CT014 James McLain (Part 1 of 2)

Last week I traveled to Nashville to work out at the school of karate legend, James McLain. When you think of American martial artists who have been everywhere and done everything, you think of James McLain. Mr. McLain was on his own since he was 9 years old, he traveled to Peoria, IL with an uncle and found something that he could be a part of in the martial arts. He started training with Phillip Koeppel in 1960 at the age of 15, eventually living in the dojo. He was appointed by Grandmaster Trias as the Roving Chief Instructor of the USKA, and has traveled and trained in every corner of the US.
Mr. McLain open the show talking about how he got started in the martial arts while working at the Snow Cap Root Beer Stand in Peoria, IL. He goes on to talk about his school in Kansas City and teaching Kansas City Chiefs players and professional ballet dancers. He opens the second half of the show by talking about his friend Jim Harrison, his student Dr. Mel Wise, and meeting the Awad brothers. He closes the show with a story about his teacher, Phillip Koeppel, sending him to Arizona to train with Grandmaster Trias. This was the first connection between the Mr. Koeppel's school in Peoria and the USKA headquarters in Phoenix.
To learn more about Sensei McLain's story and his school check out www.koshokarate.wordpress.com