Episode 960- Sensei Andre Tippett
In today's episode Jeremy sits down in person and chats with Sensei Andre Tippett, Uechi Ryu practitioner and NFL Hall of Famer, while at Uechi-Con 2024.Sensei Andre Tippett - Episode 960
SUMMARY
In this episode of Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, host Jeremy interviews NFL legend Andre Tippett, who shares his unique journey from martial arts to professional football and back. Tippett discusses his early experiences in martial arts, the transition to competitive karate, and how martial arts techniques influenced his football career. He emphasizes the importance of intensity in both sports, the significance of self-care, and his passion for teaching martial arts to the next generation. The conversation highlights the deep connection between martial arts and athletics, showcasing Tippett's dedication to both disciplines.
TAKEAWAYS
• Started martial arts in the 70s for self-defense.
• First training was in Bondo, a Burmese martial art.
• Transitioned to karate and began competing.
• Martial arts provided confidence and self-defense skills.
• Football career began after being encouraged by friends.
• Martial arts techniques helped in football, especially hand movements.
• Intensity in training is crucial for success.
• Self-care practices learned from both martial arts and football.
• Teaching martial arts is a passion and a way to give back.
• The importance of finding the right dojo and instructor.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Andre Tippett
02:21 Early Martial Arts Journey
06:32 Transition to Competitive Martial Arts
10:43 Martial Arts and Football Connection
19:18 Martial Arts Techniques in Football
25:06 The Importance of Intensity
30:27 Taking Care of Oneself
35:05 The Influence of Football on Martial Arts
41:21 Passion for Teaching Martial Arts
49:15 Final Thoughts and Takeaways
Show Notes
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Show Transcript
Jeremy (00:01.964)
What's going on everybody? Welcome. It's another episode of Whistlekick martial arts radio and I'm joined today by my guest Andre Tippett and if you're listening rather than watching yes that Andre Tippett so this is gonna be fun. I've been looking forward to this one for a little while. Today's episode is brought to you by Kotaro. Shout out and thank you to Kotaro. There are a couple things that they wanted to make sure everybody knew. Andrew when does this episode drop?
It's next month, right? It's in October? Yes. Yeah. So if you're watching or listening to this episode when it airs, know that for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they are doing pink belts and they're giving half of the profits on that to, I want to make sure I get it right, to Breast Cancer Research. And most of our audience knows Kataro makes absolutely amazing belts and they sent over this belt bag I've been carrying around my belt and it's gotten a little dingy, but it's held up well. This is
belt they made for us that that's kind of cool. Sometimes people ask me, well what would you want? And I come up with things that people don't make yet. And so this was it's it's I don't know has this been on the show before? have? so it's come on camera. Black and white but the black wears down to white and the white wears down to black. So this is this is the the whistle kick belt.
They do keychains and they sent us a bunch of other stuff. We're doing some other episodes. We'll show some of those things later. And they also wanted, they want to do something for you so Andrew's gonna connect you with them because they like what we do, we like what they do. So yeah, so don't forget audience WK10, 10 % off your first order at Katara. K -A -T -A -E -R -O.
And now to you. I mentioned not even really jokingly as we were walking in that as someone who grew up in New England, I bet I can get a bunch of my non martial arts friends to check out this episode because of who you are and what you've done. appreciate that. I think we can. I think we can. Well, we want to start with the martial arts side, right? Because that's the foundation of our conversation today.
Jeremy (02:21.186)
When and why? You know, it's just like most stories that you hear about people who've been in the martial arts for a long time. Started in the 70s. Obviously, seeing movies like Billy Jack and Five Fingers of Death and, you know, the martial arts and seeing Kato and the Green Hornet. And then for me, growing up in Newark, New Jersey, learning how to defend myself.
and it started from learning how to defend myself and then seeing these movies, understanding that's a way that I can learn how to protect myself. And so like most stories.
inner cities, not a lot of dojos around. And you you got to look to the rec centers, the YMCA, the boys and girls clubs. And I was fortunate enough that one, I was at a house of a friend with my mother. And I looked on a stand in the living room and I see karate trophies there. And I'm like, whose karate trophies are there?
my mother's friend said, my husband, he trains in karate. said, get out. And all of sudden, I think I was like 10 or 11. And I up like a... Let me guess, that trophy was that classic pose. The arm and the side kick at the same time. Seen it everywhere. Which I don't think any of us do. Absolutely. And from there, I was waiting for her husband to come home. The minute he walked through the door, I jumped on him. Yeah. And I was
Where do you train? I want to train. you introduce me? you... And it turned out that he was studying Bondo, which is a Burmese form of martial arts. And so my first taste of martial arts was Bondo. I did Bondo for about two or three years. And then all the instructors, it's funny, all the instructors ended up leaving and they were part of the Black Panther.
