The two grandmasters were poised and ready. Their assignment was to distribute the graduation diplomas to the 200-plus campers who had just completed the 22nd presentation of Dr. Jerry Beasley’s Karate College, the training camp that readers of Black Belt magazine had voted as best in the nation. The grandmasters were not new to challenges. Stephen K. Hayes, 10th dan, had become the world’s leading authority on ninjutsu. Dr. Christian Harfouche, 10th dan, is the world’s leading expert in shorite tai jutsu. The campers had endured three days of continuous classes. They eagerly waited for their names to be called. I was seated approximately two feet from the head table as I watched the graduation exercises take place. This article is about what I experienced during my four days at Karate College 2009 and the graduation ceremony.

It’s been about two weeks since I graduated in the Karate College class of 2009. I can’t seem to stop practicing the new skills. I have tons of notes, several new e-mail pals, and I think about the camp a lot. I held in my hand the camp brochure that stated “Come as you are but don’t leave as you came.” For some time I wondered exactly what was meant by that phrase. I now know what he meant.

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Each summer since 1988, Dr. Jerry Beasley, a professor at nearby Radford University, has turned this small college town into a mecca of martial arts activity. Many of America’s top seminar instructors have received invitations to teach at the Karate College. The curriculum has evolved over the years from an exclusive focus on tournament karate to the current emphasis on mixed martial arts and reality based self defense instruction. You can learn about everything from aikido to zen meditation at the camp. This training camp allows participants to learn from the top experts in each field. The campers then return home to practice and teach what they have learned. Since few campers wear belts or other symbols of rank you could be training alongside a 9th dan master or a white belt and not know it, except you would recognize that the other guy was pretty good.

This was my first visit to the camp. What struck me most was the genuine feeling that everyone was working together. You hear stories about how one art competes with another art and how one grandmaster might not fully respect another master. Those things just don’t seem to exist at Karate College. Each class seemed to just feed off the energy started in the class before it. Every camper I met was polite and excited to be there. Even though I am a black belt, I have had no grappling experience to speak of. I got matched up with a guy named Aaron in the Renzo Gracie class and he did everything he could to help me get the techniques down. Everywhere I looked campers were taking notes in class or copying notes after classes from others they had just met. I met people from California, Wyoming, Quebec, North Carolina, and maybe a dozen other states. Even the teachers were taking classes from other teachers. If there has ever been a place where martial artists go not to compete or be seen, but just for the pure pleasure of learning, it’s Karate College.

The graduation ceremony had started almost an hour earlier with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. I learned that it is the custom of the Karate College to first recognize those participants who have faithfully served the people of the United States as members of the military. The Army, Air Force, Navy, National Guard, and Marine theme songs were played as members of the camp were invited to stand and be recognized. To a thunderous and standing ovation, the military heroes took their places at center stage. Many of the heroes as well as spectators had tears in their eyes as the emotion of the camp hit a high point. Almost 50 veterans were recognized. Together, the group then recited the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

A new martial art called “Sando” and a TV production of the event was premiered to the Karate College audience. In 2008, a video team from Fox TV had filmed a sando tournament at the Karate College. The show’s owner, James Houston, traveled back to Radford to provide a 3-minute video clip of the show. Some of the Karate College audience from 2008 could be seen in the audience shots. We were told that some campers and camp instructors will eventually be featured on the made for TV documentary.

Next up was the taekwondo touring troupe headed by master Jimmy Miller of Petal, MS. The music and the glitz of the high energy performance got the audience moving. The team was well rehearsed and completed the demo without a single flaw. The excitement of the TKD demo team was a perfect lead-in to the featured 35th Anniversary recognition to three verified karate legends. The announcer noted, “The year was 1974. The top karate fighters in Europe and North America were challenged to find the single overall champion in each weight class. When the battles were over three Americans reined as the new Professional Karate Association champions of the world. This single event was to become the most definable competitive event in the development of American tournament karate. The fighters were, for the first time, instructed to fight to the knockout”.

With that introduction the three champions, each now in their 60s, were asked to step forward. I actually had not heard of the “PKA,” so I looked up the fight records and basic stats for each “legendary fighter.”  Full contact karate was basically like a karate tournament in which the fighters wore either boxing gloves or safety foam gloves. All kicks were above the waist and you could lose points for not giving enough high kicks. Fighters wore foam protection over their feet.

The first legendary fighter brought up was Joe Lewis. Joe had at one time been Bruce Lee’s private student and had scored a win over Chuck Norris.  With a PKA record of 5 wins and 3 losses Lewis was also a trained actor and starred in the movies “Jaguar Lives” in 1978 and “Force Five” in 1981.  Today he travels the country giving kickboxing seminars and takes an occasional acting role.

