Has anybody heard of this guy?

[Yuri]

I'm gonna be taking Karate (basically Jeet Kune Do) from a guy named Jerry Beasley at my school. Here's a link to his resume:

http://aikia.net/aikia/beasley/jerrybeasley.html

and here's his interview:

http://aikia.net/aikia/beasley/jbinterview.html

Anyway the guy sounds pretty good. My buddy is taking the class right now and I don't think he likes it as much as he did his previous instruction -- he mentioned that he didn't do enough stretching. Still, I think it'd be a good guy to learn from. Has anybody heard anything else from this guy?

Note that the above links are from his own organization, and so they might be biased a bit, but you know, you can't make up some stuff -- the guy did train under Joe Lewis and Inosanto.

What do you guys think?

[lssanjose]

from what I've read so far, He'd be someone to avoid, but that's only based on what I've read. Go to his school, check it out, check out him and more importantly his students.

[El Mastero]

From here: http://www.martialartskoncepts.com/h...mthesource.htm

According to Paula Inosanto...

"As for Dr. Jerry Beasley [A professor at Radford University in Virginia ...], he is neither qualified nor certified, and has apparently proclaimed himself an authority on a subject which he knows close to nothing. Dr. Beasley is not a trained practitioner in the arts of Si Gung Lee. To the best of our knowledge, he attended less than a handful of seminars, during which time he would merely observe and take notes. He is an "armchair" Jun Fan / JKD fraud. He misrepresents the facts and misleads the public. It is a shame the press lends space to promoting this type of individual. [Not to mention the fact that he is currently teaching a class in Kali at Radford University ... another art which he is not qualified or certified to teach."

[DJColdfusion]

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry . . .

I'm sorry man, but you've got to stay away from this guy.

This is the same guy who started his own Ninjitsu organization back in the day, without ever having a single lesson in Ninjitsu.

He is admittedly a doctor . . . in physical education. Which isn't a bad thing, actually for what we do (martial arts) it may even be a good thing. However, we need to remember that his "doctorate" is an ED, not a PHD. The difference being, roughly, that he did not have to do any sort of a doctoral thesis . . . he added nothing to the "greater knowledge" of physical education. He BASICALLY took classes untill they gave him a degree and told him to go away (stop, I know its an exageration, I'm exagerating on purpose).

Beasley did train with Joe Louis and while Louis is a great Martial Artist it is asinine to refer to him as a JKD guy. I know Lewis has refered to himself as such from time to time (hey, I would too if it sold seminar tickets) but what certifications or even recorded REGULAR training did Joe Louis have with Bruce Lee.

The truth is that Joe Lewis made no claim to a JKD lineage untill Beasley founded his own JKD organisation and recruited Lewis to back up his (Beasley's) claim to authenticity.

If I were to use Beasley's own methods and similar claims to authority then I would be perfectly authorized and capable to start my own organizations for JKD, BJJ, Kali, Silat, American Kenpo, Shaolin Kenpo, TKD, Hap Ki Do, Yamabushi Kenpo, Goju Ryu Karate, Gojo Ryu JuJutsu, Catch, Ninjitsu . . . and so many more, but guess what? If I did that then I'd be a fraud.

[frankenbeans]

This is somewhat inaccurate; Beasley did a dissertation

DJColdfusion, you are inaccurate here about the Ed.D. that Beasley did. He actually did a doctorate, which is NOT easy. His dissertation is titled "Contemporary Martial Arts: An Examination of the Social Relations and Group Configurations in a Modern Day Adaptation of the Ancient Oriental Martial Art." I know how hard a doctorate is because I am currently working on a Ph.D. in Political Science. The Ph.D. is going to take me at least another 2 years and I have already done only two, but I still have to pass my exams (3 are required, and are each at least eight hours apiece) and then get to my dissertation, so go figure if I can FINISH within the next two years. The max amount of time the school gives me is 10 years, and I know people who have used all of that time plus needed extensions, so understand what you are talking about when you realize what is involved with getting a doctorate. It is quite an accomplishment to do a doctorate of ANY kind whatsoever, be it education or political science. I think he knows a lot more than you realize about JKD and has researched it extensively, since's he's written something like 40 articles and 2 books on the subject and actually trained with Joe Lewis and Dan Inosanto himself in the 1980s. In his own words, this is Beasley describing his doctoral experience: "I returned to VA Tech in 1978 to complete the doctorate in HPER. The Ph.D./ doctorate was strictly research oriented . I intended to continue as a college professor so I chose the Ed.D./ doctorate. Same coursework however only three hours were required in statistics (six for Ph.D. program). Plus there was more oppurtunity to research the dissertation of my choice. I graduated in 1980. Title of dissertation: Contemporary Martial Arts: An Examination of the Social Relations and Group Configurations in a Modern Day Adaptation of the Ancient Oriental Martial Art)." Quoted from http://forumco.com/pauljbax/topic.as...KD%3A+Forum+II

[DJColdfusion]

I may have been inaccurate about his thesis, and for that I apologize to Mr. Beasley and everyone else who might have been mislead by my post.

