Richard Barathy/American Combat Karate

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USHH 37

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I also trained with renshei russell,Kyoshi bacci gave me my green belt,reshei richie kofage,reshei joey impallazeri,reshei john glenn,renshei steve piccone,the Renshei Dangelo brothers,I received my brown belt from Kyoshi Barathy.

USHHH! ACK FOREVER!!!!
 

scotty g

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UUSH!!! I trained under Kyoshi Romeo for a number of years in Tai-Zen but I have not trained in a long time and would love to know where ACK classes are being held?? Please let me know??
 

scotty g

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Unfortunately, and dont quote me on this, I have been hearing that the Levittown school will be closing. If you have any interest in training ACK, PM me.

P.S. Its "Renshi" not "Renche"


How can I find out where to train in the ACK System??

Ussh!!
 

Kyoshi71

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UUSH!!! I trained under Kyoshi Romeo for a number of years in Tai-Zen but I have not trained in a long time and would love to know where ACK classes are being held?? Please let me know??


Why not just go back to Romeo?
 

scotty g

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Because when I left Tai-Zen many years back it was getting to repetitive. No dis-respect to Kyoshi Romeo he is a great teacher but I just started getting bored staying on the same thing for months. He stays on the same topic as Master Tauge.

I took a few classes about a year ago at the levitown ACK school and really liked it. I had to stop due to coaching baseball but i would like to start trainning again. I think the school has closed.

UUSH
 

Burnerbob

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Whats more is that Warren Montagnino was originally trained in Mu Duk Kwon (when it was a real fighting art) from Eugene Perceval. Sensei Montagnino had a hip problem and couldnt throw high kicks so when he opened up his own school, he called it "American Combat Karate.
Now that you help shake the cobwebbs from my head,I remember Walter and Gene going around to the various schools as well as Marvin "Mickey" Stein and Sonny Tomasso. A Korean was on the scene at that time, Howard Lee, Gene and Warren did not think much of him.
 

Kyoshi71

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Now that you help shake the cobwebbs from my head,I remember Walter and Gene going around to the various schools as well as Marvin "Mickey" Stein and Sonny Tomasso. A Korean was on the scene at that time, Howard Lee, Gene and Warren did not think much of him.

That's way before my time. I think some of these guys fought in the civil war..:)

Anyway, I was told a story once by the namesake of this thread about how Sensei Perceval used to go around to various schools, like you had mentioned, and drop challenges to instructors in front of their students. Back then, he was on the cover of practically every MA magazine from coast to coast which, I would assume, led to a bit of intimidation and removed the "home field advantage" of the challenged instructor.
To make a long story short, Sensei Perceval immediately stopped this practice once he found himself on the "business end" of a Barathy sidekick to the armpit.
 

Burnerbob

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That's way before my time. I think some of these guys fought in the civil war..:)

Anyway, I was told a story once by the namesake of this thread about how Sensei Perceval used to go around to various schools, like you had mentioned, and drop challenges to instructors in front of their students. Back then, he was on the cover of practically every MA magazine from coast to coast which, I would assume, led to a bit of intimidation and removed the "home field advantage" of the challenged instructor.
To make a long story short, Sensei Perceval immediately stopped this practice once he found himself on the "business end" of a Barathy sidekick to the armpit.
He also did a demonstration of full force kicks to the abdomin, and having a 100 pound marble slab broken over his chest with a sledge hammer. 1963 was the year.
 

Kyoshi71

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He also did a demonstration of full force kicks to the abdomin, and having a 100 pound marble slab broken over his chest with a sledge hammer. 1963 was the year.

He also (and I'm not kidding about this) would take full force kicks to his balls and claim to be able to pull them up at the last second. Said he learned it when he was stationed in Korea. Crazy huh?
 

