Sensei Harvey Hastings

Proudest Moment:  Still waiting 

 

Most Memorable Moment: I forgot…Uh oh, now I remember.  It was the time I raised the wrong fighter’s hand when the ring announcer gave the totals for the winner; Steve Sheppard and Earnest Hart’s world welterweight championship fight in Atlanta, Georgia - I raised Sheppard’s hand.

 

Greatest Fighter Ever Known: Benny “the Jet” Urquedez (ck. Spelling)

 

Greatest Fight Ever Seen: Benny “the Jet” vs. Demetrius Havanas in Dallas, Texas

 

Greatest Karate People Ever Knew: Tom Lewis…Bob Maxwell…Don Bohan…Tim Hautamaki…Rick Niemira.

 

Greatest Teachers Ever Had: Tom Lewis…Bob Maxwell…Dr. Maung Gyi…Nick Albert

 

Greatest Tournament Ever Attended: The first Isshinryu/Bando tournament in Salisbury, Maryland, when I won the “Outstanding Karate-ka” trophy and met Sensei Don Bohan

 

Finest Organizer and Promoter Ever Knew: Joe Corley, Battle of Atlanta; organized SEKA and SEPKA 

 

Ultimate Goal in Life: 1. To live in the here and the now.  2. To eliminate all semblance of an ego.  3. Don’t know…but there’s always three things--aren’t there?

 

Tournaments Promoted and Co-promoted: 1st Isshinryu / Bando tournament in Salisbury, Maryland…The 1st National Pro-Karate tournament in Ocean City, Maryland…Rick Niemira “Friendship” tournament in Princess Anne, Maryland…A dozen or so “Four Seasons” tournaments in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida…A number of full contact karate tournaments and bouts in Florida and southeastern USA.

 

(Unknown / Don Bohan / Tom Lewis / Harvey Hastings)

 

Career Outline

 

• Started boxing age 9, Salvation Army Boys’ Club

 

• National Guard 1951-1953

 

• US Marine Corps 1953-1956

 

• Boxed for the Marine Corp and won several tournaments, 1954-1955

 

• Studied Judo under Nick Albert, 1953-1955.

 

• Received Black Belt in Judo, 1954

 

• Received Black Belt in un-named (later recognized as Goju Ryu) Korean style under Major Leong (ROK), 1954

 

• Received Black Belt under Master Tom Lewis, 1967 - Isshinryu is my heart and primary style.

 

• Received Black Belt under Master Maung Gyi, early 1970’s - Bando is my doctrine and conscience.

 

• Won US Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship, 1973

 

• Full contact fight record as an adult, both amateur and professional (boxing, kick-boxing, and pro-karate):  64 and 2…lost first and last matches.

 

• Rode bicycle from Maryland/Delaware line, south to Key West, Florida, then north to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and then back south to Atlanta, Georgia, stopping and teaching at many Karate studios along the way - 73’ 74’ 75’

 

• Studied Tang Soo do under Joe Corley, 1975

 

• Started Florida Karate and Health studios, 1975

 

• Developed KOBA Ryu style 1975 - kicking and training techniques are based on Korean styles.  The heart and hard training are from Okinawa Isshinryu style, the intellectual approach and animal techniques are from Burmese Bando, and the punching and blocking are from American boxing.

 

• Became head official for NKL (National Karate League) under founder Chuck Norris, 1976

 

• Became head official and chief architect of rules and procedures for PKA (Professional Karate Association), circa 1976

 

• Started Florida Black Belt Association, 1976

 

• Wrote several articles for Official Karate Magazine, 1975-77

 

• Conducted first-ever sanctioned professional judges and referees school, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, circa 1977

 

• Trained top ranked kickboxing and pro-karate fighters, i.e. Jerry Rhome, Joe Corley, Steve Shepard, Bobby Sullivan, Tim Hautamaki, Jack Ballard, and Bill Clark.

 

(Joe Corley and Harvey Hastings)

 

• Center referee for many world title bouts featuring fighters such as Bill Wallace, Benny Urquedez, Steve Shepard, Jeff Smith, and Blinky Rodriquez.

