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Sen sei
Price is a 9th degree Black Belt in USA Goju Karate.
He started studying the
Martial arts when he was in his early 30’s.
When work related stress
kept mounting, he was advised to pursue some type of physical
activity to “burn off” that stress. A karate class looked
inviting because it would be something to burn off the stress,
and he would be learning something new as well.
He joined the karate class
provided by the local college, and studied Chito Ryu karate for
several years. Not long after he earned his green belt, he did
what 90% of all new karate practioners do. He quit.
In a short period of time,
Sensei Price started looking for a karate class where he could
renew his training, because he missed the fascination of the
martial arts and that wonderful feeling that his rigorous karate
training gave him.
In 1979, and at the age of
35, Sensei Price finds USA Goju Karate. The teacher was a high
ranking brown belt named Joe Kelljchian, and his first dojo was
in the gym at Piper High School in Fort Lauderdale. Sensei
Kelljchian was a student of Master Joseph Hess, a World Champion
Kick Boxer and a USA Goju Karate Master.
[Today, Grand Master Kelljchian is the founder and leader of
the very large and successful USAGF (United States of America
Goju Federation) headquartered in the Davie, Cooper City area of
South Florida.]
On the first night of
class, Sensei Price removed his Chito Ryu green belt, and began
his USA Goju training as a new white belt.
“Everyone starts at the bottom”.
During the next 17 years of
training two and three nights a weeks (not counting the
participation in seminars and demonstrations), Sensei Price
moved from the back
row of class to the front row, to stand as a proud 4th
Dan, Renshi along side the other senior students in the dojo.
In the late 1980’s Sensei
Price’s employment relocated him to Colorado for a couple of
years, and when he was finally able to return to Florida, the
relocation
put him on the other side of the state from Fort Lauderdale
(Cooper City), and his karate family.
In 1989 Sensei Price opened
his Bamboo Curtain dojo at the Dance Theater Academy in
Fort Myers, and had a successful and productive dojo there until
1995,
when the time requirements of the “day job’ forced him to close
his commercial dojo. During the next seven years, he continued
teaching some of his junior students
and most of his senior students and black belts at his home dojo
in his garage.
 In
1996 Grand Master Peter Urban accepted Sensei Price as his
personal student and presented him with the Official Goju Hall
# 288.
In 1998 Maestro Urban
appointed Sensei Price as the webmaster of his official website,
and the UrbanGojuUSA.com web address became the Official
Website and Central Point of Reference from Peter G. Urban, and
Goju Central.
Sensei Price worked
diligently developing the website “just the way that Maestro
Urban wanted it”, and through his relationship
with “The Maestro”, Price became a member of Urban’s inner
circle of trusted reliable students.
In 2004 Sensei Price re-built the website to make it easier to
navigate, and re-named the site AmericanGoju.com.
Although retired from his
“day job” as a pharmaceutical representative with Abbott
Laboratories, Sensei Price remains very active. he teaches
Karate classes at his
Pelican Preserve community center in Fort Myers, is the Curator
(and webmaster) of the
Crooked Garden, the 17,345 sq. ft. butterfly garden in Pelican
Preserve,
and continues as the webmaster to Maestro’s USA Goju Karate
International Honbu website.
2005 and
2007 Colonial Country Club Self Defense Graduating Classes
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Pelican Preserve
The 2005 Self Defense Class certificate presentation & action
photos of the 2008
Karate/Self Defense Course
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Hanshi Price's highlighted photo history of his 32+ years
in karate
(There are 15 photos in this series. Use the
small arrow on the far right side to scroll through them all.)
New yellow belt in Chito Ryu Karate circa 1976 New 8th Kyu in USA Goju Karate 6th Kyu in Urban Goju working on "The Punch" with the Maestro. Winning 1st place in kumite (by default) because the opponent cut Sensei Price's eye and drew blood. 1st Professionally posed photo during the days of his commercial Bamboo Curtain Dojo in Fort Myers, Florida. First visit with "The Main Man". Posing with Maestro Urban at his home in New Jersey. Professional photo taken while in Maui, Hawaii Sensei Price's last tourament competition when he was 55 years old. Sensei Price visits with Maestro Urban shortly after the Maestro returned home from a hospital visit. Brian Wise Promoted to 4th Dan Renshi with a signed diploma and Goju Hall # 807 from G.M. Urban. (l to r) Renshi Wise, Hanshi Price, & Nidan Curtis Farrell. Sensei Price with his student, Renshi Wise at one of Hanshi Malanoski's tournament events. Sensei Robert Carbone receives his 5th Dan Renshi rank and Goju Hall #312 from Maestro Urban, and presented by Hanshi Price. Hanshi Price promotes Sensei Robert Carbone to Kyoshi 6th Dan, and gives him the obi that Maestro Urban had presented to Price when he was promoted to Kyoshi. Hanshi Price presenting Gary Alber with his deploma for the Colonial Country Club 2007 Self Defense Course Hanshi Price giving an Iaido private lesson to fellow Pelican Preserve resident Rich Voss on the boardwalk of the community's nature preserve.
New yellow belt in Chito Ryu Karate circa 1976
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Hanshi Price
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Page visits since July 5,
2008
Page updated August 20, 2008
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JAMES
PRICE'S 
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