When Keith Kirk was just on the verge of becoming a teenager, he went to see the movie, “Enter the Dragon,” starring Bruce Lee.
Little did he know that seeing that film would change his life.
“I grew up in rural Arkansas,” Kirk said. “When I saw that, I went, ‘I want to do that.’ I’d never seen a human move like that and this was long before they had special effects’ camera tricks, and things. It was just him — moving like electricity.”
It turns out Kirk wasn’t the only one inspired by Lee’s fluidity and strength.
His wife, Carla, also had seen “Enter the Dragon,” and she began studying martial arts during college.
The couple has practiced together for 44 years, and they have passed along their love for martial arts to their daughters.
Now, Keith, Carla and their daughters, Rachel and Liz, are volunteer instructors at a program they established a year ago at the Keystone Recreation Center, 17928 Gunn Highway, in Odessa.
How their volunteer work began
Keith and Carla moved to Lutz a couple of years ago, from Memphis, following their daughters who had moved to the area from California.
Both Keith and Carla are retired. They owned a commercial property company and a financial services company. Carla provided management of the office bookkeeping and the tax work.
“One of the things that we wanted to do — part of our retirement — is give back to the community. The struggle you’ve got is, ‘How do you do that with the things that you know?’” Kirk said.
Then, they discovered a way.
“We went to vote, of all things, a couple of years ago, in November.
“And, our voting spot was the Keystone Recreation Center. It wasn’t open yet. They had only opened one room for the voting.
The center was closed during Covid and was being remodeled, and still didn’t have all of its permits, he explained.
While waiting to vote, Kirk chatted with the recreation center’s assistant director and found out more about the center’s mission and offerings.
That’s when he realized that he, his wife and their daughters would be perfect volunteers for the center.
“The nonprofit, community nature of the recreation center matched up to our nonprofit,” Kirk said, referring to their affiliation with Shotokan Karate of America (SKA).
When the recreation center reopened last February, the Kirks became volunteers running training sessions on two nights a week, through what is known as Tampa Shotokan. The club is affiliated with the nonprofit SKA established by Tsutomu Ohshima.
The Kirks receive no pay from the Keystone center and they don’t charge their students.
However, students must purchase a uniform — which costs around $50, depending on the student’s size. Members also must pay an annual $100 fee, to support the nonprofit SKA.
Still, training sessions are free, and there’s no cost for testing, which happens twice a year.
The club currently has 15 members, ranging from a 10-year-old who is a complete novice, to a 60-plus-year-old, who has trained for 30 years.
The club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays. There’s beginner’s practice, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., for those with little to no experience. There’s a second session, on the same evenings, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., for those who know karate.
“We’re kind of what I think of as the original version of what you now see as a professional sport on television, MMA (mixed martial arts), because you have throws, you have sweeps, you have joint locks. You have kicks, punches, elbows, knees — all of that is part of what we teach,” Kirk said.
He went on: “What you’re teaching has some to do with the physical art, but it has mostly to do with trying to make a good human being.”
That’s an ongoing quest, he said.
“You could live 10 lifetimes and there would still be more for you to improve on your own individual character, and your own individual behavior — particularly when no one else is looking,” said Kirk, who will celebrate his 50th year in training this summer.
“When you’re practicing, you’re teaching people to become the very best version of themselves,” he said.
Karate welcomes all
“If you’re a small person and you want to play football, you can’t necessarily be as good as that guy that is 6-5 (6 foot, 5 inches) and 290 pounds.
“I can’t change that you’re 5-5 (5 foot, 5 inches) and 140 pounds. You can’t change that about you,” he said.
But, he added: “Karate lets people practice and build their self-confidence, build their self-esteem.”
It also offers health benefits for people of all ages.
Plus, it helps people to develop composure — to keep an even keel, he said.
“I’ve taught for decades, and especially among the 12-, 13-, 14-year-old boys, those young teens, or tweens. You’ll find somebody that’s really shy and it will help build them a little more confidence. You’ll find, every so often, somebody who is a little bit of a bully, and it will humble them very quickly.”
It allows people of all ages to train in one group, he added.
“Each person is working on their individual practice. We’re training together, but your punch is your punch,” he said.
While the club meets just two nights a week, Kirk tells students, “For every one hour you practice in class with me, you should practice two hours outside of class.”
He noted it’s not hard to find enough space at home for training: “A 4-by-4 space is plenty enough space to practice karate.”
In essence, the club sessions include work on fundamentals, such as basic blocks, punches and kicks.
Students also practice a predetermined pattern of blocks, punches and kicks against imaginary multiple attackers.
Plus, they practice with partners.
Students learn ancient forms, he added.
“They’re 1,000 years old. This was before widespread printing presses. It was before most people could read or write,” Kirk said.
In essence, there are a couple of basic rules, the instructor said.
“Rule No. 1 is don’t get hit,” he said.
He added: “When you hit, you’ve got to make sure you can hit the other guy.”
For those curious about whether karate is right for them, Kirk encourages them to check it out.
“I tell people, ‘Come and try.’ The only way you will ever know is to come and try. You can’t learn about this by watching it. Karate is taught from the soles of the feet, up,” Kirk said.
Learn more
To find out more about the free karate program at Keystone Recreation Center, reach out to Keith Kirk at 901-494-6418 or , or check the website, Tampa.ska.org.
Published February 07, 2024
