www.unconventionalathletes.com STAYING ON TOP KARATE LEGEND TOKEY HILL KEEPS RISING!! An Athletic Career of Unparalleled Impact Inspiring New Generations – Empowering the Defenseless!! by Sharon G. Jonas ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1 Page 36
www.unconventionalathletes.com When Tokey Hill took up karate at age fourteen, it wasn’t at a well-respected martial arts school like the two he runs in New York or the one in Ohio. Nor was it to acquire a skill which encourages the principles he teaches and demonstrates. As a hustling young pool player growing up in Ohio, Tokey learned karate to be able to collect his winnings from sore losers, usually guys twice his size and age. “I got slapped around… so I asked a guy with a black belt to teach me karate in exchange for me teaching him pool,” recalls Tokey. From this unlikely starting point, a love for the sport and an unprecedented athletic career followed, with a list of accomplishments so impressive and long it’s astounding that he managed them all in one lifetime. His highlights include: being the first American male to win the World WKF Championship, winning more international medals than any other karate practitioner in the U.S., being a six time AAU/USA National Karate Champ and six time All American, being named U.S. Olympic Coach of the Year, teaming up with elite athletes like Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas, teaching countless self-defense courses to law enforcement officials, corporate employees and ordinary citizens, owning and operating three highly-regarded karate schools known as “World Champion Tokey Hill Karate,” (www. TeamTokeyHill.com), developing a self-defense program for the blind and disabled and becoming an influential player in the sports promotion and entertainment world. A natural athlete, Tokey progressed quickly in karate becoming an official black belt by age nineteen. “I had an undiagnosed learning disability and karate took a negative – my abnormal ability to hyper focus – and turned it into a tool that allowed me to concentrate on what I was doing. Karate saved my life.” By age 23, Tokey’s incredible skills secured him the 1980 World Championship in Shotokan Karate, making him the first American to clinch the title. It would take 23 years before another American, George Katara, won the title and when he did, it was Tokey who helped guide him to victory. While coaching is often a natural progression in an athlete’s career, Tokey’s move was hastened by a serious injury which occurred when he was at the top of his game. During an exhibition in 1983, his foot caught in a rip in the canvas ring causing him to tear his ACL. “I re-invented myself after that injury,” says Tokey. “Even today with advancements in technology, it’s still difficult to rebound to the same level after such an injury.” One of Tokey’s current positions includes being the Chairperson of the Combative Sports Festival with Arnold Classic Worldwide for Kids & Teens, the massive annual sports event started in 1989 by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Held annually in six international locations, the 2016 U.S. festival will run March 4-6 in Columbus at the Ohio Expo Center. Previous years have attracted over 20,000 athletes and 77,000 spectators worldwide. (www.arnoldsportsworld.com) The combative sports festival includes numerous divisions including Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and Kung Fu. Despite his illustrious career and ongoing participation in all aspects of the athletic world, Tokey, a 58 year-old father of five and grandfather of six, is most inclined to discuss his life’s passion – shaping the lives of others, especially at-risk youth and those most vulnerable in society. Your career is astonishing, Tokey. For all you’ve done, what do you feel are your three greatest achievements? Out of everything, what tops my list is being able to use martial arts to turn young peoples’ lives around, to be part of the next generation coming up. Instead of kids being troublemakers, they become pillars of society. We work with kids who come recommended by the courts for behavioral management. Maybe someone is borderline or had a bad upbringing or was affected by divorce. They receive a karate journal which includes writing about what they like and dislike. We reach them on their level and this initiates them turning in homework and being responsible. If their journal isn’t completed, they can’t join in the class, so it becomes very motivating. When I get positive feedback from guidance counselors who wonder how we got a kid to do school work is rewarding! There are alternate ways to education and not everyone learns the same way. We also teach them to stand up to a bully. You can’t buy confidence. It’s also very rewarding to work with kids with disabilities. I’ve taught kids in wheelchairs some moves and you should see the smiles on their faces. In reality, these kids don’t want to be seen differently. I work with two organizations. One is Karate Can Do, a unique charitable organization for people with disabilities of all kinds and Kicking the Spectrum, which is focused on autism. Third on my list is being able to coach athletes on an elite level. You were named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Coach of the Year in 1999 based on your coaching work at the Pan American Games in Canada when 11 of your athletes won 9 medals. You’ve been involved in the US coaching program for about 28 years and Director of USA Karate (the organization that the Olympic Committee empowers to be the national governing body for karate) for about 5 years. What do you think a great coach offers? The role of a coach is to implement the moves of the game so an amateur is protected. You need to create the safest possible environment during training and competition and ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1 Page 37
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