I view myself as "a craftsman
in a Kenpo and Bamboo Fly rod workshop", nothing more nothing less. My students refer to me as SIFU.
I ran commerical Chinese Kenpo studios for most of my adult life. I closed down my personal studio in 1996. I lived off my Tracy Karate franchises for a number of years. During that time I traveled all over the Western states fly fishing and studying the art of handcrafting bamboo fly rods.
I recieved my 5th degree Black Belt in July 1994 from Grand Master Al Tracy.
I still teach a few students on a private lesson basis inorder to "KEEP MY HANDS IN". When someone studies under me, it is a lot like in the old days when a student would seek out a Sifu and a long personal student -teacher relationship would be developed. If a person is seeking easy Belt Rank go some
where else.
I have a very RUSTIC DOJO in
my backyard where I train and teach private lessons.
I charge $25/hr for my instruction. I teach the Tracy System Of Kenpo. There are Forms/Katas from Tom Connors Kenpo system I intergrate into my Belt Material. I recieved my "Guru" certification in KALI from the late Master Mateen. I teach Kali inorder to enhance ones timing and to encrease the students knowledge of knife fighting.
I only teach ADULTS.
My lessons are designed to enable the student to defend themselves if they are attacked on todays streets. Kenpo is not a sport. It remains simply a "Street Fighting System paraexcellance". I place strong attention to "Art Form Development" along with practical self defense development.
The Tracy System is the largest system of Kenpo in the world. The self defense techniques that we teach are the ones that Ed Parker was taught by William K.S. Chow. Ed Parker taught these techniques to Al and Jim Tracy in the 1960s. Al Tracy
documented and has kept the entire Chinese Kenpo system in tact.
I require a short personal interview before I except you as a student. I can meet you at the Elk Creek Station resturant for a cup of coffee.
This way I can answer any questions you may have. Teaching you has to be fun for both of us.
You cannot beat the quite and the fresh mountain air
found at the location of my dojo in Pine Colorado.
You will be training with one of the more knowledgeable Kenpo instructors in the country.
There is never a belt testing fee. ALL RANK TEST are comprehensive. If your a Tracy Kenpo student your Rank is excepted for you are one of the family.
FLY FISHING INSTRUCTION
I charge $25/hr for lessons in Fly Fishing. My students find they can cast a fly rod well enough to fly fish with only one lesson. I supply all the equipement you will need for you fly fishing lesson. I live 6 minutes away from a mountain lake that is stocked with trout which makes for a great place for a beginer to successfully catch thier first trout on a fly. Some people go to church, I go to a trout stream for my church. The finger of God is always near by.
Click on the Kenpo/Fly Fishing link above for some of my fishing pictures and Bamboo Fly Rod Making process which is under development.
Click on the Bamboo Bill Rods link above if your interested in bamboo fly rods.
Bamboo Rod Making Classes are available with private lessons also.
NORTH FORK ANGLING SOCIETY
We are a small group of men and women who fish Bamboo Rods. For more info. click on the link above.
Of course he spelled my name wrong. Thats 15 seconds of fame.
My Kenpo students call me Sifu. My fly fishing buddies call me Bamboo Bill. That name was given to me by Dick Mills who is the father of Andy Mills who works for ESPN.
The entire article is found on my web site www.bamboobillrods.com just click on the NEWS page. I have a link to my bamboo rod making.
Fly fishing is an art form that I am able to seek solitude within. I find great peace of mind when I am in the mountains fishing in crystal clear streams. It is a form of meditation when taken to its highest level.
Teaching Kenpo, Fly Fishing, Bamboo Rod Making offer me what some define as a ZEN life style.
I am rich if one measured my life as a life lived. I have decided that to many people spend their lives making a living instead of living a full life.
Call me a Kenpo bum or Trout bum. I say what else is there?
I am passionate about life and if there is no passion in what I would select to do, I just don't do it.
I am not a joiner or follower.
To view some of my Kenpo pictures and fly fishing pictures click on the Kenpo Fly Fishing link above. There are always new ones.
My family is a term I use to represent the Tracy Kenpo Karate students,instructors and the people I fish with.
Some of the best times of my life would enclude the days that I ran active full time Kenpo Studios.
At 53 years of age, teaching Kenpo and training in the self defense techniques and katas makes me realize how important it is to stay active in Kenpo relative to ones effort to maintain a healthy mind and body. As the Kenpo student gets older, the practice of kata becomes of greater value as the years fly by. My general work out starts with form short 1 and I preceed all the way through form 8, without stopping. Of course there are many other katas and sets I practice throughout the week.
Training in Kenpo is as fun today as it was back in the early 70s when I was a white belt. I often hike into the mountains and quietly train. Looking back over the past 30 plus years of Kenpo study puts a smile across my face. I only wish I had two life times to walk this path.
I published two Articles, "Kenpo Cane" Black Belt Dec. 1981 and "The Physics Of Combat" Karate Illustrated Yearbook 1980. Ted Sumner 8th Dan has both of these articles on his web
site http://www.sanjosekenpo.com
The article titled, "Sifu" July 4th 1996 by the late Stefon Gawdun (US Navy Veteran) appeared in a National Veterns newspaper. This article is available at Master Ted Sumners web site/ www.sanjosekenpo.com.
I am also freelance writting once again. I am focusing on articles that speak to the history of the mountain area I live in along with fly fishing and martial art related material.