Month: October 2020

Interview with Kenpo Karate Pioneer Dennis Tosten: Kenpo Karate in Philadelphia

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Beginning his Kenpo Karate career in 1967, Dennis Tosten soaked up what he learned from a myriad of martial arts, stretching from jujutsu to arnis and kung fu. Taking what he learned, he and his wife, Sharon, heads their Amerikick schools throughout the East Coast of America. Today, Tosten took some time to discuss Kenpo … Continue reading Interview with Kenpo Karate Pioneer Dennis Tosten: Kenpo Karate in Philadelphia

Interview with Longtime Kenshi Tom Bolling: Kendo in the Pacific Northwest, Part II

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Beginning his kendo training in the late 1970s, Tom Bolling saw the kendo community of the Pacific Northwest grow. He currently teaches at a number of kendo clubs in the Washington area. Bolling took some time from his busy teaching schedule to talk to us about the growth of kendo in the Pacific Northwest, notable … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Kenshi Tom Bolling: Kendo in the Pacific Northwest, Part II

Interview with Longtime Kenshi Tom Bolling: Kendo in the Pacific Northwest, Part I

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Beginning his kendo training in the late 1970s, Tom Bolling saw the kendo community of the Pacific Northwest grow. He currently teaches at a number of kendo clubs in the Washington area. Bolling took some time from his busy teaching schedule to talk to us about the growth of kendo in the Pacific Northwest, notable … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Kenshi Tom Bolling: Kendo in the Pacific Northwest, Part I

Reflecting on Joseph Svinth’s Getting a Grip

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Svitnh, Joseph. Getting A Grip: Judo in the Nikkei Communities of the Pacific Northwest, 1900-1950. Guelph: EJMAS, 2003. Martial arts historian Joseph Svinth tackles the immense task of chronicling the foundation and growth of judo in the Pacific Northwest for the first fifty years of the twentieth century. Splitting his book into two parts – … Continue reading Reflecting on Joseph Svinth’s Getting a Grip

Reflecting on Walther von Krenner’s Atemi

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von Krenner, Walther G., and Ken Jeremiah. Atemi: The Thunder and Lightning of Aikido. Spring House, PA: Tambuli Media, 2016. Beginning his aikido training in the early 1960s in Germany, Walther von Krenner soon moved to Japan to train under the founder himself, Morihei Ueshiba, his son, Kisshomaru, and then-chief instructor Koichi Tohei. In his … Continue reading Reflecting on Walther von Krenner’s Atemi

Interview with Longtime Karateka Eon Waldron: The Americanization of Shotokan Karate

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This is a transcript of an interview with Eon Waldron in the spring of 2019. Here, we discuss the early current state of karate in the United States. Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: I would like to welcome you and thank you for taking some time to talk about karate. Eon Waldron: Thank … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Karateka Eon Waldron: The Americanization of Shotokan Karate

Interview with Longtime Karateka Robert Hoffman: The State of Karate in America

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Robert Hoffman began training Shotokan Karate in 1970 under Teruyuki Okazaki and about a decade later, opened his Chester County Shotokan Karate Club. In the summer of 2019, Hoffman joined in discussing the current state of karate in the United States. All images provided by Robert Hoffman. Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Welcome … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Karateka Robert Hoffman: The State of Karate in America

Reflecting on Jujitsu Pioneer George Kirby’s Towards One Technique

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Kirby, George. Jujitsu: Toward One Technique. California: Black Belt Publishing, 2019. In his most recent release, American jujitsu pioneer George Kirby discusses the journey to achieve one technique. This “one technique” is not the single or only technique a jujitsuka must or should learn – it is more than that. The “one technique” Kirby discusses … Continue reading Reflecting on Jujitsu Pioneer George Kirby’s Towards One Technique