Hanshi
McGrath’s
current
Senior Instructors
Dan
Vena
- has studied
with Grand Master Ed McGrath since 1977 and through his perseverance, tough work
outs, fighting ability and capability at teaching, has attained the rank of Roku
Dan or 6th Degree Black Belt. Sensei Vena began with Sensei McGrath
in his dojo at the YMCA in
Lindenhurst
,
Long Island
. That dojo was renowned for it’s
fighters and Sensei Vena had to become an excellent fighter and kata performer
to hold his own with the senior black belts. At tournaments, he excelled and
upon receiving his Third Degree Black Belt or San Dan, which is teaching grade
in Isshin-ryu, he started to prove that he was not just a fighter but could be a
Sensei as well. In 1997 he opened his own dojo, with Master McGrath’s blessing
and soon had an excellent group of students. During his 23 years in Isshin-ryu,
Sensei Vena has continually improved, earning promotion over that period of
time, until at present he has become a Roku Dan or Sixth Degree Black Belt and
is entitled to wear a red and white obi (belt). On
September 29, 2000
, Sensei Vena was awarded the “Silver
Lifetime Achievement Award,” by The American Okinawan Karate Association,
founded by Grand Master Donald H. Nagle in 1963.
Recently,
one of his original students, Greg Melita, a young brown belt with just two
years in Isshin-ryu
karate, to first place in fighting, second place in empty hand forms and third
place in weapons forms, at the prestigious Al Smith “Red Dragons” Annual
Tournament in Easton, Pennsylvania. Sensei Vena is now the “Dai Ichi” or
chief assistant to Master McGrath at the Dojo.
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, 6th
degree black belt and enthusiastic about his teams future in tournaments.
Lou
Luceri
-
with Mr. McGrath for over twenty five years and ranked as a Roku Dan, or 6th
degree black belt. He is Master McGrath’s expert in Kata, the essence of
karate and the bunkai of the kata, as well as the history of karate. Sensei
Luceri is also an excellent example of the defensive requirements of Isshin-ryu
karate. For decades, his matches have been based upon an impenetrable defense,
using the standard blocks of Isshin-ryu and Master McGrath’s two basic
formulas of “non-
involvement” and “directional blocks, combined with Sensei Luceri’s
knowledge of Aikido. Eventually, his opponents make a mistake and he strikes.
Mr.
Luceri also teaches with Master McGrath and Sensei Vena at the Kioto Dojo and
has been an inspiring and thorough teacher, ensuring that the students are
completely imbued with the very basics of karate, unquestionably a requirement
for advancement in Isshin-ryu.
Mr. Luceri is also a standout during our self defense classes and weapons
classes.
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.
John
Pinghero
-
You will usually find Mr. Pinghero, who started with Master McGrath at the same
time as Mr. Klos and where one goes, the other usually shows up for one more
fight, “for old times sake.” The matches between Klos and Mr. Pinghero are
legendary and will gather a crowd of their peers like fly's to honey,
reminiscent of the matches between Master McGrath and his Sensei, Grand Master
Don Nagle. Mr. Pinghero is one of the fastest and best balanced fighters Isshin-ryu
has ever turned out, winning hundreds of tournament matches and Kata contests
throughout the nation. His reverse wheel kick to the head was a specialty, which
felled many opponents near the end of the full contact era, until Master McGrath
had to forbid the kick as too dangerous to be used in the dojo. The other
students sighed with relief. Recently, Mr. Pinghero has stunned his peers with
superlative kata performances and on 4/26/1998, he took first place in kata in
the Executive Advanced Benefit Tournament for the American Cancer Society, an
annual event that draws the best competitors in eastern United States. A
favorite student of Master McGrath, for his accomplishments, despite some bad
breaks, including an on the job accident, his
latest success as a teacher in Isshin-ryu and aide to Sensei McGrath, have
gained his place in the Don Nagle AOKA Hall of Fame, as well as the esteem in
which his peers and his Sensei hold him. As a result of his demonstrated
superiority, loyalty to his Sensei and the manner in which his maturity has
progressed his technique and teaching capability, without decreasing
his drive to win, on March 22, 2002 Grand Master McGrath promoted him to Ku-Dan
9th Degree Black Belt.
Steve
Di Lorenzo
- easily the most nonchalant black belt about his excellent
capabilities and skills that Master McGrath has ever promoted to teaching grade.
He joined Mr. McGrath at the now legendary dojo at the YMCA in Lindenhurst, New York, with the first of the great fighters who enrolled in 1975, soon after
I moved to
Long Island
. His athletic abilities came forward
immediately. He showed a keen interest and enthusiasm to learn all aspects of Isshin-ryu
karate. However, his heart was really in the fighting aspects of Isshin-ryu, at
which he excelled immediately. He went on to become a fixture at tournaments
within the tri-state area and developed into a consistent winner, who took the
katas and exercises and developed his own very unusual style of fighting, within
our system. His light hearted demeanor and humility in the face of success, made
him a favorite among his peers and with Master McGrath, who always enjoyed their
sparring matches and Sensei DiLorenzo’s competitive instinct. His attributes
gained him promotion, over the years, and he has attained the rank of Roku-Dan,
6th degree black belt in Isshin-ryu. He has established our presence
at a new school on
Ocean Ave.
, in Patchogue,
Long Island
,
NY
. Although Steve is the Chief Instructor
at the dojo, he has designated it as my new base dojo. His partners in this dojo
are Master Dan Vena and his protégé, Greg Melita, recently promoted to Third
Degree Black Belt, or San-Dan. We are happy to have Master DiLorenzo heading up
the new Dojo.
[HOME]
Questions or Comments? Please e-mail: thedojo@aokaincmcgrath.com