The Champion’s Reunion, Part 2, with Jeff Smith, Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis

 

 

Calvin Thomas: How do you develop champion Black Belts? When do you start making it harder for them? I mean, really challenge them to want to be good? Where do you find that place?

 

Bill Wallace: What I’ve found is that you can’t make students good. You must motivate and inspire them to want to be better than they are. Your students will start to drop out when you start forcing them to be better than they want to be.

 

Jeff Smith: I would answer that question by referring to how Stephen Oliver has developed his schools and curriculum. When he came to Colorado, he developed some great students and national competitors; but he had also developed advanced business knowledge because that was his interest – and, as we all know, it still is Stephen’s focus. Make sure you put everything in perspective. Make sure that you share this with your students. You’ll have the opportunity to share Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis’ knowledge. Don’t just keep it to yourself. Take it back to your students. 

 

I still pick up stuff from Bill and Joe. I want to go to a Joe Lewis event because when I think I know everything is when I know nothing. Everyone calls you the master, but when you think you’re the master is when you become the student because you know nothing, so keep an open mind. 

 

I learn from Mile High Karate instructors, too. When I see an instructor that inspires and motivates his or her students, then that motivates me; and it helps me when I share that with my instructors. Take all this information and share it and keep an open mind. 

 

 

You might not be able to kick like Bill Wallace, but I guarantee that some of your students will, if you teach them Bill’s drills. Not all of your students will fight like Joe Lewis, but I guarantee that some of them will, if you teach it. Share this knowledge. That’s what will inspire your students. If you want a strong classroom, then don’t stop your learning or sharing it with your students. 

 

Now, we’re doing all the weapons at Mile High Karate; and I’m teaching my son, Shawn, who’s the head instructor at our Sterling, Colorado school. He’s learned every weapon and I’m learning some of them with him. We’re learning from the weapons experts. Some of my instructors say, “I don’t want to do that stuff.” I reply, “Well, that’s fine if you don’t want to do it as a student, but if you’re an instructor, then you must do it, because you’re required to teach it. If you don’t teach it, then students won’t learn it.” 

 

Our staff’s (and yours) minds must be open enough, broad enough, to learn different aspects of the martial arts. When we integrate mixed martial arts, weapons, judo, etc. into the Mile High Karate system, we don’t criticize those specialists just because their styles are different than ours. We put them on a pedestal because when we need advice in that area, we go to those instructors for advice. We don’t know everything. We all have our niches and special talents, but

I guarantee that all of us in the Mile High family – instructors, coaching clients, regional developers, franchisees, etc. – can create a synergy, a force, in the industry that will be very hard to shake.

 

Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis have some great videos and DVDs that you can absorb as a student, and then share that with your students. Mark Graden at NAPMA is an untapped source for us. He has developed his skills more recently than Bill, Joe and I. The more recent your development as a student or fighter, in Mark’s case, the more up-to-date your abilities will be. I guarantee that no matter what Joe taught Mark, he’s added to Joe’s instruction to make it work for him.

 

The same goes for Calvin Thomas: no matter what his instructor taught him, Calvin took it and tweaked it to make it work for him. I was very excited about Calvin becoming part of the Mile High Karate organization because I know his fighting and coaching knowledge will help expand what we offer. Calvin has a very open mind about learning because, to be part of another organization, you must care about the knowledge that we can share.

 

 

I care about Stephen’s business knowledge that can help this industry, not only the Mile High Karate schools, but also the martial arts industry through NAPMA and his coaching of individual school owners. The stronger the schools, the stronger NAPMA will be. The longer Joe and Bill are around, the longer they’re doing seminars. We must ask them to continue to do seminars because when we lose their knowledge, we lose the lineage. Don’t let them disappear. Make sure you contact them for seminars. 

 

For Joe and Bill, at their age, to still be sharing this knowledge and be inspired to do so is because of their dedication to the martial arts. They are perfect examples of martial artists who started decades ago, reached the top of their profession and still want to share their knowledge.

 

Runolfo Gonzalez: I’m no longer 18, in fact, double that age, but as I start to grow older, I’ve noticed that my younger counterparts don’t do the footwork, which has, and continues, to help me quite a bit. I do extensive roadwork and other training techniques to stay in shape, so I can tire those youngsters. When they’re tired and not moving, I employ the other skills.

 

As you started to age, what were some of the drills you did specifically to control distance better or sharpen skills that allowed you to remain competitive?

 

Joe Lewis: Number one, listen to your body. Ninety-nine per cent of everything I know comes from in here; and, as you grow older, you see that the old pros, specifically in the boxing gyms, have learned how to relax. They learn how to pace themselves. They learn how to use determination, which takes the place of stamina, endurance or a general slowness. 

