​I’m kind of stoked by having articles about Dana Abbott (Kobudo/Katana) and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace (Morning Stretch) appearing in the June/July 2019 issue of Black Belt that just hit the stands.  Everyone who reads this blog is encouraged to get this issue.  When this blog first got going in 2017 we put out a three part topic about the early development of my career writing for Black Belt Magazine.  Here I’m going to talk about my favorite perk writing for Black Belt Magazine - FB

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime - writing for Black Belt and being a black belt instructor all at the same time.  This is my life, or, part of it anyway.  I get to collaborate with the leading martial artists in all the lands and help them deliver their teachings and methods to martial artists all over the world.  It’s the greatest.  (Occasionally I get to write my own material where I’m both subject and writer.)  What do you think the bonus is for me?  Is it the triumph of getting published?  The splendor of having my name appear in a magazine? Is it the paycheck?  When I’m asked what’s in it for me, my answer is always the same.  I like us (the subject and me in collaboration) getting published, I love spreading the subject’s message, and I enjoy the challenge of creating a simple coherent manuscript.  Above all that, I absolutely enjoy the learning.  There’s no way around it.  Whatever I write about, some of it has to stick.  As time goes on and more stories happen, eventually some of that knowledge and insight is going to become cerebral.

Most people know I’ve trained with Wallace.  But maybe not Abbott, Joe Lewis, Stephen Hayes, and many others.  I even trained with David Carradine.  When Black Belt had me contact him the first time in 1999, the first time we spoke on the phone to set up a meeting, Carradine talked me into agreeing to go to his home and do Shaolin kung-fu with him and his trainer, Rob Moses.  He thought I needed to know some Shaolin so I could do a better job writing about it.  So, I found myself blocking, striking and moving with those two at his San Fernando, California residence.  We went on to collaborate many times up until his passing.  That opportunity, no matter how one slices it, helped to instill some Shaolin kung-fu inside me.

That learning angle never occurred to me before I started, but it did from the first work until the present.  Ironically, I’d never thought about the other side of the coin – it (the learning) being a two way street – but it is.  Case in point.  Last summer, kali master Apolo Ladra told me he had learned a great deal from the interview process we’d just completed – and he also said he was going to use some of what he’d just learned in a speech he was going to deliver later on in the day.  I’m sure some of what he learned was bringing back some dormant material that he hadn’t thought about for awhile, but nevertheless, he attributed it to the collaboration. What a compliment.  I really appreciated that.

I encourage anyone who wants to be a writer to give it a shot.  It’s an honorable pursuit and a wholesome way to spend your extra time.  If anyone reading this wants advice about martial arts writing or insight about getting started, all you need to do is ask.  – Sensei Floyd Burk

  Hello everybody.  Happy to be writing the blog again, I think.  Woke up this morning thinking about the past and a memorable moment flashed in my brain. That was the day I ran into martial arts great and film star, Chuck Norris. Following is my recollection of that event. I hope you enjoy reading it.   – FB

Fate, chance, luck, whatever you want to call it, is pretty cool.  It was July 1993 on a Wednesday morning.  Chuck Norris was in the middle of filming the fall season of Walker, Texas Ranger and this particular day was one of just a few that he had off.  It was also the day I took our Danish visitors, Shihan Kurt Oerum and his black belts (and one perpetual brown belt) to North Hollywood where they were to receive a two day private lesson with Bill “Superfoot” Wallace.  I already knew Wallace as I had both trained at his seminars and hosted one at the dojo as well.  Shihan Oerum, the founder of Daikihaku Karate, had traveled with his students from Viborg, Denmark, to embark on a martial arts holiday and see the sights in Cali.  Sensei Martha and I made up a busy schedule for them:  they’d spend most of a week here at the Santee dojo and nearby doing a myriad of karate activities, go to Angeles Oaks (near Big Bear) to a karate camp, share their style at a few schools up north, and attend the training with Wallace.

