KERRY LI'S MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY - TAKING IT ON

Albuquerque Journal-North

The funnest job I ever had was teaching karate. I had my very own army of loyal, five to fifteen year old kids, who taught me far more than I ever taught them. 

Kerry Li's Martial Arts Academy had a large but close-knit body of students of all ages; we practiced Shotokan style karate with some Jiu-Jitsu techniques thrown in for a full curriculum.

Here is a video of Kerry Li in action!

Once students mastered the basics of punching, kicking and blocking, we would begin to teach them the "nine moving forces": Strikes, throws, applied pressure, joint-restraints, chokes, holds, breath-control, body-conditioning and counters to all of the above. These moving forces are applied to vital targets in the musculo-skeletal, nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, and internal organ systems.

I enjoyed my fifteen minutes of fame when I got written up in this article from The Albuquerque Journal North. It probably didn't hurt that the author was a friend of my mom's. I wish she hadn't quoted me quite so accurately; I am afraid I was spouting gibberish. Also, I hope people will forgive me for the quote appearing in large print which I had read previous to the interview in "The Way of The Peaceful Warrior", I can't really claim that it is my quote, even though I probably did word it slightly differently.
 Click to read the article:  

Albuquerque Journal-North

Albuquerque Journal-North

Shortly after I earned my first black belt, Sensei Kerry Li moved to California to pursue an acting career.  I am still looking for the second page of this article from the Santa Fe New Mexican which was published not long before he moved away. Click to enlarge:

It took me about five years to earn my first-degree black belt. I earned my second degree a little over a year after that. I found that teaching karate helped me to grow faster in my own journey as a martial artist.

David Settino Scott - 2013