Burnerbob

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He also (and I'm not kidding about this) would take full force kicks to his balls and claim to be able to pull them up at the last second. Said he learned it when he was stationed in Korea. Crazy huh?
Yrs I remember. Also chop beer bottle necks with a knife hand blow
 

the christian

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I truly have never seen a message board with so much misinformation. I studied with Kyoshi Barathy until he passed (at his home in Dix Hills) and have trained with "Hanshi" Don McCaffrey for 15 years. Currently I am a Yondan Renshi in the system and can tell you anything you would like to know.
1st: There are NO similarities between Tai-Zen Jiu jitsu, under Master Tague, and ACK.
2nd: Kyoshi Lenny Romeo is a great teacher, and Renshi Matt Willing is a great fighter, whos loyalties and techniques are ALL Tai-Zen now (and that's not a bad thing)
3rd: Kyoshi Barathy used the Tai-Zen weight routine to greatly advance his skills but actually gave most of the credit for his technique to Nisei Goju (under Frank Ruiz) currently run by Hanshi Wilfredo Roldan.
4th: Renshi Joe Impellizeri still teaches original ACK and does a great job at it (also a great guy). I have personally never trained with Rich Korfhage, but know that his skill and integrity are in-line with old school ACK.
5th: "Kyoshi" John Russell is an awesome instructor. Kyoshi Russell never spent any time with Master Howard Tague and stayed true to the old line ACK methods. Absolutely a Master technician and a very cerebral fighter who ran a class at Renshi Impellizeri's school in Elmont.
6th: Renshi John Glenn, from what I understand, has a group that gets together in Wantagh somewhere. He used to teach at Kyoshi Barathy's house. Good teacher and fighter and stayed with Kyoshi Barathy until the end.
6th: Hanshi McCaffrey is the real deal. Power, speed and technique like never seen before. A truly great guy who is willing to teach anyone who comes through the door with a desire to learn and a disdain for politics. Hanshi McCaffrey trained extensively with Kyoshi Barathy from the beginning and also trained with Master Tague, who he credits as "incredible."
We have a group that gets together EVERY Tuesday night with Hanshi McCaffrey. Along with him, there are also 4 other high ranking ACK black Belts that join him to teach class. Interested??

Hello ACK'ers. Studied with Mr. McCaffery in the mid-80's when he recieved his rank as renshi from Kyoshi whom i also had the privilege to be taught in huntington. Also in lynbrook, with Mr. Romeo. No doubt Hansi McCaffery is the real deal, private lessons from him have made me a great fighter today. My black belt rank from another school came from my purple belt with those guy's and nothing has come close to ACK in the past 17 yrs. keep going on what we've been taught...West coast!!!
 

