“Look mom, no hand pads!”

The United States Black Cat Kenpo Karate Federation has an incredible 32-year history. Master Beins started his first school, the “U.S. Black Cat Kenpo Karate Academy,” at the Roseland Plaza in Howell on May 10, 1980 and began to set a standard of excellence in what would eventually become a worldwide industry. He has always put his students first, developing all of us to be the best martial artists and human beings possible and seeing in people what they might not know is already there. I’m very lucky to have been here from the start, well almost. I started in the summer of 1980 and still remember the day I walked past the school and gazed in the window at a small group of students working on one-step fighting.

My father, Harvey L. Bilker (1932-2012), an extremely accomplished writer and photographer, worked out a barter arrangement with Master Beins–photos, press releases, and promotion for my tuition. The result was a future 4th Degree Black Belt and thousands of photographs that tell the story of not only the success of one man, but the successes of all the people that have joined his karate family throughout the years.

Over the past few months, I have been going through my father’s work, and the negatives, slides, photographs, and articles are rising to the surface. With the help of my son, Brandon (blue belt under Masters Hussey), we have been bringing these memories back to life and want to share this rich history with you. If you have been following Art Beins Karate on Facebook then you have seen quite a few already. If not, I will be sharing these wonderful pictures here in the email newsletter, and on the blog, in every issue.

4/9/1981: Bernie D’Zurella (Hawaii boxing champion) and Master Beins in front of the original school. One of the projects Master Beins was working on at the time was full-contact kickboxing, and these two men were the main event.

9/15/1980: Masters, and brothers, Beins in one of the earliest photos found to date. That kick is real–no wires! Terry Beins was a green belt here and Master Beins was a 2nd Degree Black Belt.

11/15/1981: That’s me on the right as a green belt at my first tournament at Marlboro High School. Nice kick! Ugh, blocked, no point. Notice there are no required hand pads, mouthpiece, foot pads, chest protectors. It’s amazing we survived. 😉

9/24/1980: Master Beins and Richie Pavlak. This is one of Master Beins favorite pictures which he used frequently in that time period. Richie went on to become Master Beins’ first black belt and one of our best ever karatekas, winning hundreds of championship competitions. You can find articles about Richie hanging in the back of the Howell school to this day.

6/19/1982: Master Beins with his white belts at Ocean County Park. Who’s that on the far right of the back row? You know him–that’s white belt, Larry Mesimer.

6/19/1982: Master Beins promoting two new green belts. You know that big guy–it’s 20-year-old, Master Tom Curry.

11/22/1980: Master Beins demonstrating a perfect side kick at the Jackson pits.

9/2/1981: Master Beins looks on as then green belt, Debbie Delisi taps green belt Paul Prendergast with a hook kick. Okay, this one was staged, but it still looks great!