Joe's Boxing Club Sydney
|
Joe's Boxing Club Sydney |
|
|
Joe's Journey My earliest memories of martial arts were of Shintaro a television program that used crude reverse filming depicting ninja's jumping 20ft in the air. I spent hours jumping off the milking shed roof and flipping over fences on our dairy farm outside Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty NZ and I guess my destiny was set. I started my practical Martial arts journey doing judo while at boarding school in Auckland in 1974. The instructor rolled out a thin felt mat on a concrete floor and made us do a lot of rolling and break falls. I studied for two years till I was 16 years old.
While I was at boarding school a teacher brought a group from his 'Chinese Temple Boxing' school now known as Kung Fu. I was fascinated but perhaps it was my love of Shintaro that led me to believe that karate was the art that was best. Schools especially for young people were rare and it was not till a couple of incidents happened that motivated me to take the step through the dojo door.
I had very few fights considering, I had a pre-arranged stoush with a Maori boy in the cloakroom when I was at primary school. He was very brave and proud and we really had too much respect for each other for anything to come of it. He was very much in the minority as most indigenous children went to a neighbouring school in Te Teko. At boarding school I forced 'Goudi' into submission in a dorm room brawl but it was I that actually came away marked. The rest of my young life especially at boarding school was rough and playful and I was always being 'beat-up' by the big boys for my excessive lip but it was all in good fun with no malice intended.
In my first year of university I began working at the local dairy factory in term break and it was there that two events prompted me mainly because of feeling loss of control . There were a couple of Uni students who also worked there and we had started albeit slightly underage (drinking age was then 20years old in NZ) sessions at the Edgecumbe Pub. I got into a scuffle defending a lady's honour and then had a brush with the Black Power gang. i think fear prompts many people to start martial arts.
I started Karate in 1979 doing Kyokushinkai in Dunedin New Zealand at the local YMCA, it was kind of a police club like Australia's PCYC with Police officers as the highest ranks (2nd Dan) It was there I saw a guy we called the 'fat green belt' because he wasn't fat at all. He was an incredible talent and went on to join the police and became an undercover cop. he later detailed how he and his girlfriend were hung out to dry because they had to take drugs to catch the criminals and wrote a book stoned on duty.
but after a year the school split and I followed the half that joined Seido Juku karate which I was then a part of for the next 27 years rising to be the third highest ranked practitioner in Australia and running the largest Seido school in Australia for some years.
In 1981 as a brown belt I lost after two extended time periods the middleweight championship and broke a scafoid in my wrist an injury that still haunts me still now and the reason I am against 'bare knuckle' tournaments.
My original Seido Karate teacher was a judo champ as well and my style in early years was about knees, elbows and sweeps nullifying the kickers who were so favoured at the time. After I got my black belt in karate in 1982 I went back to judo in Christchurch and trained with the Graham Spinks who is now a 5th Dan and went to three Olympics as well as other Olympians that trained at that school. I was nicknamed the most 'aggro white belt in the world' a badge I was proud to wear.
Around that time I also studied some Aikido and while on holiday in Japan visited the Ueshiba Akido headquarters in Tokyo and watched an old master teach class. My view of Aikido is that by itself it has limited value as a self defence system but in combination with a harder art e.g. Boxing, kickboxing, karate it is invaluable in providing a knowledge of balance and relaxation.
Also during this period my best friend and comrade in a crime Steven Cope started some boxing training. Steven would later become the physio for the Canterbury Crusaders before he died tragically in a diving accident. Kevin Barry had just returned from winning a controversial silver medal at the 1984 Olympics (Evander Holyfield disqualified for hitting after break called) and had opened a gym in an outer suburb of Christchurch. Later Barry would coach David Tua. He was very interested in Steven fighting but seemed less keen on me but it was probably because I was older and heavier. It was however my first brush with Boxing and I was fascinated. Steven's hand skills were very good and I was quick to see the need to develop mine to keep up.
From the time I got my black belt in 1982 to when I left new Zealand for Australia in 1986 I spent most of my time sparring as much as I could and incorporating my judo, aikido and boxing moves into the karate sparring to great effect. Ironically my style was very similar to what the current UFC fighters use especially Leota Machida. I however was young and stupid and offended alot of people by shunning the formal part of karate. My instructor was very tolerant to a point but it was time to go when I did. We would later meet in New York and get very drunk and sort everything out and have become lifelong friends and he remains my great mentor.
My initial foray into Australian Martial Arts was sketchy. I lived in Melbourne where Seido wasn't and tried a couple of boxing gyms which were rude and awful and then a couple of classes at a place called Zac's who was owned by a gentleman with a colourful history. However he was quite respectful to me and my skills but it wasn't what I was looking for. I ended up hiring a small hall and taught up to about 15 of my friends.
