Ken Gullette

                   Instructor

"Kenny is too rough with the other children." -- Elizabeth Rouse, Ken Gullette's 2nd grade teacher -- 1961.

Ken Gullette (shown at right practicing with tai chi Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing) began studying martial arts in 1973, at age 20.  Excited by the self-defense techniques in the "Kung Fu" TV show starring David Carradine, Ken was also fascinated with the Taoist philosophy in the TV show.  By the time Bruce Lee became popular in the summer of 1973, Ken was ready to begin studying.  For most people it was a fad.  For Ken, it was something much deeper -- a way of life.

His first martial arts teacher was Grandmaster Sin The, who taught Shaolin-Do ("The Way of the Shaolin Temple") in Lexington, Kentucky.  Grandmaster The was profiled in Martial Arts Masters magazine in 1994.

Because he was in television news, Ken moved a lot.  Also during the '70s he studied TaeKwonDo (Ken is pictured at left in 1975 at age 22), in the '80s he studied Tien Shan P'ai kung fu with Karen Vaughn, a top-ranked competitor in Cincinnati (color photo below of Ken with trophy is first place victory for Fighting in the 1983 Cincinnati Super Challenge Tournament).

One important thing was missing from every martial arts school Ken attended.  There was virtually no mention of philosophy.  Then, in 1987, when Ken moved to Omaha, Nebraska, he found what he had been searching for -- internal kung fu.

For 4 years, Ken studied the basics of Hsing-I, Tai Chi,  Bagua, chi kung and acupuncture from Sifu Pete Starr through his Yi-Li Chuan system.   But the aspect of the internal arts he enjoyed most was Sifu Starr's use of philosophy.  Ken studied methods to help students develop inner peace, ride the waves of life and connect with the people and the world around them.  The philosophy, derived from Taoism and Zen, and crystallized by Sifu Starr, was a perfect fit for Ken, and it became the cornerstone of his spiritual life.  Ken is currently developing the philosophy further through American Tao, outlining in plain English a philosophy for daily life in the modern United States. 

Ken has always enjoyed competing, winning his first tournament trophy in 1974.  In 1990, Ken won two gold medals at the AAU Kung Fu National Championships (in Tai Chi Forms and Weapons forms).  He also won two silver (one of the silver medals was for Fighting) and two bronze medals at the Kung Fu Nationals, the most of any competitor that year.    Ken continues competing, considering it a good way to meet new friends in the martial arts and enjoy watching other styles. He also competes to demonstrate Tai Chi in public, in front of other martial artists and spectators, and show them that Tai Chi is a martial art, not a New-Age mystical health exercise.

Ken took a few years off during three more job changes in the early '90s, but while working at the TV station in Ames, Iowa became an honorary member of the Iowa State University boxing team during 1992 and 1993, working out with the team and learning boxing skills from coach Terry Dowd.

In 1995, after moving to Bettendorf, Iowa (the "Quad Cities" of Bettendorf, Davenport, Moline, Illinois and Rock Island, Illinois), Ken struck up a friendship with John Morrow, and began studying kung fu again, working toward his black belt in the system he studied under Sifu Starr.  He earned a black belt, and set out to earn the respect of his peers in tournaments across the Midwest.  Ken became known as a good sportsman and a tough competitor, winning many first place trophies in forms, weapons, and sparring.

In October of '97, Ken began teaching at a fitness center in Muscatine, Iowa.  In 1999, he moved his "school" to Bettendorf, Iowa.

In 1997, Ken began wanting to go deeper into the internal arts and began studying Chen Tai Chi. He met Jim and Angela Criscimagna (now disciples of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang) and began studying with them. Through them, he met members of the Chen family. Since that time, he has learned from Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing, Master Chen Bing, Master Ren Guangyi, and other students and disciples.  The photo at right shows Ken in a private lesson in 2001 with Chen Xiaowang.

Ken takes a relaxed and fun approach to workouts in his training hall and enjoys collecting martial arts memorabilia, including Bruce Lee items and memorabilia from the old "Kung Fu" TV show (photo at left shows Ken with Chuck Norris in 1992).   

He lives in Tampa with his wife Nancy, who joined his tai chi class after they met in 2002.  Ken's daughter Harmony lives in Cincinnati with her husband Matt, and has trained with some of Bruce Lee's former students.  His daughter Belinda also lives in Cincinnati. Ken and Nancy are pictured at left with their grandchildren, Raeanna (left) and Melina (right) at Thanksgiving, 2004.

Ken's goal since 1973 was to have his own school and his own building. In the fall of 2005, Nancy found a building in downtown Bettendorf that used to be a union hall. She took Ken to see the building and they bought it. Classes were moved to the new building on November 1, 2005.

Ken and Nancy shut down the school in May, 2007, when Ken landed his new job as director of media relations for the University of South Florida. For now, he's teaching through his website, blog, and new DVDs, and he's studying to continue improving his skills.

"There is so much I need to learn, and so much to practice," he says. "I plan on making more instructional DVDs and books. The DVDs on the market now are pretty bad, particularly the internal videos. They don't really teach very much."

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