Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit

name refers to a small pine
forest near an ancient
Chinese temple. Fishman
says he chose the style
because it "allows us to take
a more holistic approach to
teaching the martial arts."
Fishman studied the craft
with, among others, Tadashi
Yamashita, a Shorin Ryu
showman and grand master
of the style who has appeared
in movies and also in televi-
sion's popular "Kung Fu"
series during the mid-1970s.
Yamashita learned the karate

"I think my parents
were afraid I was
the one who would
be killed."

— Alan Hamer

style in Japan before
emigrating to California in
1964.
A typical, 90-minute class
at the JCC begins with an ex-
change of bows between
teachers and students, a mo-
ment of meditation and then
taiso, or warm-up exercises.
The students then move up
and down the floor, practicing
their forms — the various
stances, blocks, hand strikes
and kicks they've been
taught.
Hamer, a 32-year-old
Berkley resident and third-
degree black belt, heads for
the back of the room with a
small group of beginners to of-
fer more personalized
instruction.
On this evening, the more
experienced students have
their first actual sparring, in
a short session at the end of
the class.
Finally, Fishman directs
one of his youngest pupils in
the art of tamishiwari, the
destruction of an inanimate
object as a test of fighting
power and spirit. After
several unsuccessful attempts
at kicking through a wooden
board, the young student is
encouraged by a "maybe next
week" from his teacher.
Fishman's teaching style is
firm but friendly. With each
criticism comes some en-
couragement or a pat on the
head for younger students.
Stiebel, a first-degree black
belt, and Hamer take their
mentor's cues, but are a bit
more low-key in their
approach.
Teaching is required for ad-
vancement to the black belt
rank, of which there are 10
degrees. Not all technicians
make top-notch teachers,
Fishman says.
"Much of it is attitude. Now,
a lot of people will say you can
learn a lot about other areas
of life by studying karate. I

Judge For
Yourself

don't do that," he says.
"Although sometimes that's
exactly what happens."
"We demand a certain level
of intensity here, but we have
an open door policy," Stiebel
adds. "We're not really in this
for profit."
All four have full-time pro-
fessional jobs. Fishman owns
a commercial real estate firm,
Hamer is a bank office
manager; Stiebel is a
podiatrist and Schulman is a
social worker for Washtenaw
County.
Hamer recalls that he and
Fishman first became in-
terested in karate when they
were 14 or 15.
Their parents were hor-
rified at the thought their
Jewish boys were becoming
involved in such a "non-
Jewish" activity.
"I think my parents were
afraid I was the one who
would be killed," Hamer
deadpans.
Schulman, a friend of
Fishman's older brother,
Bruce, was an early mentor.
"I was a freshman at Wayne
State University at the time,"
Schulman recalls. "I had
always had an interest in
judo, so I got together with
five or six friends, including
Bruce, and went looking for a
place to study judo.
"Well, I couldn't find one, so
we looked at some of the other
martial arts, which were
more readily available, and I
found an instructor — Harvey
Schwartz over at the old JCC
on Meyers."
Eventually, Schulman and
Bruce Fishman formed a club.
Keith Fishman and Hamer
were among the first group of
students and the friendship
among the four blossomed.
The unsavory image of mar-
tial arts within the Jewish
community and among the
population at large is
undeserved, the four argue. It
is based on misconceptions
created by two generations of
movies and television pro-
grams which offer a violent
portrayal of something that
Fishman says is "choreo-
graphed as beautifully as any
dance, any gymnastic
routine."

"I don't think (movies and
television offer) a good
representation of what the
martial arts is, the hard work
involved in their study,"
Schulman adds. "People see
that and they expect to be
able to perform these feats
after one class."
But Schulman admits there
is a positive side to the televi-
sion and film exposure: the
interest it generates in the
subject within the general
community.

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For more information and a tour call the

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661-1000, ext. 265, 266

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during December 1990

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

69