However, I did recognize his doctorate.

Additionally, Training with Joe Lewis does not make him a JKD guy. Joe Lewis is recognizably one of the greatest Karate Fighters of the 20th century, but he is not a JKD instructor. Where is the evidence that Bruce Lee ever certified Lewis to teach in the first place?

And Beasley's link to Guro Inosanto was limited to attendance to a few seminars:

Quote: From Martial Arts Koncepts

In numerous articles Dr. B states that he trained in JKD and Kali with Guro Dan Inosanto over a five year period (1983-1988). According to Dan and Paula Inosanto, they did see Dr. B in attendance at several seminars and camps. But they are both quick to point out that Dr. B was there taking notes and that they never once saw him train. [Sitting on the sidelines of a seminar and taking notes is not what most consider a valid method of "experiencing" a training method or system.]

Refererring to the fact that he has published multiple books and articles is almost humorous. Yes he has been published, his publication history is quite prolific, but he still doesn't have any sort of legitimate certification to teach JKD, not to mention run a JKD organization. I could quite possibly write a few articles, maybe even a book or two, on "Genetic abnormalities in Arizona Pygmie Populations" but it wouldn't make me a geneticist.

Dr. Beasley also started a Ninjitsu organization back when Ninjas where more popular than they are now. At that time he had absolutely ZERO experience in the art of Ninjitsu. He is a martial art carpet-bagger claiming credibility through illegitimate ties to true authority.

[frankenbeans]

Beasley's JKD certification

If you looked on the link that I posted on the last message, Beasley actually gives a time and date when he was officially certified as a JKD instructor under Joe Lewis. "Leigh,I am certified to teach Jeet Kune Do under Joe Lewis (the only world Champion ever trained by Bruce Lee). My certification is dated Janurary 28,1993 (predating the Paula letter). While I trained at Dan's seminars/camps It was understood that I was a Lewis sparring partner and not simply there for an apprentice concepts instructor certification. I worked with Dan from 1983-1988. After 1983 I do not remember Dan teaching JKD. He taught kali/silat in his seminars. He told me he had promised Bruce that he would not teach Jeet Kune Do. Bruce asked all of his students to not teach JKD. I choose to pursue my certification with Joe Lewis." from http://forumco.com/pauljbax/topic.as...KD%3A+Forum+II

Also, because Beasley was more advanced (5th dan) than most upon learning JKD and attending seminars, he was much more likely to accelerate through the system very rapidly. I can attest that if you stay in one martial art long enough, a lot of others will start to make sense. For example, I studied ITF TKD as a child for about a year and then switched to a more fluid, modern TKD style with elements of TSD and kwon bup (Korean kenpo) for years. I studied martial arts like Choi Kwang Do, Kajukenpo, and various others like jiu-jitsu, aikido, hapkido, judo, and shuri-ryu karate. By the time I started WTF TKD 2 years ago, I was already a 3rd dan getting ready for my 4th, had 16 years under my belt, and though I started at white belt in WTF (I don't know why I had to start at this level, but the instructor insisted), it was a piece of cake. I had little problems picking up the forms and techniques and I already had so much power from previous experience that I had no problem doing the board breaks. The concepts became very familiar and easy to pick up once I started taking classes.

A lot of times a black belt is a black belt any way you look at it, and previous training helps a great deal. Here, I'll use myself as an example of how previous experience gives a much-needed boost to learning. I sparred in Kajukenpo tournaments using my black belt from my previous art and still got 2nd place in the black belt division, even though I was at the bottom rung in rank when I started Kajukenpo. It would have been unfair for me to spar below that level because I was actually sparring the instructors in class at times. The lower ranks had trouble keeping up with me. The problem is, it's really hard to hide the kind of skill I already had developed for years. I could have totally lied and told them nothing about my previous experience and try to fight like a lower belt in sparring, but it's harder to hide the body reflexes, as opposed to what my brain might be able to do. The instincts you develop from so many years are difficult to hide because your muscle memory will still react a lot of times when you are put under pressure; I couldn't help it, but since I really didn't want to get smacked in the face too often, my body went into autopilot and kept reacting anyway and moving pretty quickly when I was fighting. Sure, I could still work with lower belts and take it easy, but sometimes my body would be excited and want to move fast when the black belts starting throwing a bunch of stuff at me like crazy and I wanted to defense myself. I'm just saying that the prior experience when starting a new art shows a lot when you see people do another martial art because all the knowledge starts to make sense and come together. Beasley describes his training experience here, which supplemented his application to picking up concepts from JKD:

