Sam Shockley

 

 

I just thought of my first  Black Belt kumite contest at the Tamaqua Coal Kick-In in 1980. My fight was against Sam Shockley from Lancaster Pa.

 

We were not friends, just acquaintances at Pa. and Md. Tournaments back in 1980-1984.  But I have several very interesting stories about him. And I can find no reference to him on the internet nor any photos of him.

 

I want to keep him alive in my memory and this allows me to do so.

 

Now kumite was a very serious part of my training as a brown belt with Charles Murray, when I was a brown belt. Charles was unustually gifted at kumite and I recall class after class when he worked me over and I was unable to touch him. Then I went up for my Black Belt exam/initiation and passed. Then within a few months I was training myself, and teaching youth at the Scranton Boys Club.

 

I realized that with no one training me I was at a handicap and that was why I originally started visiting other local school to have someone to fight. But what I found was that almost none of them had kumite, when I visited. The only exception was one school I visited whenever possible.

 

Then I entered my first Kumite match at the Tamaqua Coal Kick-In in 1980. I knew I was handicapped without someone guiding me, but I did it anyway.

 

 

My first black belt fight was against Sam Shockley, then 10^th heavyweight in the PKA.  Now San would fight non-contact, semi-pro and full contact, I am sure just to fight.

 

Friends told me I was shaking like a leaf as I entered the ring, I was remembering he had once ko’d one of my senior instructors (a solid fighter), by mistake giving my senior the fight. Of course Sam whooped me, politely, as I was no threat. He was a gentleman. And surviving that I learned more about how to be a dan.

 

A more detailed account of that fight can be found at - https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/search?q=Sam+shockley

 

What I found over the next several years was I was spending money to fight with those about my size and averaging a decade younger that I, paying to let them pound me. Not that I could not fight, just I was not fighting smart.

 

One example was when I was fighting a young man down at Dillman’s tournament, where I nailed him in the abs with a punch, but he got the score with a backfist to my head. Both our strikes were at the same time, but his strike over top of mine was the one the judges saw. Yet in the locker room he explained to me that he was still feeling my strike.

 

So I for the most part stopped competing in kumite, concentrating in kata and kobudo.

 

But back to Sam.

 

About 1939, a friend who had gone with his friend who created a new school that was going into full contact, was convinced by his ‘instructor’ that he should enter the black belt semi-pro division at the upcoming Dillman tournament. IMO I did not see he was qualified, but I was not training with them and they were not soliciting my opinion.

 

My friend drew Sam Shockley. He really was not qualified for the fight. Sam taught him a painful lesson.  Nothing serious but solid enough to make his think a long time before he would do so again.

 

As I said Sam was a gentleman.

 

The next years Sam first fought in a non-contact division down at Dillman’s tournament for a warm up, then he fought in a semi-pro division.

 

He drew a young fighter from Philadelphia, and the fight went back and forth. Then the Philadelphia fighter nailed Sam in the groin with a very solid front kick.

(I would like to point out groin kicks were not permitted in thisdivision.)

 

Sam felt it and immediately began walking around the giant fieldhouse to walk it off. None of the judges stopped him. When he returned to the ring the judges allowed the competition to begin again. Very quickly Sam politely ended the match with him victorious.

 

Then when the semi-pro division was called Sam again found he was paired with the same young man. 

 

The fight began and Sam fought cleanly only to have the young man again nail him again in the groin.  Again the fight stopped and again Sam began walking around the field house to shake it off. Again not a judge uttered a word to same.

 

When Sam finished the walk, again he faced his opponent in the ring.

 

Sam nailed him in the abdomen with a very powerful front kick. Really extending I out. I watched as the young man folded over Sam’s leg, literally folded in half,

 

Then Sam retracted his leg and his opponent fell to the floor, screaming with the fall.

 

I thought Sam must have broken him in half, and those screams were a result of that kick.

 

But as the screams continued for a while I realized that young man was screaming to attempt to end the pain.

 

Eventually the screams stopped and he got up.

 

The fight continued but he had nothing left.

 

Sam finished him easily.

 

I believe that was the last time I saw Sam fight.

 

He certainly left me with memories of a gentleman.

 

Sam Shockley.