MR. WHITE AND MANCHESTER KARATE STUDIO HISTORY
Mr. White began training in the martial arts at the age of eleven and by his Senior year of High School he had earned his Black Belt. Following High School, Mr. White served in the United States Naval Reserve for six years. Upon his return to civilian life he opened the Manchester Karate Studio in October of 1984 and has since served as its director and chief instructor.
Mr. White is currently an 9th Degree Black Belt in the Parker system of Kenpo Karate. Mr. White received his early training in the Ed Parker system of Kenpo Karate from Mr. Lee Wedlake, Jr., one of Mr. Parker‘s first generation Black Belt students. After completing the physical requirements of the Kenpo system with Mr. Wedlake, he was referred to Mr. Richard “Huk” Planas – the Executive Director of Ed Parker‘s martial arts organization, the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA). With Mr. Planas ‘and Mr. Wedlake instruction and guidance, Mr. White developed a keen understanding of the master key moves used by Mr. Parker. Mr. White ran a series of Kenpo techniques that completed one of the Kenpo ―base move categories. Impressed with his understanding and ability to apply the Kenpo system, Mr. Parker personally selected Mr. White to be the Technical Director for the New England region of the IKKA in 1987. At this time, Mr. White was serving as the IKKA State Representative for New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. In 1989, Mr. White became the first Kenpo instructor in New England to have students complete the requirements for Black Belt in the Parker system of Kenpo. These five individuals tested before the New England IKKA Board of Examiners (Headed by Mr. Parker) and all five were promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt. Prior to these promotions, and still true for many regions of New England today, Black Belt rankings were politically awarded to individuals who were either in the process of learning the Parker system of Kenpo or who were training in various Chinese Kempo based martial arts. Following the passing of Mr. Parker in December of 1990, Mr. White founded the New England Chinese Karate Federation (NECKF) to preserve the original system of Kenpo Karate as developed by Mr. Parker. Today the NECKF stretches from Connecticut to upstate Maine with over 1,000 students. Later the NECKF merged with the Progressive Kenpo Systems (PKS) which is led by Mr. Lee Wedlake. In addition to his martial arts career, Mr. White in conjunction with his highest ranked Black Belt James Peacock, had completed a Lock Flow Drill and a Handcuffing and Weapons Retention program for local and state police officers in New Hampshire. In September of 1998, Sgt. Joseph Marceau, the director of the Police Standards and Training Council, invited him to present his program to the New Hampshire police state trainers in Concord, NH. Mr. White‘s training methods are now in use in several N.H. police barracks. Manchester Karate Studio is now the Flag Ship school for Ed Parker‘s Kenpo in New England, if not the entire US. Mr. Wedlake has said on numerous occasions that he believes Manchester Karate Studio to be the largest school with direct lineage and teaching of Ed Parker‘s American Kenpo. In honor of this, Mr. Wedlake put on loan an original gi belonging to Ed Parker.
Mr. White is a Certified instructor in the Gracie Jiu Jitsu system recognized by the Gracie Jiu Jitsu first family and operates Northern New England first and only Certified Training Center for Gracie Jiu Jitsu system in Manchester NH.