our style.  He faces what we faced so many years ago; a negative attitude toward change or anything which is new and better.  But lately, we have opened the door to this area of Karate.

The first one to cross the threshold was Herr Heinrich Reimer, 5th Dan A.K.S. and 6th Dan in Wado Ryu [above right]. He was Herr Modl's first karate instructor.  Not only did Herr Reimer teach at our German A.K.S. Seminar, but some years ago, he started to visit us in America and teach at our annual A.K.S. Summer camp.  He now holds the rank of 5th Dan in our style.  We are very grateful for his support and talents.  Many of our students in America do not know that Herr Reimer is a fighting legend in Germany; having won three European and five German heavy weight championships.  With his last one being won at the age of 50 when most people are thinking of retirement instead of fighting.  I was personally impressed by this man the first time I met him.  He, as well as Herr Modl and our other German A.K.S. members, are now part of our International Family.

Another one of these great and positive changes, takes place in Holzminden, Germany in September.  For the first time, we have a very talented and dedicated Karateka, Herr Dieter Mansky, 6th Dan in Shotokan, attending as well as teaching in our Seminar.  This is very unusual for such a high ranking Shotokan Karate Instructor to teach or attend our A.K.S. event.  We are grateful to this very respected and talented man.  So we look forward to him teaching at our event.

Herr Modl is our Director of the A.K.S. European Headquarters in Germany and was instrumental in gaining recognition for our style in Europe.  The A.K.S. is the only American style of karate to be recognized by the German Karate Union (Deutsche Karate Verband), and the World Karate Federation. The latter organization is recognized and part of the Amateur Athletic Union. No other system or style of karate that considers itself American is so recognized.  Andreas, together with Herr Reimer, who is now the Assistant Director of the A.K.S. European Headquarters in Germany, will enable the A.K.S. to grow and prosper in Europe and hopefully around the world.

I recently saw articles in two different martial arts magazines, one for traditionalist published in England, and the other for Korean stylist published in the U.S.A.  The English publication talked about traditional karate possibly becoming an Olympic sport in 2012.  The Tae Kwon Do magazine talked about trying to put the realism back into their sport.  One of the key points made by the traditionalist article dealt with the problem competition fosters, and the desire of two of martial arts great founders, Kano and Funakoshi, regarding tournaments.  On the one hand, O’Sensei Kano felt competition was good for helping students and instructors to test themselves and their abilities.  The competition they envisioned was within their own schools and areas, not national.  On the other, both Kano and Funakoshi felt competition would take away from the essence of martial arts studies regarding the whole person.

As I glanced through the article in Traditional Karate magazine, I was struck by the foresight and wisdom of both great Masters.  Both men felt competition and championships would foster the sole desire on the part of practitioners to win.  This desire to win would erode away the true essence and nature early founders and great instructors of the various arts labored to instill in their students; that being the whole person and training to perfect one’s abilities in their chosen art.  The person who trained in this proper endeavor would be humble and not concerned with material goods or issues.  They would be interested in self-perfection and serving others.

Fast-forward to today’s martial arts environment and what do we find?  In the United States we find tournaments where competitors look more like actors in a Broadway play, all decked out in multi-colored uniforms, performing acrobatics throughout their katas – many while loud flashy music is heard in the background.  Traditional kata are all too often shoved into some obscure corner.  What permeates the tournament scene are the many egos of the competitors, not the humble spirits envisioned by the now deceased great masters.  What would be their commentary were they to see today’s so called karate-ka and the frenzied tournament scene?

Here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas is a great example of what I’m talking about.  Some ten years ago, I was invited by a friend to help organize the National Hispanic Martial Arts Association (NHMAA).  (Some of you will recall hearing me tell this story before.  For the benefit of those who haven’t heard it, I beg your indulgence.)  Though I’m nowhere close to being a Hispanic, I was asked to be a member of the executive board out of respect to my many years of training and study.  I was honored and was willing to work with the others present.  Before the meeting adjourned, the gentleman whose idea it was to create this new association, brought out newly made certificates of promotion.  He said we were going to promote each other one grade rank.  This was on June 2nd of 1995.  The founder of this new organization was to be moved up to the rank of 8th Dan.  I was a 6th Dan at the time and was to be promoted to 7th.  I thanked them for the honor they wished to bestow upon me, but declined.  I told them I would become a 7th Dan when my instructor decided I had earned the next rank.

