By Ernie Smothers
smothers@mckenziebanner.com |
 |
Kyle, Arthur, Lisa and Tyler Kapeller. |
MCKENZIE (March 5) It is often stated that the amount of
time and energy one invests in the pursuit of goals
determines success or failure. Based upon the number of
telephone calls and in-store visits Arthur Kapeller fielded
from parents interested in enrolling their children in his
after-school program during the course of the two-hour
interview with the McKenzie Banner, it is safe to assume
that Arthur is both busy and successful.
Owner of Kapeller's Family Taekwondo, located at 2374 Cedar
Street in McKenzie, Arthur devotes his career instructing
Taekwondo students and training fighters for mixed martial
arts competition.
Meet Arthur
Born on January 7, 1963, in El Paso, Texas to now deceased
parents Bernard and Katie, Kapeller relocated with his
family to Cedar Grove at age 13. After graduating from
Trezevant High School in 1981, Arthur enlisted in the United
States Army.
It was during his tour of duty in the Army that Arthur was
initially exposed to martial arts.
He began, "I was heavily involved with weightlifting and was
boxing during my year-long tour of service in Germany. One
day I began watching some guys in the gym as they engaged in
martial arts-style grappling. Most of what I learned about
martial arts came from just being around people that
practiced it. I picked up a few techniques here and there,
but never had any organized training."
It was during his military stint in 1981 that Kapeller
married his high school sweetheart Lisa Bateman. Upon
completing his military obligation, the Kapeller’s moved
back to Cedar Grove.
Regarding his wife, Arthur said, "Lisa and I have been
married for 25 years, and it has been wonderful.” He added,
“My wife works as the school nurse for the West Carroll
School system. I substitute-teach at the school when called
upon."
He said, "At that time, I was really into body building and
weightlifting. Lisa enrolled our sons Kyle and Tyler in
Keith Giles martial arts school in Milan. Eventually, she
joined, too, and really got into it."
Arthur recalled the evening that Lisa surprised him by doing
the splits.
He said, "When I saw her do the splits, it just really
impressed me. I couldn't believe how much Taekwondo training
had increased her flexibility. So, I decided I would try
Taekwondo and see what it could do for me. I was 31 years
old at the time I started training."
He added, "My family and I began to travel and compete in
competitions almost every weekend. I am competitive by
nature and really enjoyed competing in the tournaments. We
won a lot of trophies during that time and were always
celebrating because at least one of us would win each time
we competed."
Straight To the Top
Kapeller stated that once he dedicated himself to training,
his skill level in martial arts rapidly developed.
"I advanced rapidly through the belt stages and earned my
black belt by the age of 32-33. Being competitive by nature,
I became interested in and began competing in Taekwondo
fight competitions."
Kapeller noted that as a result of his competing in
tournaments, he began a period of constantly traveling to
different cities all over America to fight for the purpose
of gaining competition points.
"Gathering points was crucial to a fighter's advancing in
the rankings. The only way to get those points was to go to
where the events were taking place and compete," he said.
Having amassed a substantial amount of points by
participating in numerous competitions, Kapeller was elated
upon receiving a letter from the American Taekwondo
Association governing body informing him of his selection to
compete for the world championship. At the time, Kapeller
was ranked fourth in his division.
He recalled, "To win the championship, I faced the challenge
of defeating two top-ranked martial arts fighters on the
same day. During the first fight that morning, I defeated my
opponent 5-0. That night, I faced an opponent who was very
fast and aggressive. He hit me so hard during the early part
of the fight that I dropped to the floor. I had to get up,
shake it off, and keep fighting. During the final round, my
opponent was leading 3-2 until I delivered a three-point
jumping round kick to his head. The kick gave me a 5-3
victory and earned me the 1997 Men's Taekwondo World
Championship."
Smiling, Kapeller pointed to a framed certificate displayed
above his desk.
He said, "The letter verifies that I was the number one
ranked fighter in my division class in the world on May 23,
1997. Leaning forward, he added, “People need to know that
success isn't based on the size of the town a person comes
from. Look at me-I'm from a small town, but I worked hard
and achieved my goal. Being successful at anything comes
down to how hard you are willing to work to succeed."
A School of His Own
Kapeller, who has owned and operated his martial arts school
in various locations in McKenzie for nine years, stated that
he first considered opening his own school at the urging of
friend Bubba Melton.
"Bubba was wrestling guys at the time like Bill Dundee and
had rented the old E. W. James store building across from
where the new store is now located and was training
wrestlers there. He offered me a space inside the building
to train Taekwondo students. I decided to go for it.