Wallace had arranged to conduct the lesson at the Jet Center near his home in Van Nuys.  The Jet Center was the training hall of world champion kickboxing champion, Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, located in a revamped bowling alley.  This was a really big dojo – large enough to host publicly attended kickboxing and boxing matches.  When we got there we were very impressed with the layout and all the memorabilia decorating the lobby area.  Soon after, Wallace appeared and met his eager group of students.  Shortly thereafter, standing in the training area entrance was none other than “The Jet” himself, who had just finished a workout.  Wallace introduced our group to “The Jet” who was very gracious and friendly, even allowing our visitors to snap some photos with him before he returned to the gym.  It may seem funny, but our group would have been completely satisfied if that was all we did and went home.  (Little did I know that one day I would return to the Jet Center to work with “The Jet” on behalf of Black Belt Magazine - but that’s an entirely different story.)  Now it was training time and the students gi’d up and proceeded into the gym for day one’s lesson.

You’re probably wondering when Chuck Norris comes into the picture.  I’m getting to it now.  Oerum and I weren’t doing the training…we were there to observe, then spend time tending to some other martial arts matters that needed to be worked out that day, and of course – make things happen.  The training had been going on for a while and I was pretty psyched, having just sponged a really cool kickboxing combo that Wallace was sharing with the boys.  I decided to head back into the lobby and when I walked through the door, there stood Chuck Norris.  I recognized him immediately and made my way over and began milling around near where the legend was standing.  Turns out that Norris was there to talk with Wallace and was waiting for a break in the training to do so.  Norris had tweaked his back, and Wallace who has a masters degree in kinesiology, was going to show him some exercises to help with the recovery.  It may have been yin or yang, good karma, destiny, who knows, but it was something.  

At some point I got Norris’s attention and began to speak to him, but nothing would come out.  I was completely star struck.  Fortunately, before making a fool out of myself or him thinking I was a complete idiot, Norris politely asked me to start over with what I was trying to convey.  I calmed down and introduced myself and explained what our group was doing at the Jet Center.  Norris asked me about our style and when I told him about our dojo philosophy, he started telling me about the “kick drugs out of America” program that was launched in Texas in conjunction with some outreach karate programs that he was part of.  With some common ground established, we proceeded to have a wonderful chat about the physical, mental and psychological benefits that can be derived from karate programs that promote personal development along with all the kicking and punching.

It wasn’t long before Wallace finished his lesson and he and Norris had their meeting.  Then Wallace asked Norris to meet the Danish and a couple other friends of the arts who’d joined in on the training.  After the hand shaking, Wallace got everyone together for a group photo with Norris and himself.  Norris was so cool to everyone, a real gentleman.  We were all so stoked.  It was like a dream.  Meeting “The Jet”, doing (or observing) the training with Wallace, and then to meet the guy who was the star of films such as Lone Wolf McQuade, Force Of One, Good Guys Wear Black, and the Walker, Texas Ranger TV show.  Wow!  What a day – and we all have a photograph to go along with it.  A truly memorable experience.  That was the day I met Chuck Norris.  
–  Sensei Floyd Burk

Sensei here wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s day and President’s Day, and, good cheer as we zoom through winter and cruise into spring break. Oops! It's March and spring break is here, therefore I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter. Funny, I didn’t publish the February blog because I decided to use the angle and most of the content of that work elsewhere. So, here we are. - FB


​

Seems like a good time to go down memory lane, again. I have an entertaining story about my first tournament. However, I’ll start with me training at my first dojo which occurred during 1970 and 1971. The dojo was located in the bonus room of the Riverside, California residence of Thomas Ludlow, Esq., who was my father’s attorney. My dad often found himself in need of legal services as his motorcycle dealership brought with it lots of exposure. The attorney’s son and I had become friends and we embarked on this journey around the same time. I was so excited. Our teacher was a brown belt in shito-ryu karate. I knew nothing about belts, titles or whatnot, but it didn’t matter one way or another to me because I was absolutely mesmerized by the skill and power displayed by our teacher. I did know that he cared about us (his students) and I was very happy to be there. The only student I remember having a gi was the attorney, Mr. Ludlow. I just wore my bell-bottom jeans and a t-shirt. Most of the stuff we did was kihon, line drills and combinations.

