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A Celebration in Sacramento

By William Joseph Pemberton

In a seminar at the United Kenpo Systems training camp Robert Liles once said that, in a conflict one should deal with the opponents' “motion, not their emotion.” In a world of credentialism where your degree seems just as important as your knowledge in most walks of like it is a pleasure, even an honor, to come together in celebration of a man who personifies knowledge over credentials and who shows in his every motion that it is not what you wear around your waist that tells who you are but what you wear in your heart.

On 11 June 2000 Robert Liles was promoted to Associated Grand Master of the Art of Kenpo Karate, 8th Degree Black Belt, by a board of Artists that reads like a who's who of the Kenpo world. The list alone is a testament to the respect that this man has garnered from the Martial Arts community. They were: Steve LaBounty, John Sepulveda, Clarence Craig, Dian Tanaka, Dave Kovar, Bill Green, Mark Ainsley, Howard Silva, Bryan Hawkins, Gurujodha Khalsa and Andre Sims. These people, respected Kenpoists all, came together to celebrate Mr. Liles' promotion to the beginning levels of Mastery as outlined by the late Edmund K. Parker, Founder and only Senior Grand Master of the Art of Kenpo.

It was no coincidence that Mr. Liles was the only man called, by the Senior Grand Master himself, Ed Parker's Kenpo Son. There have been many who have been close to Mr. Parker but only Bob Liles has earned this distinction.

Mr. Liles began training in Kenpo in 1963 at the age of 16 and earned his nickname as Mr. Parker's Kenpo Son through a dedication and devotion that has gone unmatched for nearly forty years. In this time he has trained nonstop six to seven days a week, fifty two weeks a year, with no time off. He has trained through injuries, which included a recent hip replacement. If ever there is one to look to for inspiration when we are tired and discouraged it is this pillar of the ideal espoused through the Art of Kenpo Karate. Practice every day. Improve every day. Become better tomorrow than you were yesterday. This is the hallmark of the good Kenpoist and who could disagree that Robert Liles is the best.

In all the years that Mr. Parker was with us he never promoted any man beyond 7th degree and it is a tribute to Mr. Liles that he waited ten years after the passing of the Founder to progress past this watershed.

Sharing the limelight with Mr. Liles was one of his prize students, Andre Sims, who is not only a tribute to Mr. Liles but to himself. Never selfish with his knowledge or expertise, Mr. Sims has been in the Art for thirty years and was promoted this same day to the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt, Professor of the Art. Congratulations Professor Sims. It is no small accomplishment that upon earning the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt, Professor Sims proceeded to sit on the Board for his instructor to illustrate the bond between these men of sterling character.

Earlier, as part of this daylong celebration, our own Gurujodha Khalsa presented a seminar on a Tai Chi form of his own devise. It lasted two hours during which time Mr. Khalsa shared with some fifty people the relationship between Kenpo and Tai Chi. Any who have taken Mr. Khalsa's Tai Chi course, or any other class with this very spiritual 3rd Degree Black Belt, Head Instructor, know that Kenpo is truly the study of motion and all motion begins in the soul. Mr. Khalsa has taken Tai Chi, which he has studied and taught for many years, and applied the principles of Kenpo, showing us, once again, that the principles of motion applied in our Art can readily be translated into all other forms of motion.

In the end it was a long day for all, but a most rewarding one. Those in attendance got to explore the more spiritual side of motion before seeing the ascent of two truly honorable and exemplary Martial Artists to their next level of growth in the art. Events such as these serve as a beacon to those of us who have, comparatively, just begun. They are reminders that there is no substitute for hard work and dedication and that through these qualities, as well as loyalty, we can all fulfill our dreams in time. Finally, they remind us that the glory is not in the destination but in the journey. The color on your belt should be a reflection of the man inside not the goal.

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