 

I don’t really believe many of those old tales that you lose flexibility and speed. Watch Jeff, Bill and I move; I think we’re still pretty quick. Your interests change because your values change. When your values change, you must say, “I won’t beat my opponent to the draw every time. I’ll try to come in his back door, rather than his front door every time I throw my side kick” (or whatever technique you throw at him). When you’re younger, you blew around like you were doing the jitterbug. As I age, I will only move when it’s to my advantage, so you learn to fine-tune everything. You’re not using as much footwork; you’re not firing as many punches because your accuracy skills improve much more. Maybe I can beat you with three side kicks per round instead of ten or twelve. Fight like who you are. 

 

I’m an older person, so I’ll have to fight like I’m an older person. You can’t fight like you’re young. When I fight a tall person, I won’t stand upright like I’m tall. Most schools teach students to spar at the same weight. Be who you are; and, if you become any slower, then work on your timing. If your stamina is decreasing, then work on your pacing. You always find something to take the place of the skills that are diminishing. The ultimate weapon is this: students aren’t taught strategies. I know some instructors will say, “Well, we do teach strategy.” I’ve been in many karate schools in my lifetime. I’ve never seen strategy taught. I’ve seen technique taught, such as distancing, lateral movement, indirect angle attack and some type of set up. If I’m fighting a taller person, then how do I fight a tall person different than someone short or my size? If I were fighting a good kicker instead of a good puncher, then what would be the difference? Now, you’re starting to use your mind.

 

If my opponent is a rusher, like an explosive fighter, then I fight him differently than maybe a hit- and-run type fighter. If someone is fighting me as a southpaw as opposed to someone who’s fighting me orthodox. Like these two suckers (Wallace and Smith; both of them are left-handed, but they always fought like they were right-handed because they put the left side forward and it throws everyone off. 

 

As you grow older you want to start exercising your mind, your mental skills, so they catch up with your physical skills. Calvin referred to balance. I always say that the most important part about martial arts is to be balanced. Balance your skills when you’re out there. I don’t want my output, the application of my techniques that I’m firing, to outdo my lung capacity.

 

That’s what I recommend. Learn to listen to what’s happening inside of you. There are many drills that you can work on that are like substitutes for your former skills. When I fought, I would start the first minute at a faster pace than my opponent. We were taught to turn it up a notch every thirty seconds, so I was fighting at a much faster pace at the end of every round then I was at the beginning. I was fighting at a much faster pace in round three then I would in round one, but you can’t do that when you’re older. What you do is become smarter as the fight progresses, and you start learning to play games. 

 

For example, I’d do breathing drills on the way to the gym to warm up my lungs; and I would always warm up a good hour before I went to the gym. You’ll notice that your body peaks maybe three times a day: for example, 10:00 in the morning, 4:00 in the afternoon and maybe 7:00 in the evening. When I was younger my favorite time to workout was 7:00 at night because that’s when my body peaked. As I grew older, my body started peaking more in the morning, so I started favoring morning workouts. I would play mind games with the guys I was planning to spar and ask them to meet me at the gym at my favorite time of the day. 

 

I don’t know if you’re into biorhythms or body rhythms. You have a twenty-eight day cycle, a physical and emotional cycle. If you can, then you want to fight when your physical, mental and emotional states are at their peaks. When Mohammed Ali lost his first fight, he had a triple negative. I always did my best fighting during a full moon. I’m a Pisces like Chuck Norris. We’re always riled up when there’s a full moon; I always feel much stronger when it’s a full moon. 

 

 

When I was 40 years old, I was trying to make a comeback. I would go to the gym and spar with someone who was a five-time Golden Gloves champion, for example. I’d think, “Oh God, now what will I to do with him today?” I had to hide his socks and his boxing shoes as a joke. He said, “Joe, Joe, I can’t find… “ I’d warm up and say, “Gary, come on man, my old lady wants me at home to take the kids to the doctor.” I’d try to rush him. I’d finally give him an extra pair of my socks or whatever, so he could enter the ring, but he’s cold. I’d beat the heck out of him because he’s cold or I’d play psych games. I’d say, “Gary, you have too much time between that four-hand strike and your straight right hand. You go one and two and I want you to think about that today because my big problem is dealing with…” I’m messing with his brain because I’m making him think he has made a mistake. Now, he’s not watching me when he’s sparring because his mind will be introspective and then “extrospective;” his focus keeps changing, which throws his timing off. I would play all kinds of mind games with my opponents.

 

Mark Graden: There are a couple of things that you taught me a long time ago as a boy. You always told us that when we’re exhausted, we could always work on defense and composure. You also told us specifically that if you’re technique isn’t necessarily great, you throw a hundred times and it misses ninety nine, then what stinks is usually your approach because most people throw away the deal. I’ve been trying to work on my approach. The last and most important lesson that you taught me as a boy was that if you control the distance, you control the fight. As I grow older, those are my three staples that I try to maintain.

 

Joe Lewis: If you know how to control range and an opponent’s set point, which means don’t let him set, then you can beat ninety per cent of fighters any day, hands down. Just those two principals, control range and set point, will do it. The two most important things when you’re fighting are approach and attitude. Most instructors don’t teach those. If you ask everyone in this room or any gathering of instructors, “Give me a definition of approach and attitude.” You probably wouldn’t hear very many good answers.