Interview with Hanshi Lou Angel |
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by
Janet Tilden
June 2005
During
a martial arts career that spans more than 50 years, Hanshi
Lou Angel has witnessed massive change. 'The martial arts
have come a long way in this country," says Angel. 'Forty
years ago there was hardly a tournament to go to. Now you
can find three or four every weekend. It's amazing how big
it grew; it just exploded."
Angel's
martial arts organization, the National College of Martial
Arts International (NCMA), was established more than 15 years
ago in Joplin, Missouri. Today, it has grown to the point
where it is international in scope. 'At our annual tournaments
we have people coming from as far away as Austria and Iran,"
he commented. 'Some of them go to only one tournament a year,
and this is the one they pick."
In
the early years of Hanshi Angel's career, promotion to the
highest ranks was limited to elderly Asian men. 'In the old
days, it was unusual for a young man to be promoted to Seventh
Dan (Seventh Degree Black Belt)," Angel recalls. 'In fact,
in the old days if you were Caucasian you wouldn't be promoted
past second degree. Then the martial arts became more powerful
in the United States and the rank opened up. I stayed at fourth
degree for 20 years. Today people can advance all the way
to ninth degree and sometimes tenth degree. It gives encouragement
not only to the teacher, but to his students."
Within
the martial arts belt-ranking system, attaining Sixth, Seventh,
and Eighth Dan is equivalent to earning a Ph.D. in the world
of academia, according to Peter Urban, teacher of Lou Angel
and author of The
Karate Dojo: Traditions and Tales of a Martial Art. These
ranks are designated as 'kyoshi" grade, a term that means
'wizard," or very high master. Few instructors reach this
level in a single martial art, but as of June 29, 2005, Christopher
Geary had attained the level of Seventh Dan (Shichidan/Nanadan)
in one system and Sixth Dan (Rokudan) in two additional systems
(Tenshi Goju Kai and Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu).
Hanshi
Angel has been Christopher Geary's trusted advisor and mentor
for several years. After hearing good things about Angel and
his organization, Geary drove down to Joplin with Shihan
Shawn Steiner to meet Hanshi Angel in person. Looking
back on that initial meeting, Angel recalls being impressed
with Geary's ability and motivation. 'After talking with him
and looking at him, I decided he was under-ranked for the
time he had spent in the martial arts. He was a First Dan,
and I moved him up to a Third Dan. He asked me to be his advisor
in his martial arts career. I was glad to accept, and we've
had a really good relationship over the years. He's a good
technician and a good businessman. He knows what he's doing
with his schools."
Single-minded
devotion to excellence allowed Geary to advance rapidly in
his martial arts career. In June 2005, Hanshi Lou Angel promoted
Professor Christopher Geary to the rank of Seventh
Dan. Angel explains, 'After Fifth or Sixth Dan, promotion
is based on what they're doing with their students, running
the school, supporting the organization, keeping up with the
martial arts. People can't progress just by sitting behind
a desk. A lot of people say, 'He's kind of young to be promoted
to Seventh Dan,' but my response is, 'Well, are you going
to wait until he's a hundred years old?' In my opinion, people
make these kinds of comments because they're jealous. They're
still teaching two or three students out of their garage,
and they haven't made as much progress as Chris because they
don't have the same level of ability or commitment that he
has. I promote people because they deserve to be promoted.
In the old days you had to be about 80 to reach Seventh Dan,
and they'd bring you out in a wheelchair and say, 'Here you
go.' What good did it do the students? Chris is in the prime
of his life. He's at a time where he's in good shape and studies
and works hard. Getting promoted to Seventh Dan not only recognizes
what he has accomplished but also gives the people in his
organization a chance to move up."
Respect
between student and instructor is a hallmark of the martial
arts, but Angel noted, "The instructor can't just say, 'Hey,
you! Come here and bow to me.' The instructor has to earn
the respect of his students, and Chris has done that."
 Professor
Geary holds Hanshi Lou Angel in high esteem. Geary notes, 'Nothing
in the world can beat experiencenothing. It's not only
that I'm getting this rank but who I'm getting it from. Hanshi
Angel has been an inspiration to me, and I feel lucky to
be a member of NCMA. He started training in the martial arts
in Brooklyn back in 1954. A few years later he moved to the
Midwest and brought the martial arts to a part of the U.S. where
it had never been before. Starting from the ground up, he built
up his organization to an international level. Being promoted
by someone of Hanshi Angel's stature is truly an honor."
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