Karjitsu

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First I must tell you that I recently moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, but lived in my home in Levittown, NY for 42 years. I am 52 years old and married and have two sons who are Martial artists as well as multi-sport athletes. My youngest son Ryan is the general manager for Dolphin Fitness in Westbury, NY. When I started in the Lynbrook dojo during 1979 there where only four Brown belts. One was my Dojo brother George Milo’s and Tony Bovee, Don Brown (Shodan Tai-Zen) and one guy I saw maybe once or twice. Shortly after Jeff Guarini and Ricky Defino received their brown belts and it would be some time before I saw another promotion. John Squadrito and Ricky Levelle, Joe (Carver) Amoraroso (Renshi-Tai-Zen) and Juan where still Yellow belts when I joined. When I received my green belt that is when the whole picture changed. A black belt from Grand Master Peter Urban wanted bouncers to work for him at a night club in Islip named Hammerheads. This was when I was really permitted to grow. That’s when Sensei Romeo took me under his wing. John Squadrito and Ricky Levelle at this time where just teenagers and I, along with Franny my best friend and one of my Black Belts, maybe you remember him, he had really long red hair who and happens to be John Glenn’s cousin would drive them back to Wantagh after class. They would jump on the train in Wantagh and hide in the bathroom or walk from car to car to avoid paying, they were just kids. I felt bad so I would drive them home. Shortly after starting at Hammerheads John Squadrito called me and wanted to go visit Sensei Willing.
Jon Brown a big 300 pound student and friend of mine that joined ACK from Levittown joined us to see Sensei Willing and we went to pick up John Squadrito at his parents new home in Plainview. His brother Anthony answered the door and I was shocked to find out John had a brother. The reason he never mentioned him to us was because Anthony worked out The Malverne School of Self Defense (Chinese- Goju). I later found out that the owner of this school at one time was a business partner of Kyoshi Barathy and there was bad blood between them. Later Anthony was at tournament and was impressed with Renshi Finnegan (Kyoshi-Tai-Zen) so he joined American Combat Karate. Anthony received his brown belt along with me and Ritchie Crawfage (Renshi-ACK) and Alex Rivera (Renshi- ACK) and the meanest man I ever met, Artie Miller who when he passed away, Chuck Zito from the Hells Angels came to the funeral at O’Reilly’s on Long Island. Soon after getting the job at Hammerheads, Franny and I would be invited to Kyoshi Barathy’s House in Bethpage where he lived with Sensei Romeo and Willing. Around the time that the Huntington School was being built Kyoshi Barathy, Sensei Paul DeAngelo and Sensei Romeo with Ricky Difino moved to Huntington Bay. Then Sensei Romeo offered me a job at The Ritz, a night club in Manhattan. That’s when I met Artie Miller he was a Purple belt for God knows how many years. Sensei McCaffrey and Ricky Defino also worked with us.
That is when I met Sensei Jeff Craig; Bam-Bam was his nickname. Jeff was a child black belt under Grandmaster Ron Van Clief; He was big and strong and was put in to a Karate System that came out of Alphabet City in the lower part of Manhattan by his mother who wanted to toughen him up. That’s when we met the Hells Angels and Chuck Zito and Barathy started to bring Jerry Cooney into the city.