"(In reference to AIKIA.net, his website) I have included various certificates from Dan Inosanto, who by the way encouraged me to teach kali to my students. Dan took the time to sit down with me and outline a course including numerous kali drills for me to follow.
At that time, I was already a 5th degree master instructor. I had no interest in receiving certification as an apprentice beginner instructor. By the way, I was always invited as a guest to the 12 or so seminars/camps that I attended between 1983 and 1988. I did not have to pay for any of the classes."

[DJColdfusion]

If you looked on the link that I posted on the last message, Beasley actually gives a time and date when he was officially certified as a JKD instructor under Joe Lewis.

So what? Where did Joe Lewis receive the right to certify ayone in JKD? Hey, Kareem Abdul Jabar trained with Bruce Lee, If I get him to certify me would it really mean anything?

[ . . . ]
After 1983 I do not remember Dan teaching JKD. He taught kali/silat in his seminars. He told me he had promised Bruce that he would not teach Jeet Kune Do. Bruce asked all of his students to not teach JKD.

That's funny, I went to an Inosanto seminar a year ago that covered quite a bit of JKD.

I choose to pursue my certification with Joe Lewis."

That's wonderful . . . now how did Joe Lewis become certified to teach JKD again?

Also, because Beasley was more advanced (5th dan) than most upon learning JKD and attending seminars, he was much more likely to accelerate through the system very rapidly. I can attest that if you stay in one martial art long enough, a lot of others will start to make sense. For example, I studied ITF TKD as a child for about a year and then switched to a more fluid, modern TKD style with elements of TSD and kwon bup (Korean kenpo) for years. I studied martial arts like Choi Kwang Do, Kajukenpo, and various others like jiu-jitsu, aikido, hapkido, judo, and shuri-ryu karate. By the time I started WTF TKD 2 years ago, I was already a 3rd dan getting ready for my 4th, had 16 years under my belt, and though I started at white belt in WTF (I don't know why I had to start at this level, but the instructor insisted), it was a piece of cake. I had little problems picking up the forms and techniques and I already had so much power from previous experience that I had no problem doing the board breaks. The concepts became very familiar and easy to pick up once I started taking classes.

A lot of times a black belt is a black belt any way you look at it, and previous training helps a great deal. Here, I'll use myself as an example of how previous experience gives a much-needed boost to learning. I sparred in Kajukenpo tournaments using my black belt from my previous art and still got 2nd place in the black belt division, even though I was at the bottom rung in rank when I started Kajukenpo. It would have been unfair for me to spar below that level because I was actually sparring the instructors in class at times. The lower ranks had trouble keeping up with me. The problem is, it's really hard to hide the kind of skill I already had developed for years. I could have totally lied and told them nothing about my previous experience and try to fight like a lower belt in sparring, but it's harder to hide the body reflexes, as opposed to what my brain might be able to do. The instincts you develop from so many years are difficult to hide because your muscle memory will still react a lot of times when you are put under pressure; I couldn't help it, but since I really didn't want to get smacked in the face too often, my body went into autopilot and kept reacting anyway and moving pretty quickly when I was fighting. Sure, I could still work with lower belts and take it easy, but sometimes my body would be excited and want to move fast when the black belts starting throwing a bunch of stuff at me like crazy and I wanted to defense myself. I'm just saying that the prior experience when starting a new art shows a lot when you see people do another martial art because all the knowledge starts to make sense and come together. Beasley describes his training experience here, which supplemented his application to picking up concepts from JKD:

There is not a single bit of relevant information concerning Beasley's certification in the above quote. Talking alot does not mean you are actually addressing the situation. My six year old does the same thing when I ask him if he's cleaned his room. Previous experience means nothing unless it is directly applicable and Experience in TKD or Korean Kenpo does not equate to experience that justifies naming yourself an instructor in JKD. Even Dan Inosanto, with his years of experience in JKD and other arts, put on a white belt and put in the time to earn his blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from an actual BJJ instructor and not from someone who just worked out with a BJJ instructor for a while.

"(In reference to AIKIA.net, his website) I have included various certificates from Dan Inosanto, who by the way encouraged me to teach kali to my students. Dan took the time to sit down with me and outline a course including numerous kali drills for me to follow.

