Peter Urban: 2003 Man of the Year
Goju-Ryu Karate Master Peter Urban: 2003 Man of the YearBy Ella Morse |
Born in 1934 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Urban started training in jujutsu at the tender age of 9. By the time he was in his early teens, he’d switched to Western boxing. His interest in the Asian arts resurfaced while he was stationed in Japan as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. During his eight-year stint on the islands, he studied goju-ryu, a traditional style characterized by powerful techniques and flowing movements. While there, he had the opportunity to train with karate legends Richard Kim, Gogen "The Cat" Yamaguchi and Masutatsu Oyama, and he even opened his own dojo in Tokyo. Throughout his youth, Urban competed in numerous competitions to test his fighting prowess, including the famous All Japan College Tournament in 1958. By the time he was ready to leave Asia in 1959, he’d earned a fifth-degree black belt—then, the highest rank ever bestowed on a non-Japanese practitioner. Upon returning to New Jersey, the goju-ryu stylist established the American Dojo in Union City. He soon closed its doors, however, and in 1960, he began teaching for another studio, the Judo Twins, located in New York City. In 1967 he once again set off on his own and opened a school in New York’s Chinatown. Van Clief credits the tireless efforts put forth during his former instructor’s early years in goju with having been the key to the art’s popularity. “Peter Urban was the innovator that brought it to America,” he says. In addition to sparring and breaking, Urban has made his mark as an innovator. He created several kata and incorporated them into his version of the art, which he calls “U.S.A. goju-ryu.” Most agree, however, that his strongest influence has been as a teacher. “He’s one of the greatest instructors of the martial arts,” Banks says. The New York-based teacher and promoter says he’s particularly impressed with how much care Urban demonstrates for the development and well-being of all those who study—or have ever studied—under him. Urban is known for demanding the utmost in discipline and precision from his pupils, Banks says. “There’s no one who can influence students better than him. He tries to reach each individual in such a way that the student will understand the message that he’s trying to get across. He’s really an all-around great martial artist. He’s a martial arts giant.” Black Belt is proud to induct Peter Urban into its 2003 Hall of Fame as Man of the Year. (This profile originally appeared in the January 2004 issue of Black Belt.) 
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