First Black karate expert: inducted into Hall of Fame savors success

Jet, August 18, 2003

Michael Copeland began taking karate classes just to stay out of trouble while growing up in Brooklyn, NY, and to have fun, but 30 years later he's breaking records and knocking down history's, door.

Copeland was recently honored as the first African-American inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame. Also, the karate expert is the first ever inducted under the new style of martial, Kuden Jutsu.

"I had no idea it was going to happen for me," Copeland told JET. "When I started in martial arts, I knew if I practiced I would get better. I won a couple of tournaments, but I had no idea I would be taken in this direction." At the ceremony, Copeland received a Super Bowl-style ring and a personalized belt.

To be inducted, a candidate has to have 25 years experience in the art and Copeland has surpassed that. A resident of Egg Harbor Township in New Jersey, Copeland has won numerous tournaments and championships. He is a fourth-degree master of Tae Kwon Do and after 17 years, he grew bored with his exceptional skills. He wanted to learn a new art and this is where Kuden Jutsu made its way into Copeland's life. He's been studying it now for over six years.

"[Kuden Jutsu] means the direct way of teaching. It's a number of martial arts put together in one form and it's a very distinct style of self defense that manipulates the attacker," explains Copeland, who is married and the father of two teenagers.

A self-defense teacher at the Ocean City Fitness Center in Ocean City, NJ, Copeland said he plans to master the new style. He has meaningfully dedicated this honor to his in-laws, Shirley and Richard Hazard, who were brutally murdered in a home robbery just over a year ago.