So Guro Inosanto went out of his way to do something nice for Beasley? Sounds like the Guro Dan I know. The certificates listed on Beasley's site are for what appear to be seminars (I can't be sure), one in 1987 for 8 hours of training in Kali - Escrima and Pentjak Silat (link here), the other in what appears to be 1984 for a larger block of 57 hours in Kali and JKD (link here). I easily have several times that number in Kali and JKD . . . but I'm not pompous enough to believe that I deserve to be an instructor, even if an instructor was kind enough to show me some drills.

And I want to point out that I am giving Dr. Beasley the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the legitimacy of the certificates.

At that time, I was already a 5th degree master instructor. I had no interest in receiving certification as an apprentice beginner instructor. By the way, I was always invited as a guest to the 12 or so seminars/camps that I attended between 1983 and 1988. I did not have to pay for any of the classes."

What does 5th degree master of anything have to do with . . . well, anything? He was never a 5th degree master in JKD (sorry, they don't exist). An apprentice instructor certification, if he actually qualified for one, would be a completely different certification.

I could just see an MD with this attitude. "Well, I'm a board certified General Practicioner, why would I want to go back to school to get any sort of certification as a surgeon." Or even worse "I trained with a Chiropractor who trained with a certified surgeon and the Chiropractor I trained with has certified me to perform surgery." (say that ten times really fast)

And as far as being invited as a guest to some Inosanto seminars, once again it sounds like Guro Inosanto was being a nice guy. And incase you were wondering, invited guests don't typically pay for attendance at seminars (if they do then they're not a guest).

[frankenbeans]

how one art transitions to another

I will admit that Beasley has quite a background in karate and TKD much more than JKD, but it certainly helps that he has had that initial background. A lot of times, Bruce Lee took in more advanced students to train because they already had backgrounds in something else and Lee was too impatient to teach beginners. I think Beasley stated somewhere that he trained with Inosanto from 1983-88, which means that he was probably very active in the JKD circles for that time period and picked up a lot of new information. At least he spent enough time as a Lewis student to earn his 6th, 7th, and 8th degrees under him. And since Lewis was a Bruce Lee student from 1966-69, he did learn enough I'm sure to pick up a number of things from Lee. Anyway, Lee taught different things to different students, so Lewis only used what he might see as beneficial for his own fighting style. That is why there are several interpretations of JKD that exist today. Beasley is only one of the schools of thought out there on the subject. Inosanto represents another, so does Poteet, maybe Vunak, Wong, and some others. I think you're right about Dan being a nice guy because one of my instructors has met him at a seminar and says he's pretty laid-back. Beasley even admits this in the Bax forum that Dan is kind and gives Dan a lot of respect himself. I think Dan just wants to do his best to show what he feels is his interpretation of JKD to the world. It's hard to get everbody in the same room because everybody thinks a little differently about the subject, just like the WTF-ITF controversy about TKD. This is probably nothing new. I've heard amazing things about Dan's students, people like Francis Fong, for instance, who my instructor has told me is an incredible martial artist to witness in person performing.

[brokenelbow]

At least he spent enough time as a Lewis student to earn his 6th, 7th, and 8th degrees under him

Joe is an icon and a hero from when I was a kid, but who made him a 10th degree BB Grand Master and in what style? Do the guys in AIKIA promote each other or are these ranks from legitamate outside orgs? I've never seen Lewis look very JKD, he always looks like a kickboxer.

JKD is like karate and kung fu, a generic name that people slap on what they do even if it has no relation to the art or philosophy. One JKD school I know had a "After School Karate" program, all kids even wore a karate gi. They didn't teach karate but it's a name most people know. Same with JKD, some use it as a marketing device. It's always a problem when a style isn't defined in stone.

[RUguitarplayer]

Joe is an icon and a hero from when I was a kid, but who made him a 10th degree BB Grand Master and in what style? Do the guys in AIKIA promote each other or are these ranks from legitamate outside orgs? I've never seen Lewis look very JKD, he always looks like a kickboxer.

I go to Radford University, where Dr. Beasley teaches his aikia karate, and have studied under him for the last two years. First, the only rank advancement is through Dr. Beasley, and it is not something simply handed out. There is a legitimate test for each belt, and only he can decide who gets a belt and who doesnt. When I first began taking his class I already had a black belt in Okinawan karate kempo, and I wore my traditional gi and belt. After a while we shifted focus and everyone in the class lost their gi and belts for a more JKD/ old school bruce lee, gi pants and tank top/short sleeve shirt. This suited what we were doing for the time. We were learning a JKD based/Aikia based, functional karate. As of late we have put more focus on basic, traditional karate, on top of the functional trap boxing we have already studied. We have gotten a surge of new students and we need to teach them the basics before they really get into the advanced material.

