Hanshi McGrath Presents
Shihan John Pinghero
JUNE'S
Devil Dog
This particular gentleman happens to be one of my second generation students,
who harkens back to early 1974, where I was teaching at an old YMCA, with a
beautiful wooden deck. That group turned out prodigious fighters, of which Mr.
Pinghero was among the best, in an era when we still fought with full contact.
Despite his extraordinary kumite skill, John also loved the Isshin-ryu kata and
the bunkai within the katas. As I have often related to new students, Mr.
Pinghero developed a devastating spinning reverse wheel kick, dangerous because
he was able to throw it in an instant, without any telegraphing of
his
intention. That kick was usually the end of the match. His main opponent at that
time was another of my students, Frank Klos. They would fight matches that went
on for twenty or more minutes, both banging the other with their best and not
showing pain or discomfort at any time. I promoted him to Sho-Dan in 1979.
Thereafter he never took promotion from anyone else and has remained loyal to me
for thirty one years. His thirst for knowledge drove him to take seminars from
many of Isshin-ryu's senior Dans, such as Master Nick Adler, William Duessell
and was enthralled with Sherman Harrill’s Bunkai seminars. During that time, he
taught in dojo's in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, bringing
Championships to many of his students in kumite and kata. He has often begun
working out in another Sensei’s dojo and wound up teaching the class and the
Sensei the Principles of Fighting in Isshin-ryu, making them better fighters, in
the mode of the Legendary Sensei Don Nagle. His latest effort was in New Jersey,
near his home in Long Valley on Schooley’s Mountain, working as an adjunct
Sensei at Tom Kately’s Quest Dojo of Isshin-ryu. When I first met Mr. Kately, he
was a good fighter, but after several years with Master Pinghero, Tom is now an
excellent fighter, in fact taking first place in the Light Weight Division and
taking Second Place in the overall Championship at the 2004 Annual Memorial Don
Nagle AOKA, Inc. Tournament. In a bitterly contested match that went down to the
wire, Kately fought fiercely, before losing a two/three decision. He has become
an elite fighter, under the guidance of one of the finest fighters I have ever
turned out.
I mentioned his deadly wheel kick, which I finally barred in my dojo, since I couldn’t allow him to connect with any more student’s heads with his heel. Luckily, I teach as I was taught and John Pinghero has extremely fast hands and lives for Ippon-kumite where he slides past any volley of punches and prevails, the second that an opening appears. His defense is also devastating, as far as his opponent’s find out, in short order. We were at George Iberl’s tournament, several months after I had a heart attack in 1999. While the matches were taking place in all the rings and John and I had taken a break, we were off in a corner and jokingly, I threw a punch at John which he blocked and suddenly we were going a mile a minute trading and blocking every strike thrown with hands or feet and after about fifteen minutes, I realized we had a larger crowd encircling us, than the rings. Unfortunately, one of the faces I noticed was my wife’s disapproving stare. I called Yamai and we both dropped our hands and sheepishly walked over to my wife, Gene. It was then that I realized how hard we were going and for how long, with just one punch getting in, by John, to my stomach after a high feint. I also realized that I no longer had to worry about working out. In May of 2002, John Pinghero was placed into Master Iberl’s Hall of Fame, in the same place we fought in. Prior to that, he was inducted into Don Nagle’s Hall of Fame for the “Silver Life Award. He also subsequently, received the Don Nagle Man of the Year, Master Instructor of the Year and the Legacy Award, of which I felt the most proud, since it is only given to those who have emulated the “Legend” in their own right and as a Sensei, as well. In October of 2003 he was inducted in Gary Alexander’s IAMA Hall of Fame. He ranks up there among Bob Baker, Frank Klos, Barry Steinberg and Malachi Lee, as the best fighters I have ever taught.
John is also my Web Master, which has gotten great reviews by everyone who sees if and while I write the context, he is the one who has turned it into a veritable palace among web sites. For all of these reasons; student, fighter, Champion Kata man, teacher and loyal friend, whom I watched mature from a tough teen-ager to a productive gentleman of whom I am justly proud.