BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE NEWS
February 1, 1972
Martial-Arts: 'Even the
masters are students'
By A1C Kim Lobring
If you happen to walking around base and meet a tall, slim black man, who calls
himself "the Tai," don't make any sudden movements. The "Tai" could be
dangerous even though he is known to be of a non-violent nature.
Ed Porter is a member of the Air Force Presidential Honor Guard and is a student of
the Martial-Arts, (the universe of oriental fighting systems). At 23, Porter wears
the third degree Brown belt in Kempo, a form of Karate. another structure of Karate
that he studies is the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu, an art that is as hard to say as it is to
learn.
"As a child in Chicago," reflected Ed, "I couldn't defend myself.
Fighting terrified me. In school I was the kid everyone picked on because of my
small physical features. After I was involved in a fight when I was 16, I started
studying Judo."
The paradox of Ed's training is that he has never had to use this high form of
defense.
Ed said, "There are three main aspects to oriental fighting: physical,
psychological, and spiritual. the Martial-Arts teaches respect for all life forms
and instructs a student to use violence only as a last resort."
In several tournaments in Chicago, Ed always reached the finals, but he hasn't
participated in any since his arrival here in January. The type of Karate Ed is
studying is Japanese with Chinese influence and the karate used in this area is Korean of
which Ed has little knowledge.
Certified with the United Stated Karate Association, Ed is the instructor at the
Youth Center, and teaches Karate and Judo to his students. Ed became an instructor because
he wants to share his knowledge of the Martial-Arts with the kids and wants to see them
develop into true artists.
Ed gets paid for the classes which he holds on Saturdays, but he also gives up his
free time on Tuesdays and Thursdays to instruct those youths who want to learn. Ed
intends to begin classes for adults on |mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He plans to
cross-train into Recreation services where he can spend even more time in the field of
Martial-Arts.
The "Tai" doesn't consider himself an expert and said, "even the
head masters are still students; there's no end to the universe of Martial-Arts."
