Frank Black - studying with Mr. McGrath for thirteen years, starting in 1987, Sensei Black, was a brown belt in Tae Kwan Do when he arrived at the Master’s dojo. As previously mentioned, Mr. Black is 6’8”  tall and weighs 315lbs. of solid muscle. He is also a naturally athletic person and so, he was somewhat stunned to find that my students found they could beat him in free style fighting. His problem was simply that he was incapable of using his hands, in a match, because Tae Kwan Do stresses the use of kicks almost to the exclusion of the hands. As a result, the Isshin-Ryu members soon came to realize that they could guard against his kicks alone, not worrying about hand techniques or his blocking their techniques. This did not last very long and soon his frustration turned to enjoyment, as his athleticism and Isshin-ryu's adaptability took over. He was soon using the 50/50 combination of hand and foot techniques normal to Isshin-Ryu and utilizing devastating blocks to stop his opponents techniques. Shortly afterward, only Mr. McGrath’s top black belts were able to score points on him. With his background, innate capability and incredible work ethic, it was  a comparatively short time before he was promoted to Sho Dan or first degree black belt. With his competitive skills, he was able to become a San Dan, a teachers rank. Within eight years, he had opened his own dojo. Within two years, he had one of the toughest adult classes in karate. Following their Sensei’s example, whether they won or lost, they came to fight.

        In 1998 his hard work and knowledge of Isshin-Ryu had paid off and his students began to make their presence felt in tournaments in the northeast. Simultaneously, Mr. Black had become known as Master McGrath’s version of the Terminator. He is now a Roku Dan, 6^th degree black belt and enthusiastic about his teams future in tournaments.

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