I have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Beasley outside of the class, and he is a very nice guy, who has had a very broad experience in martial arts. You can criticize him if you like, but he is very learned in his field. Also you should realize that as of right now, Radford University, and Berkley, are the only two colleges in the state, with a nationally recognized martial arts major, and soon Radford will be unvieling an actual karate/martial arts major. So this means that Dr. Beasley will be the chair person of the only natioanlly recognized karate major. This just gives his experience and teaching that much more power and importance.

[RUguitarplayer]

One important fact that I should have mentioned is that Dr. beasley is not marketing his class as a JKD class. What he teaches at Radford is Aikia karate. He talks about JKD about how Aikia is a JKD influenced art, but Aikia, is not JKD. He teaches us the basic traditional karate of japan because Aikia is a multi-faceted art. Not only does it focus on traditional karate, which I feel is important as a basis if not only to know the roots of your art whaterver it may be, but he also teaches his modern trapboxing and functional karate. If there is one way to describe JKD it is "Functional." This is what Aikia embraces. Trapboxing especially focuses on being a functional, non-art, non-traditional system. Dr. beasley explained to us that trapboxing is so good because it is taken from modern boxers, who unquestionably know how to fight, and how to win. They also have the best punching techniques in the world. SO it makes sense to incorporate something that works so well, That is the heart of Aikia, taking what works well from other styles and using it to your advantage, but part of making the most of those techniques is having to know the basics and how they are meant to be used. You could not expect someone to run before they can crawl, or read shakespeare before see spot run. You may disagree with me, but I believe you have to know the basics before you can truly advance or even appreciate an advanced art like JKD. Oh one more important thing is that Dr. beasley teaches that JKD is actually a philosphy and not an actual act or system. It is something that is a guideline to go by, and something to incorporate into your style and to make you a better fighter.

[IPON]

Also you should realize that as of right now, Radford University, and Berkley, are the only two colleges in the state, with a nationally recognized martial arts major, and soon Radford will be unvieling an actual karate/martial arts major.

Maybe I do not undersatnd, but I would be furious as a parent paying $20,000 a year for my child to major MAs muich less a major in just one style.
Karate Classes are usuall between $80-120 per month, doesn't make sense when you do the math.

I hope they create a minor for dishwashing so the student s will be able to support themselves.

[IPON]

And currently, who gets more creedence and credibility? A karate man with a bachelor's degree in karate, or an 8th dan trained in some hole in the wall dojo in Japan?

Personally, I would take the hole in the wall dojo master

Performance and ability are what count. Not paperwork and certificates.

Definately agree. With MAs I do think there is importance for lineage and rank becuase you learn a style. But ultamitely the proof is in the pudding

They train with me because I can do and teach what they want to learn. I think the same probably holds true for most serious martial artists.

This is why I would schoose the hole in the wall instructor. While people have to survive and be mindful of the bottom line I think all MAists would be inagreement with your definition Can teach, can realistically do what is taught and have the students willing to do the work. I personally think this is what separate the masters of old from present day. Masters that could talk the talk and walk the walk. Now masters just talk and walk

[jukado1]

Words Without Knowledge Are Noise.

First thing, I don't know Dr. Beasley or how or what he teaches, But I am familiar with Joe Lewis. 1st some facts, What value are teaching certificates ?, Did Bruce Lee have any teaching certificate ?, Does Jim Wagner ?, Answers, none, no, and no. Next, Joe Lewis did not workout with Bruce Lee a couple of times, Joe trained with/studied with Bruce Lee for about a year and a half, on a regular bases. Before Joe ever met Bruce, Joe was a karate champion, Bruce sought out Joe to be his student, I trained with and took lessons from Joe Lewis during the time he trained with Bruce Lee, and a lot of what Joe taught me was based on what Joe was learning from Bruce Lee. and for lack of a better term, what I learned WAS jkd, SO DJColdFusion, since your such a jkd expert, WHY wouldn't Joe Lewis be able to teach his knowledge of what Bruce Lee taught him.
Now here the normal response is, Joe Lewis is just a sport/ring fighter, RING FIGHTERS CAN, TAKE OFF THEIR GLOVES AND FIGHT. If you've ever seen Joe fight, I don't think you would like to be facing Joe in a dark alley.
sorry, I'm starting to ramble, so I'm otta here.