After a year in Melbourne I moved to Sydney at the end of 1987 and found Hide Hiyrama who had a school in Bankstown. he was known to me through a guy named Danny Watson a star of the small screen in New Zealand and a colleague of mine in Seido. He had done a couple of interviews with this karate master. Instead of doing his karate program I ended up joining his kickboxing program. Hide had a fine kickboxing and full contact karate career taking on all comers in his new adopted land. He was past his best but still held his own amongst the young guys. The nature of the class was essentially 10 full contact rounds with whoever was there. The main protagonist was John Ianiou who had a reasonable amateur boxing career but loved the kickboxing and is still a kickboxing promoter in Sydney. He was one of the first to import and promote his own range of kickboxing gear JNI Thai. John gave me so many headaches as I was a sucker for a overhand right and we would meet in later years and laugh about the wars we went through.
However for all the headaches it was to be good groundwork for what was to come . In august 1988 I was to make my first of many journeys to New York. I trained at Seido headquarters under Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura and was then introduced to Shihan William Oliver who was US Karate champion 1981 - 1982 in both fighting and forms a feat only the great Chuck Norris had equalled. In his youth Oliver had great kicking skills and as he got older he developed hands like Sugar Ray. Oliver had a school on the edge of Harlem and every Friday the best in New York karate, boxing, kickboxing would gather for a war. There was one stupid little white boy that went back week after week until one day accepted into the fray. For the next three years I spent time in New York travelled and competed on the American points circuit the highlight being a trip to Jamaica where I didn't win but with the Jamaican crowd behind me got through 4 levels to finish 4th in the competition.
After unsuccessfully trying to gain a green card in the USA I returned to Australia and with a friend formed a dojo in Sydney which was to become the largest Seido school in Australia at one time. After running part time out of dance halls and scout halls we took our first full time lease on a premises located in Chippendale close to Everleigh St. Whilst there I met Alex Tui who was the first Australian to win a world kickboxing title. Alex had trained in Seido Karate in new Zealand. I taught Alex and the kids from the block at Eveleigh st and Alex coached me in both kickboxing and boxing.
I came into contact with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques via seminar which fitted easily with my experience from judo and was quickly able to incorporate this in my teachings. I was also lucky enough to get a tape of frank shamrocks ground defence techniques which fitted my philosophy like a glove and is particularly applicable to women's self defence.
In 1997 I purchased my current premises which has allowed me to put down permanent roots and develop my school and system. In 2007 I was promoted to 5th degree black belt in New York USA making me the third highest Seido practitioner in Australia and I have also been promoted to 1st Dan black belt in Korean sword art Haidong Gumdo.
I had many illustrious clients including a 'A' lister movie star and many stars of the small screen in both boxing and martial arts. We have had numerous TV appearances and countless photo shoots at the studio. I have been quite popular amongst stuntmen and I find them extraordinary students. But in another twist o fate I was then to have Justann Crawford as a karate student. Justann is arguably the best Amateur boxer Australia has produced, a two time olympian, 9 times Australian champion and 9 international gold medals.
In 2004 all my more than 25 years training came down to one moment when while walking alone in downtown Johannesburg I was accosted by five men one who carried a gun and pointed it at me, I reacted and the rest is history and affirmed all I believe about self defence
In March 2008 I left Seido Juku and formed Primativ Warrior and expanded my already successful Joe's boxing. I do not want to criticize my former styles and admire those who stay true to the art they joined but for me that path was ultimately not my destiny and although this path is not easy it is immensely satisfying. I acknowledge my past and am proud of my achievements and heritage and hope that it adds credibility to my purpose.
We are now competing with great success in many boxing tournaments including state titles and is only a matter of time before we achieve recognition nationally and beyond
I know that with my life and martial arts experience & who I am and that I am a great teacher & coach and together we could achieve great things.
Be Ready William Oliver 1952-2004 William Oliver one of seven step brothers and sisters rose from an impoverished family from Tennessee to become All American Karate Champion, his recorded equalled only by the famous Chuck Norris. His fighting skills and superb technique mastery was surpassed by his huge charisma, superb teaching skills and incredible spirit and compassion. I was proud that he called me his friend and alot of my skills , especially the culture of Primativ Warrior & Joe’s Boxing comes directly from him. His photo is on our front wall. Oliver would go to his gym (dojo) everyday and religiously workout with 10 rounds on the bag. He had long since retired so someone asked him. “Why do you train so hard?” Oliver “ I want to be ready” “Ready for what” Oliver “I don’t know but when it happens I will be ready” Our lives often come down to critical moments which decide success or failure, survival or death will you be ready?
Joe Walker Head Instructor
|
|
|