The training was awesome, and while it didn’t go on long term, some of it stuck. Case in point: Everybody in TAK knows the block-chop-punch-kick combination because it’s done twice in our first kata (tiger cub) and it’s the first situational self-defense technique in our defensive tactic curriculum. What most people don’t know is that combo was the first one I learned from our Riverside sensei. I was attracted to that combo because it really fit with my shorter than average stature and I felt I could use the moves in self-defense right away. I drilled and drilled that combo. It mattered not that my teacher was a brown belt or that I didn’t have a gi. What mattered was that he taught, I learned, and then went on to pass on that knowledge to other eager martial artists.

Want some nostalgia? Ten years later a nephew of our teacher, also a brown belt, walked into my Norco, Cali dojo and signed up. This martial artist was very good at kata and kumite and he had the fastest foot and hand speed I’d ever seen. The man also became one of the original five founders our system.

Here’s the tournament story: During a break in my motorcycle racing season, I competed in my first karate tournament. By now I’d signed up with a shorin-ryu karate dojo in Corona, California, but this time I had a gi. The tournament was held at the Corona High School gym and I was an orange belt at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed all the preparation Sensei put us through as tournament time approached. I entered in sparring and kata. First up was kata. I performed kihon kata (Tiger 1) and didn’t place. Now came sparring, the funny part. The first opponent I faced dropped me like a rock with a solid punch to the solar plexus. I was down. My mom was in the stands and she jumped up screaming at the guy and she gave it to those who were officiating. That was the first (and last) time she ever watched me compete in martial arts. Even though that first event was disastrous, I wasn’t discouraged – I went on to compete in many tournaments with some success.
​
Although my late folks didn’t attend or see much of the karate I did, they were supportive. I loved updating them about the dojos and events over the years and they always seemed eager to hear about everything. More irony…I have absolutely no photographs from those days. Nothing, “nada”. All I have are fond memories…and that’s okay with me.

– Sensei Floyd Burk

Sensei Burk here writing the November/December blog. (You know, I’m not fond of that word ‘blog’. It seems so murky. Does anybody have a better word to use?) I didn’t intend to miss November, however I decided to submit the piece for the blog into the IKSA newsletter instead. Interestingly, that piece got lost in cyber space (actually the draft box) and never made it to the newsletter editor. You may see it here later. (The photograph here was taken a few months after my shodan promotion.)
​
Most people around the dojo know that we usually go into the holidays and kick off the new year with a new (or oldie but goodie) theme. This year it’s “JOY”. A daily devotional that I’m into had this particular reading: It said that the negative (or dark) force doesn’t want your money or your stuff - it wants your joy. If your joy can be taken, that’s just vile and wicked. However, if you can be joyful even under very difficult circumstances, you are giving that force a black eye. I’m trying to be joyful because I know it’s a good thing. I’m also motivated to be joyful by the example of others, some who are not joyful and some who are. One young person here at the dojo is joyful even while she’s been sick and in pain for months and months. When she comes around, she’s smiling like she just won the lottery. I feel I owe it to her to be joyful as well. I’m asking everyone to give a go at being joyful. What’s there to lose?

This coming December 19th marks the 38 year anniversary of me achieving my black belt. What a glorious day that was. My then closest training partner, Ernie and I, reveled in glee and we danced and danced in jubilation and joy throughout the night. I remember sleeping with my black belt on, which is probably a funny thing for a 24 year old to do. When I look back, it seemed that I was much younger. That’s probably because time went by really fast for me between the time I started doing karate in 1970 and earning shodan in 1979. During those nine years, I trained with three different teachers. I always appreciated the knowledge that I gained from each of them and the foundation they helped me to build because that foundation was a solid base from which to embark on my life’s journey in karate.
​
Now, here I sit having just celebrated my 62nd birthday. Another unique group of people here at TAK just earned their first degree black belts – and I was part of their journey. Wow! I’m not sure if any of them danced into the night but I bet they all were just as joyful and content as I was when it happened to me. I feel so blessed to be a part of that and so many other first dan promotions. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
– Sensei Floyd Burk

