Frank
Klos -
one of the senior students of Mr. McGrath, joining him at the Lindenhurst,
New York
YMCA in 1975 and turned out to be one of
the finest fighters Mr. McGrath has ever taught. Master McGrath has rated him up
there with his all-time fighting squad of Bobby Baker, Barry Steinberg, Malachi
Lee and John Pinghero, all former champions with the Master. Like his
predecessors Mr. Klos has a natural athletic ability and a drive to succeed. He
is a natural fighter,
whose relaxed and almost nonchalant style of fighting throws his opponents off
balance, since he is one of the best at cataloguing and anticipating his
opponents moves, range and capability. He is an advocate of the principle’s of
Isshin-Ryu, “Strike only when the opportunity presents itself.” When an
opponent makes a mistake, Mr. Klos will immediately take advantage of the
opening by striking out with a three or four strike combination with speed and
focus. While Mr. Klos has always been a winner at tournaments and in dojos, he
recently, while in his forties, won the Senior Division Black Belt Fighting
Championship at an elite tournament. His last opponent in the tournament, struck
Mr. Klos with a hard blow to the mouth, hoping to intimidate him. However, in a
second Master Klos had struck back and his opponent went down and was in need of
assistance before resuming the match, which Mr. Klos won with two quick strikes,
before time was called. He is emblematic of the fighting spirit that Grand
Master McGrath has imbued his students with, for over four decades.
He is also a natural instructor and has trained many excellent Isshin-Ryu
competitors, in his own.
These abilities have earned him an
incredible reputation among his peers, a flock of trophies, the admiration of
his Sensei and the rank of Roku Dan, sixth degree black belt.
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