Since retiring from the Air Force some thirteen years ago, I’ve had occasion to attend some of the local tournaments.  I found the NHMAA is alive and well.  I also found out they now hold competitions and the winners are able to claim world champion bragging rights.  You ask how can this be?  Their competitions are only held in south Texas.  How can this be a competition with representatives from other styles and countries are represented?  The answer to the questions is simple.  It isn’t a world competition because the advertising does not go out to clubs and schools around the world, only to those within no more than a few hundred miles.  They do get participants from Mexico, which makes the competition international.  The key to understanding this is in the knowledge that those who win in their respective brackets and categories earn these so-called bragging rights for the coming year and the ability to advertise that they are a world champion.  Thus far, I’ve only seen this here in south Texas.  The question that arises is what is taking place in other localities of a similar nature?

The sad point behind all of this is simple.  The old masters were right.  Once students began to focus on nothing but competition and winning, the essential essences of studying a given art was lost.  Instructors began to teach kata less and less.  The primary focus was on fighting and ring strategy.  Super egos began to replace the kindred spirit and humility.  For the promoters, it was and continues to be all about money and bragging rights.

So what will happen to Olympic competition in the future?  Will the Tae Kwon Do stylist maintain their hold on it?  Or will more traditional practitioners win the day?  I don’t know the answer to these questions.  What I do know, from my many years of involvement, is American martial arts will never be taken seriously by other countries as long as we continue to wear costumes that look like clown outfits and promote ourselves to ranks that lack the requisite years of training and dedication befitting of such degrees.  I’ve even heard such comments made by martial arts friends of mine while stationed in Europe.  Add to this the need for placing titles before our names such as Grand Master, Master, Professor, and so forth.  You see some of this overseas, but much much less than is prevalent in the good ole U S of A.

A final thought.  The World Karate Federation now recognizes the A.K.S.  If traditional karate does become one of the Olympic sports, we will be the only ones who can represent the United States.  This will require dedication on the part of both instructors and students.  It will also require those who wish to compete to learn two katas from Wado Ryu, two from Shotokan, two from Goju Ryu, and two from Shito Ryu (I’m not totally sure about the last one).  You may wonder why one would have to learn these eight kata (each style has already selected which kata of theirs will be used).  The reason is simple.  It will be easier to judge those competing.  The challenge for us will be learning the various forms in the manner intended by its style and creator.  These other systems, being from Japan and Okinawa, are much more fickle about the little details of where a hand or foot is positioned than we have been in the AKS.  Where will the emphasis be on competition in the future?  Will traditionalists be able to bring back the humbleness of character intended by the founders?  Will competitors shun the desire for being the big ego around town and truly dedicate themselves to the perfection of their art?  Only time will tell.  Personally, I have my doubts.

Respectfully yours in Budo,
Mike Sullenger

Following are the promotions for the current quarter of this year and those who have not been mentioned in past issues of the Punchline.

Strive Fitness Karate Club, North Muskegon, Michigan
Ernest H. Lieb 10th Dan

• Trevor David - 8th Yellow - 4/26/2005
• Elizabeth Hanley - 8th Yellow - 4/16/2005
• Jim Hanley - 8th Yellow - 4/16/2005
• Koki Inaoka - 8th Yellow - 4/26/2005
• Dylan Slater - 8th Yellow - 4/26/2005
• Fransic Ward - 8th Yellow - 4/26/2005

Mr. Lieb has just left for Germany (September 13th) for his annual training and seminar visit.  Stay tuned in December for a full report and pictures of this year's awesome (as always) trip.

"gute Reise!" (Bon Voyage!) Mr. Lieb and "Company."