​Sensei Burk here concluding my early journey writing for Black Belt Magazine. The past blogs covered 1991 through mid 1997 and were mostly about how one goes about getting started in journalism - using myself as one example. This one is pretty much the same. It’s also about making our own luck. Here’s some advice for eager writers: Write the best article that is humanly possible for yourself. Seek to make your submission easy for the editors to deal with. Finally, it’s not about you. Your mission is to assist your subjects in telling their stories and getting their training methods out there for the benefit of the magazine enthusiasts. I hope readers have enjoyed this series or at least learned a thing or two about the writing business.  – FB

I left off saying that my writing world was going great, but would soon crash and burn.  It was 20 years ago this October.  I had those four articles under my belt, including the Q & A with Joe Lewis, and I had the tournament story waiting on hold for publication.  I’d just been given clearance from the magazine to write another feature with the theme of “Bill Wallace’s Hand Techniques”.   Wallace is the former world champion full-contact fighter known around the world as “Superfoot”.  He also starred in Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan movies and appeared in lots of other stuff.  The project would involve a photo-shoot at Black Belt.  I’d never done that there before.

Now’s when my world seemed to fall apart.  A change in staffing occurred at the magazine, and, the change involved my contacts.  I called and they weren’t there anymore.  Since all of this was far above my pay grade, I called a friend who knew a few people and he said it was true.  I was caught off guard and completely out of sorts over it.  I was sure the new staff wouldn’t use me.  They would have their own people.  I never had the desire to write for any publications other than Black Belt or its sister publications.  Consequently, I was convinced that my writing career was over.  And, what about my Bill Wallace story?  That was down the tubes as well.  I was very discouraged.  I was a dead man walking.

After some time had passed, my wife Martha started talking to me about the situation.  As is the case with many husbands, I often resisted listening, preferring to just fix things on my own.  Fortunately, this time I listened.  Martha said I should proceed just as if nothing had happened.  I said, “What are you talking about?”  I thought she was nuts.  She said, “Why don’t you send a fax and try and set up the Wallace photo-shoot and see what happens”.  I said, “Who do I send it to?”  She said,  “To whom it may concern, honey”.   And that’s just what I did.  I remember it being a Friday.  I continued to mope around all weekend (what a waste of time that is).

The following Monday or Tuesday the phone rang.  I answered, and the person on the other end said,  “Hi, is this Floyd Burk”?  I said yes.  He said, “My name is Robert Young.  I’m the acting editor (the new staff that I was worried about) for Black Belt Magazine.  I received your fax regarding the Bill Wallace hand techniques story and would like to talk to you about it”.  I said, great.  Young said,  “We would like to use it in the issue that’s going into production next, and, we want to make it the cover.  But, would you mind changing the angle from hand techniques to kicking and flexibility?”  I said, no I don’t mind.  I said, “When do you want us to go there for the photo-shoot?”  Young said, “As soon as possible”.

Now that was a shocker.   After giving me the deadline to turn in the story, Young told me they were going to publish my tournament article in the issue that was in production.  After we hung up, I looked at my wife and jumped for joy.  She was right after all.  I was truly grateful.

It was all very surreal.  The article went from being an unscheduled inside story to a soon-to-go-into-production cover story.  I remember Martha and I prancing around the house singing, “Cover story, cover story, we got a cover story”.  Very corny indeed.  I called up Wallace to set up the shoot and scheduled it for early November.  After interviewing Wallace, I wrote the story.  I put my heart and soul into crafting fresh content that was easy to read and understand.  I worked on it night and day for a couple of weeks.  Whether I was at home or at the dojo, I was working on the story.  I finished the piece a day or two before the shoot.

