AKS Quarterly Newsletter

Michael A. Sullenger 9th Dan
Chief Instructor Emeritus

Michael A. Sullenger
Chief Instructor - Emeritus

I wrote this article before Mr. Lieb passed away in September of 2006. At that time, I believed I was already seeing the beginning of the end for the AKS. The purpose of this article is not to insult or demean anyone. It's a hard, honest look at where we, as an organization, stand in 2025.

After Ernie was tragically taken from us, I took over the AKS as her Chief Instructor. Ernie had made it clear to me, and other senior members, that in the event of his passing, I was to take his place. I was promoted to that position the following summer. It didn't take long for me to understand what Ernie had been telling me for several years: politics, the inability of members to agree on things, and some trying to take over, resulting in their ejection from the AKS.

My involvement with the AKS has always been a long-distance affair. Because of that, I never witnessed the political problems Ernie dealt with. The more senior black belts will be able to recall what I'm talking about. Toledo and Bowling Green come to mind. When I was made aware of them, it was usually by Ernie, and later a couple of others who had been involved.

Once I assumed the leadership role, things Ernie had been telling me about the lack of cooperation and involvement by members became clear. Key among the observations was the lack of any leadership structure below the senior black belts.

Today, even though I have retired from the chief instructor position, like me, the other senior black belts are all in their 70s. There is no one below that age bracket who has the desire to step up and lead. Those who might contemplate this lack the necessary rank, maturity in some cases, and leadership experience to do the job. When the current chief (Fred Reineke) retires or steps down, who steps up?

While Sensei Lieb was alive, his charisma and personality, not to mention his incredible skill as a martial artist, brought in new members. Now that he's gone, so is that magnetism and martial arts skill we all enjoyed watching and learning from.

Have you ever wondered how all the different martial arts styles have come to be? Today, there are so many that it's hard to know the players without a scorecard, as the old cliché goes. I recall my earlier years of study, before meeting Mr. Lieb and joining the American Karate System (AKS). This was during a time when finding someone to train with was very difficult, unless you lived in or near a large city. There were few books available as well, except those by the ever-prolific Bruce Tegner. Some of us studied other styles of karate before we became students of Ernie Lieb.

In an article by Douglas Adamson, found in the February (don't recall the year) issue of Martial Arts Professional (a trade magazine for full-time martial arts school owners), he asked, "Can a modern style become classical?" He poses some interesting questions I thought would be good for us to ponder. He talks about our industry, referring to full-time teachers, though it fits for those of us who are part-time instructors, and adds "concepts like 'legitimacy' (as in legitimate style), and 'classical' to the discussion."/ He continues:

In the martial arts, your art is the overall philosophy of how you approach your defense. It is your process: hitting with hands or feet or both; grappling with the whole body or minor parts, such as the hands or legs; weaponry (either edged or impact weapons); or a combination of some or all of these.

The overall martial art of any group or nation developed when a group of humans felt confident in their combat approach. This became their "martial art," which encompassed the overall approach they felt was the most successful. This art was developed and influenced by various cultural pressures, the size and build of the people involved, their environment (tropical, temperate, mountainous, etc.), and the type of enemy they faced.

A style becomes the process that you use to train in a particular art. This "style approach" was determined more by a particular teacher or group of teachers than it was determined by a whole race or nation.

I have often noted that most well-known styles in the major arts were systematized in the last century. That is, they were structurally designed, named, and promoted well within the last 100 years, and most of them within the last 70 years.

Adamson provides several examples of styles to illustrate his point (Shotokan 1936, TaeKwonDo 1955, Goju Ryu 1933, Wado Ryu 1934, Isshin Ryu 1954) and feels this process is still ongoing. We can add the AKS (1973) to this list to further validate his hypothesis.

It is important to note that the author's discussion of how a style begins is the result of a particular teacher and his approach affected the process. We know O'Sensei Funakoshi's style (Shotokan) and knowledge were influenced by his two key teachers, Itosu and Azato. Wado Ryu's founder was influenced by his studies in Shindo-Yoshin Jujitsu Ryu and his practice with Shotokan's founder. There are other examples found in the AKS Student Handbook that explain this evolution. The point is clear. As certain teachers studied and developed their knowledge and understanding of their initial art, along with others, they formulated unique ideas of what became the style for which they became known.

We know our late founder, Ernie Lieb, accomplished much in the 1960s as a competitor. Once, when speaking with a good friend and 5th Dan (now 8th) Goju Ryu stylist (Dom Maldonado) in Germany, he recalled watching Mr. Lieb come up against Julius LeSalle in New York City. The competition was an annual event held by S. Henry Cho. Dom recounted the event and explained how no one expected this man from Michigan to last very long against their champion. To their amazement, Mr. Lieb ended the match in less than 30 seconds. I'm sure there are many other such examples.

Along with Mr. Lieb's unique style of fighting was his stubborn pursuit of a style and method of training that would benefit the American physiology and mindset. He also had a desire to get martial artists from various styles to put aside their prejudices about the art they practiced and that of others. He created the American Karate Association (AKA) in 1964. Over the years, his dream of bringing people of different styles together with the desire to share and learn has become a reality. More than sixty years later, the AKA is still going strong.

It was Mr. Lieb's personality and abilities that set him apart from others. Likewise, his style has accomplished the same. Our expectations of what a black belt should be are higher than others', yet with the same desire for legitimacy and respect. We feel a person should work hard and demonstrate their desire to not only become of good black belt in their skills and abilities, but also in their attitude and interpersonal relationships.

There is one question the senior leadership of the AKS must ask. Who will step into the shoes of Mr. Lieb when he is no longer with us? Who has the leadership skills and personality necessary for this task? My reason for asking this question is simple. At present, Mr. Lieb, Mr. Reinecke, Mr. Thomas and I are the only ones undertaking the running of our organization. When we've asked others to assist, we've gotten no response, or they've opted out because they felt politics were involved. In the end, it's only been us four. Yet even with this, I wonder how successful Fred and I will be when Mr. Lieb is gone. At present, it's his personality and drive that keeps things going. I'm 2000 miles away. Fred and Dave are limited because of their business. No one else tries aside from teaching their respective classes.

So, we are a style that has evolved in all the ways Mr. Adamson has discussed. Most of the styles he talked about are still in existence today, even though their founders are no longer with us. Will we, the members of the AKS, be able to say the same in a few years? Will we still be a style that exists and continues to thrive? Or will we become extinct because so many of our members cared only enough about the system to teach and nothing else? Whether we survive as a style or not will depend on those who are not afraid to stand up and do more than just teach what our Founder and Chief Instructor taught us. My experience with this issue tells me the AKS will not survive. What do you think???

Respectively yours in Budo,
Mike Sullenger, 9th Dan
AKS Chief Instructor Emeritus

PS: Mr. Lieb will be gone from us 20 years, next September 2026. I held the reins as chief instructor for ten years. I stepped down because I was battling cancer at the time. Fred is currently our Chief Instructor. Fred has already made it clear he wants to step down. He lost a dear friend in Tom Twining, and more recently, his wife Anne, both to cancer. Add to this his ongoing battle with arthritis, which makes getting out of bed some days very difficult. The future of the AKS is in the hands of its membership. Once a new chief instructor is selected, who will step up to help him run the AKS?