Membership began to increase, and 10 people graduated from
my first class in February 1999, including Bubba's
daughter."
He continued, "After a while, membership in my school grew
to 15-20 people, so I rented a space in the mall near where
Rural King is located. I stayed there for a while, but rent
was really high. When I discovered that this building, owned
at the time by Earl Pace, was available to rent, I made the
move."
Regarding his current facility, Arthur said, "The building
was in pretty bad shape when we first moved in. There was a
lot of plumbing, carpentry and electrical work to do, and
repairing those items was included in the rental agreement.
After a while, the building really began to take shape and
has become a great place to work out and teach in. It really
came together."
He continued, "Eventually, Mr. Pace decided to sell the
building. After some consideration, I decided to buy it.
It's a great place. There's additional space upstairs that
is as large as the downstairs area, so I have room to expand
as I need to."
Something for the Kids
Kapeller stated that he was pleased with the progress of his
newly created after-school program.
He said, "Instead of going to an after-school daycare
facility, our students are offered an opportunity to do
their homework, learn something and have fun. After getting
off the bus and entering the building, our students are
given snacks and fruit drinks and provided with a place to
sit and work on their homework. At four p.m., the students
put on their uniforms and participate in exercise and
training. The program, offered only to school-age children,
meets Monday through Friday from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m."
He continued, "I provide each of my after-school students
with a gold-striped belt to wear that sets them apart from
the rest of my students. I have a bulletin board set up
where I display the students’ grades in order to encourage
them to work hard on excelling in their studies. For every
grade of 100 or grade of "A", I place a merit stripe on
their belt. So far, I have 14 students involved in the
after-school program, and can maintain a maximum enrollment
of 20. Six of my students have already advanced to the
fourth belt (camouflage). I am very proud of this program
and what it has to offer. Cost for an after school student
is $7 per day, which is quite comparable to the cost of
after-school daycare."
Additional Programs
Kapeller noted that in addition to the after school program,
he also offers various programs geared for the very young up
to adult age.
"For children ages three, four and five, I offer a 30-minute
class called "Tiny Tigers". The class, set up for a maximum
of six students, is really a lot of fun. The classes meet
Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
He stated that another class offered at his school is
"Karate for Kids".
"This class, offered to students ages six through twelve,
meets at night every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and
Saturday. It is an original program I thought up." He added,
"If I can get the students to participate at least two days
a week, I can properly teach them Taekwondo."
Arthur noted that he also offered an adult class for ages 13
and up at 6:15-7:00 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and
6:30-7:15 p.m. Mondays and Fridays.
This class takes the training to a different level. We
emphasize training in Taekwondo form, kick boxing, Brazilian
Ju Jitzu, floor drills / grappling, free-sparring and
weapons-utilization. It is a high energy class that promotes
weight-loss and cardiovascular conditioning. Smiling, he
added, "I worked out with the class for two months and
decreased my weight from 280 to 250 pounds."
He informed that a weapons and sparring class was offered to
adults on Monday and Thursday from 5:45-6:30 p.m. In
addition, a family-oriented training class is offered each
Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00-7:45 p.m.
Kapeller noted that the reason adult students participate in
training is different than that of younger, school-age
attendees.
He explained, "Adults are most often looking for a means of
increasing their self defense abilities and improving their
self worth. They don't want to live in fear every time they
cross a parking lot at night to get to their car. For them,
it's about taking control of their lives and doing something
positive and healthy for themselves."
He added, "Younger students are often looking for or in need
of some form of guidance and discipline. But, realistically,
there is an age limit for effective discipline to be used.
If a child does not respect their parents or guardians by
the time they become teenagers, they may not do so until
later in life. I tell parents that ask me to sign up their
rebellious teenager for one of my classes that their child
will respect me here, but may not respect them at home. For
a young person to respect their parents and adults, they
must be taught to do so sooner instead of later."
Stranger Danger
Arthur stated that one of the most important lessons he
teaches his younger students involves situational awareness.
We have a program we call "Stranger Danger" that teaches our
students to focus on events and situations that are
occurring around them. I tell them that if someone ever
stops their car and rolls down their window to talk them,
immediately run to the back of the vehicle, look at the
vehicle tag number, and run away from the scene and alert
parents or police. I encourage them to practice memorization
by looking at and recalling random tag numbers. That way, if
a person does approach them in a suspicious manner while
driving a vehicle, they will be able to react correctly.
Even if the person who approaches the child is innocent in
their intent and is only attempting to ask for directions,
perhaps the child's informing the proper authorities will
cause them not to approach a child for information, but seek
the information from an adult." He added emphatically, "I
always tell my students-the life you may eventually save by
doing this may not be your own, but someone else's."