Soon after that gig, Jeff went to work at Studio 54 and I went there with him along with Larry Brown one of my friends from Levittown and the brother of Big Jon Brown. My friend Franny and his brother Kevin got jobs in the Electrical division of the club. When I got my Purple Belt, Larry Brown got us a job at The Roxy Roller Disco which was a big time night club on the west side of Manhattan. Jeff Craig, Franny Murray and George Milo’s from ACK came to work with us. This Club was owned by a man named Steven Greenburg who was a personal friend of Chuck Zito. He would become very friendly with our crew and Larry Brown (White Belt ACK) who for a short while ran the security at the club. After the club changed hands I went to work at the Huntington school for a while on the weekends and Sensei Romeo introduced me to a personal friend of the black belts, a character named Lenny Z. Lenny Z owned a bar supply company and had a lot of contacts. Based on Sensei Romeos recommendation Lenny Z got me a job working with him at An vine’s in Farmingdale, NY. He worked security with me but never spent five minutes at the door. He was a real character. Around this time Kyoshi Barathy started bringing Mark Gastineau from the Jets to An Vines to check things out. Soon summer arrived and it was time for the seminars that where the highlight of the season. All I can say is Pain Pain Pain. Myself along with the names I mentioned eariler recieved their brown belts. All the existing brown belts had stripes removed from their belts.
Sparring with Sensei Paul DeAngelo his toenail pierced my eyelid and I had to drive home like that. Getting my Brown Belt made me forget how much it hurt.
Things went along the same for a while and every summer at the seminars we would lose a stripe off of our brown belts. We all caught up to George Milo’s and the rest of the brown belts and no one made Black belt while I trained with them. Then I was called to enter the New York City Police Department. While I was in the Academy some of the Instructors where Martial Artists and they could tell I had some training and requested that while I was on probation I should stay away from training that could get me injured and lose my job. While at the Academy a revolution was under way in the American Combat System. Some of the Black belts felt that Kyoshi Barathy had stopped teaching them and was spending too much time with celebrities. They started training with Master Teague in Selden and where very happy with what they had learned. Soon all hell broke lose and the system began to split. When I decided to return to training I was torn. Because of Sensei Romeo I went to Tai-Zen. Now the confusion to me at the time was that all the black belts 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree were demoted by Master Teague to Shodan rank. I began training with them at a catering hall in Huntington and soon they opened a Dojo in Levittown, my home town. At first Master Teague allowed us to keep our Brown Belts but we could not wear black Gi’s like his Brown Belts. Also no rank of purple belt was observed so all of them went back to Green. It seemed like a good deal since all these Ju-jitsu techniques were new to us. Soon I had both of my sons in the class and things were going well. After I while I was promoted to Brown belt in Tai-Zen and received my first Diploma after close to 8 years in these systems. Soon I lost interest in the system and began to attend less and less. During this time I still kept in contact with George Milo’s and Anthony Sqaudrito
John and Anthony’s parents had a home on the water in Massapequa and they allowed me to keep my boat there. When Anthony got married George Milo’s and I were in his Wedding party. One day John mentioned that he was opening a dojo in Massapequa at the Gym that Amy Fisher met Joey Buttafuco. My two sons and George Milo’s along with John’s brother Anthony went to the new school and it was great. John Squadrito and John Glenn where always there and it was hardcore. My sons loved the class and got such a thrill when they got their first stripe on their white belts. One night Renshi Bacci and Renshi Paul DeAngelo with his son PJ came to the Dojo and promoted John to Sandan, he went crazy and punched a hole in the wall. Mark Linchner the Hollywood rat was there and John had told me that sometime ago he had given Mark his Black Belt. This was a surprise to all of us but all of us where so happy for John that no one said anything and I never heard about it again. I can’t recall how much time had passed but one day we received news that John had passed away. My Wife and I along Franny and George Milo’s went to the church and sat with His Family and John Glenn and it was heartbreaking. After I retired I needed a job and like most Cops, I started driving limos. One night while dropping off some people at the Palladium in NYC I saw Renshi Jeff Craig working out front.