 

• Several television appearances: ABC Wide World of Sports and CBS Sports Spectacular.

 

• Currently living on my ranch in foothills of Wyoming’s Wind River Mountain Range, Boulder, Wyoming, in sight of Temple Peak Mountain, where I lost my heart in 1975, when I was the first to climb the North face free style.

 

• Returned to Salisbury, Maryland, in 1981; started a restaurant, taught for several more years until contracting Parkinson’s disease, and retired in 1997 at age sixty-two.

 

• Was promoted to the rank of Roku-Dan by Master Tom Lewis in 1987.

 

• Although no longer active in the Martial Arts as a teacher or practitioner, it’s my plan to start a book on the subject as soon as I’ve completed my fourth novel, Journey to Ecatabana and Palmyra…the second in a series about the Oregon trail written under the master heading of “Passages To India”; both are historic novels.  The first two novels, The Graymalkin Comes and Track Of The Wolf should be available by spring.  Both are modern day westerns, betcha wooduv guessed that …huh?

 

COMMENT

I’d like to offer an excerpt from one of my recent books--I had Papasan (Don Bohan) in mind when this was composed:

          In the fall you’ll find me,

                                    beneath the arbor rose;

A last goodbye?

                                    an epitaph, I suppose.

Beyond the lattice shadow,

                                    hidden there upon the vine;

 stands a lone proud blossom,

                                    that remains beyond its time.

Fledgling north winds leak through the lattice,

                                    they clear my mind.

Beginnings are left obscure,

                                    yet ending’s well defined.

The chimes of Olympus,

                                    ring out the last retreat,

chilling winds now set the pace,

                                    and thus the final beat.

Could this be the night for Jack the assassin?

                                    How quietly he rides in on muffled hoof, unseen,

wrapping us in icy arms,

                                     stealing the final scene.

From a distance comes the Robin’s song; bare thy face,

                                    fear not the icy arms of winter’s will;

                                    turn not from future’s race,

Already lost to tulip and daffodil.

Sleep the winter’s sleep, dear friend,

                                    embrace predestined fate.

Dream the dreams of spring,

                                     awakenings are worth the wait…

 

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Tom Lewis  - "The first time Harvey came into the dojo, I knew he had some boxing skills and as it turned out, he fought on a Marine Corps team.  Harvey is a difficult opponent, he has very fast hands for a heavy weight and a long reach.  After getting his black belt from me, he headed south and hooked up with Joe Corley in Georgia.  There he began, full contact training with some of the notables at the time.  The rest is history and he became a household name in karate."

 

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Bob Maxwell "I first met Harvey in 1968, while serving as a summer police officer in Ocean City, MD.  We received a call that there was a fight going on at the Islander Motel, which was owned by a good friend of Harvey's. Of course, any fight call brings out the cavalry and I just happened to be the first squad car to arrive on the scene.

 

As I drove into the parking lot, I saw a large crowd both in the lot and on the balcony, shouting and throwing beer. There was a guy running directly toward my car, away from the main group, so I did the only sensible thing and round-house kicked him.  Of course his forward momentum, at a dead run, was sufficient enough to spin my young a-- around and land both of us on the ground (What lessons we learn along the way!).

 

Anyway, as I waded into the crowd to break up the fight, I observed a guy flying completely over the roof of a parked car.  As I rounded the car I found one solitary man surrounded and all by himself, preparing to launch another one in the same direction.

 

After the fight calmed down, this guy identified himself as a friend of the owner and he introduced himself.  I replied, "so you are Harvey Hastings, I have heard a lot about you".  That was how we first met and began a relationship that spawned the First Isshinryu/Bando Tournament in 1969 and the Full Professional Karate Championships held in Ocean City in subsequent years.

 

I am proud to say that first meeting in a motel parking lot resulted in a long and close friendship that continues to this day."

 

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Harvey Hastings - MtnManHarv@aol.com

Master Harvey Hastings's Photo Album

Master Harvey Hastings's Historical Articles