It was 1983 and I was fighting nationally ranked Arnold “Zip” White at a large tournament in Galveston Texas during the evening finals.  Zip had beaten me every time we fought since I had come back to Texas from serving in the U.S. Marine Corps back in ’79.  Finally I was leading and there were just seconds in the match.

     Then I walked into an inverted punch in the floater ribs.  We traded punches and the center referee pulled us apart.  As the judges confirmed his punch, I stood there thinking “ahhhhh man, he broke my ribs”.  The center referee called the point and told us to get on line, as he said begin I called time out took one step back and lied on the floor.  My instructor ran up and said “get up, you’re winning”!  I replied he broke my ribs.  He said, “no he just took your wind”.  I said “no, he broke my ribs”.

     One of the corner judges was Master Karl Marx.  He came over and knelt down next to me and smiled at me.  He said “you just have the Ki knocked out of you son”.  I said “sir, he broke my ribs”.

     Master Marx just smiled and told my instructor to step back.  The Master knelt down and breathed deeply.  He put his hands on my ribs and let loose a kiai.

     My students watching from the stands told me it was like something out of a movie.  The “old guy” put his hands on you and you shot to your feet!  My students were right; he put the Ki back into me.  I exploded to my feet.  The center referee called us to the line and I opened with a 360 hook kick to the head and scored!  I took off into the last seconds of the fight as if I was behind and yet I was ahead by a point or two.  I finally won against Zip that night.

   The next day I awoke and sat up in bed and stopped.  I might have beaten Zip last night, but I was sure that power punch of his had broken or bruised my ribs.  I stood up slowly.  I twisted from side to side, no pain.  I lifted my arms up, made a few circles and breathed deeply.  It was as if I wasn’t hit.  Master Marx really did put the Ki back into me, just like he said.  For years I have told that story it is “just like the movies”, except it was for real.

     This past summer the United States Karate Alliance held their world championships here in Dallas Texas .  The

board held several dignitaries Fumio Demura, James Hawks, my first instructor Dr. David Jordan.  Even Roy Kurban was there and I double checked and couldn’t believe my eyes.  It was Master Karl Marx.  I went up and introduced myself.  I ask if he remembered me from “83 and how he fixed my ribs.  He laughed and replied “was that you”?  He went on to explain how for the longest time he thought that power was his.  But God showed him it was from Jesus Christ.  We talked about Jesus and his ministry and how he lives in California now.  It was good to talk and reminisce with one of the pioneers of American Martial Arts. 

     I have been fortunate in my 35 years of martial arts.  At 16 I had my ribs bruised by Skipper Mullins during a seminar, I saw Demitrius “the Golden Greek” Havanas fight along with Joy Turbeville and Karen Miller.  I trained under Master Kichiro Shimabuku while I was stationed in Okinawa and made rank under Master Gwon Pugil.  My first Black Belt event I took second place in heavy weight sparring at Sho Kosugi’s L.A. Championships back in ’79.  In ’81, Ernie “Radar” Smith stomped my head and gave me my first concussion at Linda Denley’s event.  I won the player of the year award for Texas from Karate Illustrated Magazine three times.  Why I even took Grand Champion Kata at Roy Kurbans Fort Worth Pro-Am the last year he held the event in 1986.

     But, the best story is having my ribs fixed by Master Marx at evening finals on the stage and then continuing on the win the match.   Actually I guess the BEST is to know that Master Marx is a believer in Christ and I will have someone to workout and train under when I cross over.