We talked for a while and he told me that he was now a 4th Degree Black belt (Renshi) under Ron Van Clief. He also said that he needed more armed people at the club since last Thanksgiving he was shot at the door and one of his doormen Marcus from Coney Island had been killed. I took the job. This was the best crew I had ever worked with and much to my surprise one day Grandmaster Ron Van Clief came to work with us and I became his partner. Now you have to understand that since Jeff got shot our priority was to protect him. He ran the door and made all the decisions. This was a very dangerous position and with our backing things went smoothly. One of Jeff’s dojo brothers and a student of Ron’s is Taimak from the movie the last dragon. For a short while he worked with us. All this time I still went to the Gym in the mornings and worked a couple of nights at the club. Ron Van Clief (10th degree Red Belt) was familiar with Kyoshi Barathy and he was a Godan when Barathy was a student in The Nisei-Goju system. He requested that I train with him with his personal students at his home Dojo in Manhattan. It was an offer I could not refuse. He permitted me to wear my Brown belt and soon promoted me to the Rank of Shodan.
I trained with him every night before work and we became lifelong friends.
After a year or so the Palladium closed and was turned into dormitories for NYU.
I started working at a night club in Bethpage; Long Island called Summertime’s when Franny told me that some of the guys we grew up with wanted to start training in the martial arts. He told them that he could not teach them because he was still a purple belt and they could learn more from me. At around the same time my sons Justin and Ryan had told me about a Ju-jitsu school near our home that looked pretty good. They asked if they could join and I said sure. This Dojo had boxing and Judo and karate and the head instructor was a third Generation Martial artist from England. He was the type of guy who came from a dojo in Europe where all your promotions came from the fights you had after class in the pub above the school. This reminded me of the original ACK school in the basement of Lock, Stock and Barrel in Elmont. I watched his class and I was sold that this guy was good. My sons seemed enthusiastic and they really liked the Judo instructor Ralph who was from a great School in Baldwin.
Both never lost a Judo match except when they fought each other, my oldest son Justin choked out Ryan to win the finals. My wife was not happy. I struck up a friendship with him and he asked me to teach in his school. This was not something that I was used to but as I met more and more Martial Artists they seemed to have more of an open door policy.
It was more about exchanging information than ego. Before I could commit to something like this I felt that I must at least ask permission from Shidoshi Ron Van Clief. He was very supportive and stated that at my age I should not have to ask anyone for anything. But he did appreciate the respect. Then he told me that he was training to fight Joyce Gracie in the UFC. I wished him luck and had to give him credit at 51 to enter such a difficult challenge. Soon I was given a class to teach at the Dojo in Hicksville and before I knew what was happening I had my own classes, and my own system which we named The Fighting Dragons. American Combat had dragons as part of it system and Ron Van Clief was known as the Black Dragon and the School that I now rented space at used a Dragon from the flag of Wales in Great Britton. It seemed appropriate. While renting space from this Dojo in Hicksville I met many other Instructors from all over The United States and Europe and even some Ju-jitsu Instructors from Japan.
During this time I was introduced to Soke Michael DePasquale and his Son Michael Junior.
These men permitted me to become a member of the International Federation of Practicing Jujitsuans. They also sponsored me into the Gold Shield Society which is for Law Enforcement Martial Artists.
Two weeks after receiving my Third degree Black Belt I had a party at my home in Levittown and invited George Milo’s and Anthony Squadrito. They had no idea of my plans. I presented them with their 1st Black Belts and told them that they where under no obligation to anyone and that if John was still alive both of them would have gotten their Black Belts. I also gave Anthony a Diploma that was signed by me and by them awarding the rank of Sandan (Posthumously) to his brother John Squadrito. Shortly after their promotion Francis X. Murray Jr. (Franny) was given his 1st Degree Black belt.
Over the years these instructors along with Renshi Jeff Craig, Shidoshi Ron Van Cliefs student, I have received the rank of Kyoshi.
My Son Ryan has seen John Glenn (Renshi-ACK) on numerous occasions at the Dolphin Gym that he runs and told him some bad news that Anthony Squadrito had passed away a short time ago in Florida. I will miss him.
 

