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 Jim’s training began in 1963 under Hanshi (tenth degree Black Belt) Lou Angel (Louis Anthony Angelopolis); Jim would sneak off his paper route in order to take the lessons. Lou had just returned from Japan where he had just received his Third Black Degree Belt under the legendary Great Grand Master of Goju, Gogin “Cat” Yamaguchi. Lou received his black belt in 1961 In New York under the famous Peter Urban. By 1969 Jim had obtained a brown belt and began teaching for Lou Angel. Jim opened a school in Joplin Missouri, were he was attending college. While attending college at Missouri Southern State in Joplin Missouri actor and Kenpo stylist Jeff Speakman began his training in this school under Lou Angel.
A short time later after Jim received his Black Belt he left Goju, still searching, for what he wasn't’t sure. Jim began training with a college buddy, now life long friend, Fred Fairchild, a Shotokan stylist. Shotokan is another Japanese system, which is very similar to Goju. In fact the founder of Japanese Goju, Gogin Yamaguchi, studied with the founder of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi. About a year later Jim was accepted to teach in the Tracy’s franchise system. Jim thought he had died and gone to karate heaven, Kenpo was what he had been looking for. Kenpo was no nonsense self defense system that had many street worthy organized techniques.
Jim also trained at the other Tracy school across town in St. Louis headed by Rodney Hard. Rodney was the son of Christian Missionaries and had grown up in Korea. Rodney trained in Hapkido while in Korea and obtained a black belt before returning to the U.S. Jim got an introduction to joint manipulation techniques and some of the kicks of Hapkido. Jim also spent hours learning the techniques of knife throwing; he also learned how to stick anything with a point including maps and thumbtacks.
The next place the Tracy's sent Jim was to David Meredith’s (now a municipal judge) school in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jim took over operations while Dave returned too central training, in Orange New Jersey at that time, for business training. While in Florida Jim was fortunate to meet Dave Meredith’s instructor, J.T. Will. J.T. was a great fighter and a student of both Ed Parker and Al Tracy. After several months in Florida, Tracy’s had Jim take over operations of a company owned school in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. Vancouver, a city of three million has a Chinese population greater than San Francisco, California. While there he began to train with Wai Doo, now Great Grand Master of White Tiger Kung Fu. Then just another martial artist about his own age to trade techniques with. Jim studied both Kung Fu and herbal medicine including the poisons used for Chinese weapons. White Tiger Kung Fu greatly influenced the way Jim viewed the martial arts and the system Mr. Rathbone teaches today.
The greatest benefit of being part of the Tracy's system in the 70’s was the money generated from the franchise chain was spent improving the system. Tracy’s hired the World Heavyweight Champion (FULL CONTACT) Joe Lewis, to train instructors, in the method of freestyle sparring. Joe’s system covered both competition and full contact application. Joe studied privately with Bruce Lee and together they built a system that kept Joe world champion for ten years. Very few of Joe's competitors survived past the second round and at over fifty, he still a formidable fighter. In 1992 Joe fought a full contact exhibition matches with his good friend the famous Bill “Supper Foot” Wallace, it was quite a fight much of what we teach in our one on one sparring classes is the system devised by Joe Lewis and Bruce Lee.
Centuries of Woo Shu, forms and patterns, past from generation to generation. We have a system second to none, We believe the most street effective self-defense being taught today anywhere and Mr. Rathbone has seen hundreds of styles and systems.
Picture on the left is with Shihan Jim Rathbone with his Kenpo instructor Grandmaster Al Tracy. The one on the right is from the 70's in Jim's school in Vancouver Canada. The picture was taken of Joe Lewis during a sparring seminar that he gave.
 
Jim Receiving his 5th Dan and the recognition of the White Tiger Kenpo System by Hanshi Lou Angel |
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