Mr. Kevin Terry

Mr. Kevin Terry, Sensei

I have had a love for the Martial Arts ever since I was 8 when I saw my first martial arts movies.
It was Chuck Norris in Good Guys Wear Black and Bruce Lee in Chinese Connection. After 
seeing these movies and before my first actual karate class I was running around the house kicking 
and punching. So when I was 12 my mother finally said O.K. and enrolled me in my first karate 
class in the style of Wado-Ryu under the instruction of Mr. David Rhodes in Lexington, TN. I had 
earned my brown belt under Mr. Rhodes, but a year later I had to stop training at this school. I was 
at this time traveling around visiting relatives in different states working and just trying to find myself 
and grow up. I was training in karate where I could, going to a lot of different types of martial arts, 
seeing what they had to offer but I was never really satisfied with the teachings I received. I finally 
ended up in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1993 with some coaxing from my best friend who moved here a year 
before. I was again training in karate but still unable to find a good instructor. That was until I started 
taking Aikido. It was great, the instructors were knowledgeable and the style fit me so well but I moved
to east Pittsburgh and the school was just to far to travel and my wife and I had our first child, so 
aikido was done. It was not a total loss though. I had ordered some tapes from Master David Deaton 
who was a 7th dan in Wado-Ryu, which was the first style I started with. After I started studying the
tapes, I found what I was looking for in that I wanted to get back into Wado-Ryu, but I just was not
learning off the tapes what I wanted to learn. That is when I finally decided to call Mr. Deaton and he
told me about Master Bill Herzer. I called Mr. Herzer and we talked for a while and we finally set up a 
day to meet. I finally met Mr. Herzer face to face in April of 1999 and began my training in 
Wado-Ryu once again. I earned my black belt in Wado-Ryu under Mr. Herzer in October of 2000, 
which made me feel more complete in my journey of the Martial Arts than at any other time. I 
knew that day that no one was going to just give it to me, I had to go prove to the testing board at 
my test that I earned and deserved the right to wear the black belt. That is where the respect for your
belt ranks comes from, "earning what you get". I earned my 2nd dan in June of 2002, which I again
tell you "I earned it". I will continue to pursue the knowledge of this style and hope to gain the belt
ranks that go with it, but never forget that it is in the pursuit of those ranks that gives you the 
knowledge you need to master this style not the belt ranks themselves. I never want to wear or hold
a belt rank that I didn’t earn or deserve. 
 
I love the Martial Arts, I have pursued it my whole life. I want to pass on to others what I have learned
and how it changed my life, which is why I teach. I know that others can benefit from it as well. I was
a very shy, hard headed and angry teen. Wado-Ryu with all its teachings from my instructors in the 
style began to change all that in me. It was not easy but my instructors stuck with me and helped me
understand the lessons I was learning beyond the physical portions (kicking, punching and blocking) 
and look at the mental portions (discipline, respect, patience and etc.). The way I teach is the way I 
was taught, not to focus just on the physical but the mental portions as well. This is to help the 
students characters grow in a good way and to help them control their emotions (which is important
in those teenage years). If I focused only on the physical side of Karate that is the only thing the 
students will know and understand about it. So if there is a confrontation with someone and tempers
are high, they will most likely resort to being physical instead of using their minds. The mental side 
of Karate is to help the students understand and respect the physical side of what they are being 
taught. It is also to help them know and understand how to control their emotions so if they get 
into a conflict with another person they can remain calm and focused. This is hopefully so that they 
can calm down the situation before it gets physical and someone gets hurt. I never wish this to 
happen ever but if a confrontation does get physical they again stay calm and focused so they don’t 
hurt someone out of anger and regret it later. Always know what you’re doing by staying calm and 
focused and you will minimize those regrets. The goal for a karateka in a physical confrontation is to 
not get hurt and to not hurt your opponent unless your life is in danger. (Example: someone pulls a
knife, bat or gun)
 
I have been teaching karate ever since I was 24. I understand because of the way 
my instructors are with me now and were with me as a teen that an instructors responsibility is to 
teach his /her students the way I have explained above. To hopefully make good, law abiding, caring
and responsible adults with a good sense of self. I have always loved Wado-Ryu Karate because of its 
teachings, philosophies and its belief that we train for peace and harmony in our lives. To also have 
respect and love for ourselves as well as the others around us.
 

My life is not amazing. It is straight forward in I was looking for something, found it, stayed with it and
allowed it to change my life for the better. You can do the same or just let life pass you by and do nothing
to change it. So get out there and find it, it might not be in the martial arts like me but you’ll never know
unless you try. So come try it, I’ll be waiting.