CT069 Phillip Koeppel: A Dojo Is A Family You Can Depend On

Phillip Koeppel returns this week. Sensei Koeppel has practiced martial arts for over 60 years, training with Yoshio Kawaguchi and Richard Kim in Yokohama Japan, Adriano Emperado in Hawaii, and Robert Trias in the US, and now practices Matsumura Seito Ryu. He opened the first karate dojo in Illinois in 1959.  

Today we start off by hearing how Mr. Koeppel met a fresh off the boat Bruce Lee, a few final thoughts on Kajukembo and Emperado, before getting into the difficulties of opening a karate dojo when nobody knows what karate is.  He then talks about working with Robert Trias to help popularize it in the US, and the early efforts to coordinate the Japanese, Okinawan, and American practitioners.