TenTigers

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Kyoshi71, do you know what style of Gung-Fu,and with whom Barathy learned from?
 

the christian

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Like to hear from you. Just started researching some articles on Martial Arts. Started with ACK in 82. Left in 87. Richie, McCaffery, and Piccone were my teachers.

On the west coast now studying privately. Any info to contact Piccone would be honorable. If speaking direct, tell him the "paperboy"
 

Kyoshi71

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Kyoshi71, do you know what style of Gung-Fu,and with whom Barathy learned from?

As a personal student of Kyoshi Barathy, I dont know of any style of Kung Fu that he was a practitioner of.
 

Kyoshi71

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Like to hear from you. Just started researching some articles on Martial Arts. Started with ACK in 82. Left in 87. Richie, McCaffery, and Piccone were my teachers.

On the west coast now studying privately. Any info to contact Piccone would be honorable. If speaking direct, tell him the "paperboy"

I still speak to him. He's in Florida.
 

Kyoshi71

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First I must tell you that I recently moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, but lived in my home in Levittown, NY for 42 years. I am 52 years old and married and have two sons who are Martial artists as well as multi-sport athletes. My youngest son Ryan is the general manager for Dolphin Fitness in Westbury, NY. When I started in the Lynbrook dojo during 1979 there where only four Brown belts. One was my Dojo brother George Milo’s and Tony Bovee, Don Brown (Shodan Tai-Zen) and one guy I saw maybe once or twice. Shortly after Jeff Guarini and Ricky Defino received their brown belts and it would be some time before I saw another promotion. John Squadrito and Ricky Levelle, Joe (Carver) Amoraroso (Renshi-Tai-Zen) and Juan where still Yellow belts when I joined. When I received my green belt that is when the whole picture changed. A black belt from Grand Master Peter Urban wanted bouncers to work for him at a night club in Islip named Hammerheads. This was when I was really permitted to grow. That’s when Sensei Romeo took me under his wing. John Squadrito and Ricky Levelle at this time where just teenagers and I, along with Franny my best friend and one of my Black Belts, maybe you remember him, he had really long red hair who and happens to be John Glenn’s cousin would drive them back to Wantagh after class. They would jump on the train in Wantagh and hide in the bathroom or walk from car to car to avoid paying, they were just kids. I felt bad so I would drive them home. Shortly after starting at Hammerheads John Squadrito called me and wanted to go visit Sensei Willing.
Jon Brown a big 300 pound student and friend of mine that joined ACK from Levittown joined us to see Sensei Willing and we went to pick up John Squadrito at his parents new home in Plainview. His brother Anthony answered the door and I was shocked to find out John had a brother. The reason he never mentioned him to us was because Anthony worked out The Malverne School of Self Defense (Chinese- Goju). I later found out that the owner of this school at one time was a business partner of Kyoshi Barathy and there was bad blood between them. Later Anthony was at tournament and was impressed with Renshi Finnegan (Kyoshi-Tai-Zen) so he joined American Combat Karate. Anthony received his brown belt along with me and Ritchie Crawfage (Renshi-ACK) and Alex Rivera (Renshi- ACK) and the meanest man I ever met, Artie Miller who when he passed away, Chuck Zito from the Hells Angels came to the funeral at O’Reilly’s on Long Island. Soon after getting the job at Hammerheads, Franny and I would be invited to Kyoshi Barathy’s House in Bethpage where he lived with Sensei Romeo and Willing. Around the time that the Huntington School was being built Kyoshi Barathy, Sensei Paul DeAngelo and Sensei Romeo with Ricky Difino moved to Huntington Bay. Then Sensei Romeo offered me a job at The Ritz, a night club in Manhattan. That’s when I met Artie Miller he was a Purple belt for God knows how many years. Sensei McCaffrey and Ricky Defino also worked with us.
That is when I met Sensei Jeff Craig; Bam-Bam was his nickname. Jeff was a child black belt under Grandmaster Ron Van Clief; He was big and strong and was put in to a Karate System that came out of Alphabet City in the lower part of Manhattan by his mother who wanted to toughen him up. That’s when we met the Hells Angels and Chuck Zito and Barathy started to bring Jerry Cooney into the city.

