Hi Everyone, I am looking to do some research in finding out were my own line or lineage came from. definitely not doing this to put down or discredit anyone. I had a teacher that after 15 years of training with him and making it up the ranks of 2nd Black belt (in his version of American Kenpo not Ed Parkers Kenpo) I was banished. I never knew who taught him in what he said was American Kenpo. so if anyone knows of who taught Mike Agbay (3rd degree black belt in American Kenpo) his school is MJA Martial Arts in Sturbridge MA. I know he grew up in the Worcester MA area. We are not on speaking terms unfortunately and he would not tell anyone who taught him or how he acquired his rank. So like I said this is not to discredit or put down him, but to find out the history of were my own training originated from. Thanks Shawn for all the questions that will soon follow here is a little more information. 1. yes knowledge is everything and when I started I was uneducated in what was and is martial arts. I started when I was 15. 2. the reason I stayed so long was it was a job needed money and mostly cause of the children I was teaching. so when he fired me and kicked me out that took care of that. 3. the reason he banished me, only from what I can see cause he gave me no answer as of why, was asking questions about his system/lineage, and his own mighty chip on his shoulder. 4. I am currently still training heavily with Dave Staples in Worcester MA, which can definitely further my skills in American kenpo, as well as Karim-ben Saunders in Tai Chi. (which both are not afraid to let everyone know who there instructors are) 5. looking for his teacher is not to prove that I have skill, I can fight no questions about that, what I am wondering is what he calls American Kenpo is not Ed Parker's American Kenpo, even though he uses all the principles, theories, patches and recommends reading all his books. he is not teaching the actual forms or techniques of American kenpo. 6. my training was very tailored, for example he has techniques up to orange that he created, which is just a mixture of basic moves put in logical order to defend against a certain attack. after orange we created our own techniques based on certain principles and motions that would have to logically make sense for self defense purposes. 7. Lastly the major reason why I started wondering was when I questioned him about a technique that I just completed, "how did my skill look". when he answered me with a questionable answer as if he was unsure, I knew he could not take me any further skill wise. and about a few months after that he fired me. 8. Mostly I am doing this for historical purposes for my own history. I know I am in a better martial arts place now. for background on Michael Agbay, according to his stories most I believe are made up, born 1960 he started training around the 1977-1979 time frame says he got 1st degree in 1983 and 1987 3rd degree. supposedly his amercan kenpo teacher was African American and he lived in the Worcester MA area. Hope this gives everyone a little more info, I am hoping that someone reads this that new of him or trained with him that could give me a little insite, my sources say it might be a guy named thane Collins but I cannot get ahold of him. any information will be helpful.