It seems like it couldn’t get any better, but it does.  Wallace invited me to be his partner in the photo-shoot.  I didn’t know if his cover would be solo or not but who cares – a picture or two inside Black Belt is a big deal.  In the end, it was six pages of pictures, and, the cover included me.  In January 1998, the issue hit the newsstands.  To say the least I was thrilled.  I felt so good about the results of the collaboration between Wallace and myself.  I also really appreciated the editor taking a chance on me.  I ended up writing three more covers that year and more in 1999 including a dozen features.  Yet, none of it would have happened had I just sat around feeling sorry for myself and hadn’t sent that fax.  We really do make our own luck.  – Floyd Burk

Sensei Burk here continuing to share my journey writing for Black Belt Magazine.  When I sent in that first query to the magazine, I wasn’t that busy since I was in the middle of a year long sabbatical.  By publication of that article, we’d relocated to Santee, California and were running two dojos and a community services karate program.  We were super busy.  Fortunately, my wife Martha did lots of the teaching which afforded me time to work on the writing. I have to thank her for that along with assisting me with the writing early on.  I’ve learned that good things happen with teamwork.  (Appearing with me in the photo is martial arts pioneer, the late Shihan Ted Tabura.) – FB
 
When I left off, I was at a crossroads with the writing.  I was receiving rejection letters from the magazine.  I must have gotten a half dozen of them.  Looking back, the problem was my ideas were too abstract and confusing – they were bad.  I began to know what it was like to be a one-hit-wonder.  I thought I would never get published again.  Then one day one of my ideas caught the attention of the magazine.  The idea was about creating your own martial arts system.  I knew a lot about this subject matter and I started working on the article right away.
 
The working title was Planning To Create Your Own Martial Arts System – “Think Again”.  The theme wasn’t so much to tell people not to create their own system; rather how to avoid the many pitfalls associated with going down that road.  This time I didn’t do a photo shoot.  I just submitted the manuscript with a note asking if something appropriate could be found in Black Belt’s archives.  The article was still on speculation with no guarantees to be published – luckily, a few weeks later I got the acceptance for publication letter.  Shortly thereafter came the letter stating it would be published in the September 1995 issue of Black Belt.  That was cool.
 
The actual title turned out to be “The Dangers of Creating Your Own Fighting System”, and the lead photo was a shot of Bruce Lee.  The magazine found other photos in their archives to help illustrate the story too.  Something funny about the pictures - your family and friends won’t give you much reaction if they don’t see you in them.  Most won’t read much of it.  A person has to get his satisfaction knowing his content is out there for the benefit of the magazine enthusiasts – many of whom are seekers trying to better themselves or their dojo.  I did get some reaction that I wasn’t expecting.  It was a letter to the editor (published in a subsequent issue) sent in by a gentleman objecting to my article.  I didn’t like it so much but I had no control over it.  I had to learn to accept some criticism.
 
After sending in the next query, I received a letter suggesting I change the training camp angle that I’d pitched - to a more straight forward “outdoor training” concept.  I’d done an outdoor style training camp for ten years and a lot of karate and kickboxing work in the mountains too, so of course I was IN.  The material was right there in my brain, nevertheless, I sought out some quotes from the late Shihan Ted Tabura, an artist who became a kupuna to me.  (A kupuna is a wise person who will lead you out of danger into the light.)  It was a good move because it really helped beef up the article.  I also went on a photo shoot rampage, shooting at four California outdoor locations.  Turns out that it’s a bit cooler to take the time to do the photos.  The manuscript and photo package was completed much more quickly this time and publication came quicker too.  The article titled “Training In The Great Outdoors” was published in Black Belt’s July 1996 issue.  To cap things off, every model/student who took part in the photo shoots had their pictures published in the magazine.  The article and all the work it entailed was extremely rewarding.
 
Next, I turned in a tournament article which was accepted.  While waiting for the publication date, I received an unexpected surprise.  The magazine called me on the phone and asked me if I’d be willing to take on an assignment to write a story about (the now late) great Joe Lewis.  I said yes, then went on a journey learning everything I could from the former World Champion.  The article titled “Joe Lewis Speaks His Mind” was published in the July 1997 issue of Black Belt.  Things were going great.  I was on top of the world…for now anyway.  A few months later that world would crash and burn.  Stay tuned.

​- Floyd Burk