Soon after that gig, Jeff went to work at Studio 54 and I went there with him along with Larry Brown one of my friends from Levittown and the brother of Big Jon Brown. My friend Franny and his brother Kevin got jobs in the Electrical division of the club. When I got my Purple Belt, Larry Brown got us a job at The Roxy Roller Disco which was a big time night club on the west side of Manhattan. Jeff Craig, Franny Murray and George Milo’s from ACK came to work with us. This Club was owned by a man named Steven Greenburg who was a personal friend of Chuck Zito. He would become very friendly with our crew and Larry Brown (White Belt ACK) who for a short while ran the security at the club. After the club changed hands I went to work at the Huntington school for a while on the weekends and Sensei Romeo introduced me to a personal friend of the black belts, a character named Lenny Z. Lenny Z owned a bar supply company and had a lot of contacts. Based on Sensei Romeos recommendation Lenny Z got me a job working with him at An vine’s in Farmingdale, NY. He worked security with me but never spent five minutes at the door. He was a real character. Around this time Kyoshi Barathy started bringing Mark Gastineau from the Jets to An Vines to check things out. Soon summer arrived and it was time for the seminars that where the highlight of the season. All I can say is Pain Pain Pain. Myself along with the names I mentioned eariler recieved their brown belts. All the existing brown belts had stripes removed from their belts.
Sparring with Sensei Paul DeAngelo his toenail pierced my eyelid and I had to drive home like that. Getting my Brown Belt made me forget how much it hurt.
Things went along the same for a while and every summer at the seminars we would lose a stripe off of our brown belts. We all caught up to George Milo’s and the rest of the brown belts and no one made Black belt while I trained with them. Then I was called to enter the New York City Police Department. While I was in the Academy some of the Instructors where Martial Artists and they could tell I had some training and requested that while I was on probation I should stay away from training that could get me injured and lose my job. While at the Academy a revolution was under way in the American Combat System. Some of the Black belts felt that Kyoshi Barathy had stopped teaching them and was spending too much time with celebrities. They started training with Master Teague in Selden and where very happy with what they had learned. Soon all hell broke lose and the system began to split. When I decided to return to training I was torn. Because of Sensei Romeo I went to Tai-Zen. Now the confusion to me at the time was that all the black belts 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree were demoted by Master Teague to Shodan rank. I began training with them at a catering hall in Huntington and soon they opened a Dojo in Levittown, my home town. At first Master Teague allowed us to keep our Brown Belts but we could not wear black Gi’s like his Brown Belts. Also no rank of purple belt was observed so all of them went back to Green. It seemed like a good deal since all these Ju-jitsu techniques were new to us. Soon I had both of my sons in the class and things were going well. After I while I was promoted to Brown belt in Tai-Zen and received my first Diploma after close to 8 years in these systems. Soon I lost interest in the system and began to attend less and less. During this time I still kept in contact with George Milo’s and Anthony Sqaudrito
John and Anthony’s parents had a home on the water in Massapequa and they allowed me to keep my boat there. When Anthony got married George Milo’s and I were in his Wedding party. One day John mentioned that he was opening a dojo in Massapequa at the Gym that Amy Fisher met Joey Buttafuco. My two sons and George Milo’s along with John’s brother Anthony went to the new school and it was great. John Squadrito and John Glenn where always there and it was hardcore. My sons loved the class and got such a thrill when they got their first stripe on their white belts. One night Renshi Bacci and Renshi Paul DeAngelo with his son PJ came to the Dojo and promoted John to Sandan, he went crazy and punched a hole in the wall. Mark Linchner the Hollywood rat was there and John had told me that sometime ago he had given Mark his Black Belt. This was a surprise to all of us but all of us where so happy for John that no one said anything and I never heard about it again. I can’t recall how much time had passed but one day we received news that John had passed away. My Wife and I along Franny and George Milo’s went to the church and sat with His Family and John Glenn and it was heartbreaking. After I retired I needed a job and like most Cops, I started driving limos. One night while dropping off some people at the Palladium in NYC I saw Renshi Jeff Craig working out front.