With a PKA record of 19 wins and only one loss, the former light heavyweight full contact karate champion of the world, Jeff Smith, came to center stage. Smith was called the “DC Bomber,” and many say he was the toughest full contact karate fighter of them all. Smith was trained by taekwondo founder Jhoon Rhee and now owns karate schools in the Washington, D.C. area.

The last fighter recognized held a flawless record for most wins. With a perfect record of 23 wins and no losses, the undefeated former middle weight full contact karate champion of the world, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, stood to a thunderous applause.  Wallace is a spokesperson for Century Martial Arts and travels to seminars world wide.

In his address to the audience guest speaker, Michael DePasquale noted that “these were the best of the best of the 1970s.”  It was a special night for the karate superstars who enjoyed the respect and admiration of all in attendance. Few at camp remembered the actual PKA title fights. It was an era long gone by, but not forgotten. Kudos goes to Karate College for hosting the 35th anniversary tribute.

The graduation ceremony continued on a high note as kung-fu legend Willie “Bam” Johnson’s kung fu fighters took center stage. The music was perfectly timed to incredibly precise martial arts choreography. The Johnson kung fu champions included his two-year-old son who stole the show every time he moved. There must have been 20 black belts in the demonstration, and each person gave a stellar performance. One student in the group received a special rank for her tireless devotion to kung-fu. The Johnson kung fu fighters have been recognized as one of the top performing acts for martial arts tournaments.

In the last segment of the ceremony Dr. Beasley introduced the professors for his 2009 training camp. As Dr. Beasley introduced each celebrity I noticed he does not work from written notes. He apparently is so well informed with each person’s resume that he can just whip off only the best-thought-out introductions. He’s like an expert cheerleader not only for the professors but the campers as well. He has so much positive energy and appreciation for the martial arts and each camper that the feeling just flows throughout the camp. People leave camp feeling loved, appreciated, and respected. They feel a part of something big. I frantically tried to write down each introduction.

Here they are in order of appearance (I have already mentioned GMs Lewis, Smith and Wallace): Brazilian jujitsu expert and World Combat Champion Renzo Gracie; Former World Heavyweight Karate champion Joe Hess; legendary East Coast jujitsu grandmaster Michael DePasquale, Jr.; Grandmaster of the shorite tai jutsu, Dr. Christian Harfouche; the world’s leading authority on ninjutsu, grandmaster Stephen K. Hayes;  kuntao silat master sifu Richard Clear; the leading authority on Israeli self defense, master Mike Lee Kanerek; America’s foremost expert on submissions, Mark Hatmaker; sinmoo hapkido grandmaster Scott Yates; the world kung fu champion Willie “Bam” Johnson and his wife and taekwondo world champion, Kimber Johnson; former world sport jujitsu champion Paul Creighton;  krav maga expert Perry Gibson; grandmaster of sajido Jim Sams; executive sparring national champion Danny Chapman; FBI agent and arnis master John Mayer; aikido expert and Karate College for kids coach John Miller; tang soo do master Dr. Ian Marshall; Tracy kenpo master Rikk Perez; taekwondo master Jimmy Miller; shorin-ryu karate grandmaster George Alexander; jujitsu shian Bill D’Urso; and featured  kung fu experts for the Sunday program master James Houston, master Jason McNeil and grandmaster Simon Kwon.

Having completed the introduction of professors, Dr. Beasley asked each camper to “please rise.” “With the authority entrusted to me,” announced the doctor, “I recognize you as the graduates of the Karate College Class of 2009”! Wild applause followed. I wasn’t expecting that reaction. All of a sudden it was like we had accomplished something really important. You could feel the emotion of a graduation ceremony.  Campers had come from all parts of the U.S. and some from Canada. They began Thursday evening as strangers, but through shared sweat and hard work they had come together as a single body represented now as the graduating class of 2009.”Come as you are, but don’t leave as you came.” It’s true. We were different now. We were leaving as   graduates.

As each professor worked his or her way to the center stage, Dr. and Mrs. Beasley presented graduation diplomas to Dr. Christian Harfouche and Grandmaster Stephen K. Hayes, who then shook the hands of each and every graduate as individual diplomas were distributed. Graduates then moved to the gathering of professors who posed for photos until the last camper was ready to leave.

It was quite an experience, and I was surprised at how emotional the final graduation ceremony had become. There were tears, hugs, laughter, slaps on the back, and handshakes in abundance. Campers were congratulating each other, and professors were congratulating their students. What wasn’t said as campers left the Radford Recreation Center was said in the parking lots or at the nearby BTs restaurant. What an experience. “Come as you are, but don’t leave as you came.” I think everyone left with a new energy and a shared longing to return. The Karate College experience will change you for the better. We’ll be back!

Submitted by T. Reigns Riddick with Photos by John Harfouche

Graduation Night at Karate College 2009