CHOP TALK: Karate | Martial Arts | Okinawa | Japan

This week's guest is my first martial arts teacher, Joseph Walker. Shihan Walker has been practicing karate for 50 years, and judo even longer. He was appointed Assistant Chief Instructor of Shuri Ryu Karate by Robert Trias, and named Chief Instructor by the International Shuri Ryu Association. Today he talks about starting in Judo & Karate, training with Grandmaster Trias, and his first trip to Asia in 1986.

Sharon Massey from Pyramid Karate in Indianapolis, Indiana joins us this week to discuss women's self defense. Sharon talks about some of the real-world situations she has been in, her transition to traditional martial arts, and how the self defense concerns of women differ significantly from men, including the difference in physicality, situational awareness, dealing with domestic violence, and sexual assault.

Sharon will be hosting a Women's Self Defense seminar on Sunday, September 9th from 1:00-3:30 at Pyramid Karate in Indianapolis. Call 317-656-7627 or visit www.facebook.com/PyramidKarate/ to find out more.

Phillip Koeppel returns this week. Sensei Koeppel has practiced martial arts for over 60 years, training with Yoshio Kawaguchi and Richard Kim in Yokohama Japan, Adriano Emperado in Hawaii, and Robert Trias in the US, and now practices Matsumura Seito Ryu. He opened the first karate dojo in Illinois in 1959.

Today we start off by hearing how Mr. Koeppel met a fresh off the boat Bruce Lee, a few final thoughts on Kajukembo and Emperado, before getting into the difficulties of opening a karate dojo when nobody knows what karate is. He then talks about working with Robert Trias to help popularize it in the US, and the early efforts to coordinate the Japanese, Okinawan, and American practitioners.

This week's guest, Phillip Koeppel, is a true American Karate Pioneer. Sensei Koeppel has been practicing martial arts for over 60 years. Starting in 1956 in Yokohama Japan under Toshio Kawaguchi and Richard Kim, then moving on to Hawaii to train in Kajukembo with Adriano Emperado, before returing to Illinois and joining Robert Trias and the USKA. His many credits include opening the first karate school in Illinois, organizing the first tournament in the midwest, and founding the United States Karate-Dp Kai. He has been involved with every stage of karate's development in the US.

This week's guest is one of the top Jodo practitioners in the United States (and an instructor at our upcoming seminar in Cincinnnati!), Harvey King. He started training in karate in the 60s/early 70's, before branching out to iaido, aikido, and his primary focus Jodo. He has traveled, trained, and taught all over the world. In today' show we go through some of this history and he shares several training stories from his many visits to Japan. We also discuss how he became one of the early Jodo pioneers in the US, and has helped its growth in the country.

For more information on Harvey King visit https://www.facebook.com/New-York-Kobujodokai-1809300232630028/ or find his Jodo group at the Aikido of Park Slope at 630 Sackett St. in Brooklyn New York.