We talked for a while and he told me that he was now a 4th Degree Black belt (Renshi) under Ron Van Clief. He also said that he needed more armed people at the club since last Thanksgiving he was shot at the door and one of his doormen Marcus from Coney Island had been killed. I took the job. This was the best crew I had ever worked with and much to my surprise one day Grandmaster Ron Van Clief came to work with us and I became his partner. Now you have to understand that since Jeff got shot our priority was to protect him. He ran the door and made all the decisions. This was a very dangerous position and with our backing things went smoothly. One of Jeff’s dojo brothers and a student of Ron’s is Taimak from the movie the last dragon. For a short while he worked with us. All this time I still went to the Gym in the mornings and worked a couple of nights at the club. Ron Van Clief (10th degree Red Belt) was familiar with Kyoshi Barathy and he was a Godan when Barathy was a student in The Nisei-Goju system. He requested that I train with him with his personal students at his home Dojo in Manhattan. It was an offer I could not refuse. He permitted me to wear my Brown belt and soon promoted me to the Rank of Shodan.
I trained with him every night before work and we became lifelong friends.
After a year or so the Palladium closed and was turned into dormitories for NYU.
I started working at a night club in Bethpage; Long Island called Summertime’s when Franny told me that some of the guys we grew up with wanted to start training in the martial arts. He told them that he could not teach them because he was still a purple belt and they could learn more from me. At around the same time my sons Justin and Ryan had told me about a Ju-jitsu school near our home that looked pretty good. They asked if they could join and I said sure. This Dojo had boxing and Judo and karate and the head instructor was a third Generation Martial artist from England. He was the type of guy who came from a dojo in Europe where all your promotions came from the fights you had after class in the pub above the school. This reminded me of the original ACK school in the basement of Lock, Stock and Barrel in Elmont. I watched his class and I was sold that this guy was good. My sons seemed enthusiastic and they really liked the Judo instructor Ralph who was from a great School in Baldwin.
Both never lost a Judo match except when they fought each other, my oldest son Justin choked out Ryan to win the finals. My wife was not happy. I struck up a friendship with him and he asked me to teach in his school. This was not something that I was used to but as I met more and more Martial Artists they seemed to have more of an open door policy.
It was more about exchanging information than ego. Before I could commit to something like this I felt that I must at least ask permission from Shidoshi Ron Van Clief. He was very supportive and stated that at my age I should not have to ask anyone for anything. But he did appreciate the respect. Then he told me that he was training to fight Joyce Gracie in the UFC. I wished him luck and had to give him credit at 51 to enter such a difficult challenge. Soon I was given a class to teach at the Dojo in Hicksville and before I knew what was happening I had my own classes, and my own system which we named The Fighting Dragons. American Combat had dragons as part of it system and Ron Van Clief was known as the Black Dragon and the School that I now rented space at used a Dragon from the flag of Wales in Great Britton. It seemed appropriate. While renting space from this Dojo in Hicksville I met many other Instructors from all over The United States and Europe and even some Ju-jitsu Instructors from Japan.
During this time I was introduced to Soke Michael DePasquale and his Son Michael Junior.
These men permitted me to become a member of the International Federation of Practicing Jujitsuans. They also sponsored me into the Gold Shield Society which is for Law Enforcement Martial Artists.
Two weeks after receiving my Third degree Black Belt I had a party at my home in Levittown and invited George Milo’s and Anthony Squadrito. They had no idea of my plans. I presented them with their 1st Black Belts and told them that they where under no obligation to anyone and that if John was still alive both of them would have gotten their Black Belts. I also gave Anthony a Diploma that was signed by me and by them awarding the rank of Sandan (Posthumously) to his brother John Squadrito. Shortly after their promotion Francis X. Murray Jr. (Franny) was given his 1st Degree Black belt.
Over the years these instructors along with Renshi Jeff Craig, Shidoshi Ron Van Cliefs student, I have received the rank of Kyoshi.
My Son Ryan has seen John Glenn (Renshi-ACK) on numerous occasions at the Dolphin Gym that he runs and told him some bad news that Anthony Squadrito had passed away a short time ago in Florida. I will miss him.

George just sold me my gym membership. You promoted him in Chinese Goju?
 

Kyoshi71

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What Gym does George work in? I gave him his black belt some time ago as I stated in the last posting.

When you promoted him wasnt my question. As I stated in my last posting, I was curious if it was Chinese Goju?

Synergy Fitness
 

Kyoshi71

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What Gym does George work in? I gave him his black belt some time ago as I stated in the last posting.

I'm glad that you mentioned how Linchner got promoted because there's always been a shroud of mystery surrounding it for us. Last time I saw him, he was wearing a red-up Renshi belt (Godan) and claimed to have created his own system. I'll spare you the name of the system because you'll laugh too hard. Usually when all our upper ranks get together for a few beers, I'll let everyone get nice & sauced up and bring up Linchners fighting system. There's always belly laughs and beer being spit all over the place for about twenty minutes after.
 
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