Christian Principles
Kapeller noted that unlike many martial arts programs where
Buddhist teachings are often utilized, all of Kapeller
Family's Taekwondo classes are taught using Christian
principles.
He said, "I am a Christian, and serve as a member of the
West Carroll Unity Baptist Church. My faith is important to
me and is the basis for my teaching here."
Regarding West Carroll Unity Baptist Church, Kapeller said,
"It is amazing what the Lord is doing in the town of
Trezevant. Our church services are filled each Wednesday
night and Sunday with over 100 young people. Attendance is
also growing for all of our services. The church was donated
use of a row of buildings in the downtown area of Trezevant,
and it has been so great to see God working in such a
powerful way."
Pride Fighters
Kapeller explained that combat-style mixed martial arts was
the most intense class taught at his studio. He further
noted that it is definitely not for the age-advanced or
faint of heart.
Holding a large stack of applications in his hand, Arthur
stated, "Of all of these applicants, only two made it. The
rest only lasted two to three days. This is for the elite
only."
He continued, "Mixed martial artists must endure repetitive
and grueling physical training so that they can develop fast
twitch muscle fibers. A fighter has to be able to generate
explosive energy and have the cardiovascular endurance to
maintain that high level three minutes at a time.
Ninety-percent of a fighter's training hinges on
cardiovascular because the sport requires constant
endurance. Their training differs greatly from that of
distance runners who develop slow twitch muscles so that
they can run great distances without fatiguing."
Arthur stated that once an applicant is approved for mixed
martial arts training, they must be willing to dedicate
themselves to a grueling four to six month training regimen
before competing in the ring.
"I teach my students boxing, kicking, combat fighting, Sambo
Russian style ground offensive and defensive fighting and
how to employ and escape from specific situations. The
fighters have to memorize pages of moves and countermoves
and practice them constantly. In addition, they must develop
the ability to listen to me for advice while engaged in a
fight. It is crucial that they become focused enough to
block out what is going on around them so that they can
react when given needed instruction."
Regarding mixed martial arts training, Arthur said,
"Honestly, I don't recommend competitive mixed martial arts
to anyone over the age of 25 without a martial arts
background of some kind."
Kapeller noted that two of his competition fighters might be
able to use their developing skills to take them to the next
level.
Two of my guys, Chance Burke and David McSwain, are really
tough mixed martial arts fighters. McSwain has come a long
way and is set to battle a tough fighter named Lance Greer
at an upcoming match in Jonesboro, Arkansas. If he beats
Greer, I will ask that he be granted a title shot during a
high-octane competition bout scheduled for April."
He continued, "As for Burke, he is as tough as (professional
mixed martial arts fighter) Matt Hughes. He's
twenty-years-old, and if he keeps his head straight and
successfully avoids distractions, you will see him fight in
the octagon in Pride or UFC in the 155-pound and below
division."
Family Tradition
Kapeller grins as his thoughts turn to his sons Kyle, 21,
and Tyler, 17.
"Kyle is the hardest stand-up fighter in our school. His
ground fighting is coming along as well. Tyler is 2-0 as a
kick boxer and nobody wants to fight him. He is extremely
fast and hits hard."
Kapeller informed that he had spoken with State
Representative Mark Maddox about the state of Tennessee's
legislative decision to disallow mixed martial arts bouts.
"Representative Maddox told me that the state had voted to
not allow fights to occur after some people had died in
another state while competing in a tough man competition.
Many of the people who participate in those competitions are
often untrained and unprepared for that kind of situation."
He continued, "Our fighters are prepared. It makes if really
difficult for our team to have to constantly travel out of
state to participate in competitions. I hope the ruling can
be changed in the future. Our fighters compete under the
sanctions and rules of the International Sport Combat
Federation (ISCF), and we conduct ourselves in a serious
manner. We are not a bunch of barroom brawler’s years past
our prime-we are conditioned athletes."
Smiling, he said, "Kyle accidentally kicked me in the mouth
a while back while we were sparring. He cut my lip badly,
and it bled for a whole night and day. I told him before we
started sparring that my neck was sore and to take it easy
on me-but…he just reacted in the moment." He added, "These
days, I just don't hit as hard as I used to."
As the interview concluded, Arthur, now joined by adult
Taekwondo student John Maxwell, demonstrated a sidekick and
back fist technique on a punching bag. Jabbing twice with
his foot, Kapeller suddenly reversed direction and smacked
the bag with the back of his fist and forearm.
Instantaneously, the sound produced by the massive impact
reverberated throughout the spacious facility.
