Self Defense
The Martial Arts Industry
By Chris "Lt. X" Pizzo Thursday, October 11, 2007
The martial arts industry is highly competitive, and to stay ahead you need an image that you can market to the public. Misrepresentations and outrageous claims have done a lot of damage to the martial arts industry, though, and Count Dante is a primary example.
In 1964, there were only 13 martial arts schools in Chicago, and two of them were owned by local boy John Keehan. Keehan trained as a boxer; after graduating from high school he joined the Marine Corps Reserves and later the Army, where he learned hand-to-hand combat and jujitsu techniques. After completing his service he trained with Robert Trias, who had opened the first karate school in the United States. After earning his black belt Keehan began marketing martial arts to everyone, not just soldiers and police officers.
In order to attract students Keehan put on tournaments, and trained anyone who wanted to learn practical martial arts meant for street fights. His students became members of his Black Dragon Fighting Society, and trained in either karate or judo. In 1967, Keehan changed his name to Count Juan Raphael Dante and began promoting himself in comic book ads, declaring himself the “Deadliest Man Alive.” Keehan told friends that his parents fled Spain during the Spanish Civil War and changed the family name; in reality, though, his family was Irish. Keehan had always been a dedicated martial artist, but he soon began to believe he was the comic book hero.
Controversy would follow Keehan for the remainder of his martial arts career as he made more outrageous claims. He said he had become a martial arts master by killing other masters in “death matches,” and reportedly challenged Muhammad Ali to a bout, a challenge the boxer’s camp ignored. He had kept a lion as a pet, and claimed to be a hairdresser for Playboy magazine. Some sources even say he trained gang members, and had ties to organized crime. During Chicago’s “dojo wars,” Keehan was charged with attempted arson when he tried to blow up a competitor’s dojo. Later he and some of his students attacked Black Cobra Hall dojo, and during the bloody fight Keehan’s best friend would be killed. By the time of his in death in 1975 from a bleeding ulcer, the infamous Count Dante was a burned-out and broken man.
Keehan’s story is a tragic one not just because he died so young, but because he had the potential to be a good martial artist. The problem was he began believing his own hype, and what started out as an over the top marketing campaign turned into a destructive lifestyle. He was among the first to teach combat martial arts and practical self defense techniques in the United States outside of the armed forces, but he made things overly complicated. He claimed he created many moves when he only renamed traditional moves. A martial arts instructor doesn’t have to be serene and calm all the time, and there is nothing wrong with making money, but an instructor should never sacrifice integrity or misrepresent martial arts. In the end, Count Dante damaged the reputation of lethal martial arts training and turned the title of martial arts instructor into a joke, simply because he wanted to feed his ego.
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Originally Posted by RD'S Alias - 1A