Jeremy (04:37.302)
So their reason for leaving was very suspicious. So I had to get out of town. But I tell you, the times that they were there and they were teaching at the community center, the instructions were awesome. The conditionings were hard and fair, but we got a great workout. We trained twice a week. Were you in with adults? I was in with adults. was probably wasn't a kid program. No, it wasn't.
We were probably, we were accepted because someone vouched for us and you know, he said we wouldn't be running around and acting like knuckleheads. And then from there, I ended up finding another karate program that was at the YMCA and started training there. It was a eclectic system that taught mixed up Judo, Jiu Jitsu and
little bit of Shotokan and I did that from 14 until I graduated to go to the University of Iowa and tested for Shotokan and Neadon before I left for school and it was on from there and I did it going in looking to learn how to defend myself and it became bigger than that. I started
competing at tournaments and then I didn't have that problem anymore worrying about how to defend myself because no one bothered me anymore and I think we got all these guys out there training now, he knows my shots from me going I'll leave him alone and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. What did your parents do? My mother wasn't keen on it at first because people
They hear karate, they hear martial arts. Especially in the 70s. Yeah, you're going to be breaking up furniture, you're going to be beating up on your brother and sisters, and you're going to run around starting fights. I'm like, it's not any of that took place. None of that stuff was part of my makeup. I was looking for something, and it found me. it was amazing. I went.
Jeremy (06:59.802)
I was lucky enough to get a scholarship at the University of Iowa. I got to Iowa and the coach that recruited me knew I had a martial arts background. he introduced me to the University of Iowa had a karate club there. was a Sean Rue style.
Jeremy (07:19.438)
made the introduction and these guys let me train with them during the off season. Hayden Fry wouldn't let me train during the season because of football. But during the off seasons, I was able to go and work out with these guys and that must have been 50, 60 black belts. What did he queue rank in the class and to get thrown in with these guys and trying to learn a little bit about Sean Rue and, but it was amazing because.
My background was a little Bondo and then after that was more of an eclectic style put together. more diversity in you at that point than most people absolutely. But I didn't have, there was no, as you could say, no foundation of a heritage. Where did it come from? Who invented the, you know, so I was getting those questions when I got to the University of Iowa and I kind of like never heard these questions.
and I didn't know how to answer them. But it was eye opening for me because I read my, I used to always collect Karate Illustrated, Black Belt magazines. I was at the newsstand like once a month. I got some, I got some. I see people post them, have stacks. And you know, it's so funny, I see that, advertisements all the time and I reach out to people and every now and then I'll grab like a couple that, you know, I was in or whatever, but it.
It's amazing that it went from 50 cent to $1 .75 to almost two bucks. But I was at the newsstands every month looking for official karate, black belt, karate illustrated, anything that had martial arts on it. And I read that thing and tell it was ragged. But when I got to the University of Iowa, one of the black belts was kind of my mentor.
for the time that I was training at the dojo with these guys. And he let me borrow this book, The Essence of Okinawan Karate. And when I saw it, my eyes popped open. you know, he said, take this. it was Nagamini Sensei, who was the big poohpah in Okinawa that led the Sean Rue group. And I'm reading it and it's amazing. And you're hearing about all of this stuff.
Jeremy (09:45.934)
and the legacies and the heritage and you see the family tree of black belts and folks and then you're seeing everything that brings a karate system together. And I kept that book for a year, the guy finally begged me. I was about 17, 18 when I first got it. I left there when I was 21.
It was eye -opening. The reason I ask about your age, just to confirm, is that I went to college and I saw how open everybody's minds were. And I have to imagine that book making such an impact on you in a philosophical way. Absolutely. Probably primed you for some of the things that were coming. Absolutely. Absolutely. Because by the time I left Iowa, got drafted by the Patriots.
So 1982, I'm in Massachusetts. A lot of people forget we had a strike year. So we only played eight games that year. So during the strike, the weeks that we were out and not allowed to do anything, I'm looking for karate schools. So I'm in my car literally driving into Boston, driving into Cambridge, and I'm trying to, I'm in the Yellow Pages. People don't know what Yellow Pages are anymore.
I'm in the Yellow Pages looking at karate schools. I visit the JKA school. I visit the big judo school that was in Cambridge. That was an Akito school. And I went and I watched classes. And it was just trying to find a fit for what I wanted to do. I was thinking about the travel from, was at the time I was living in Stoke -on -Mass, which is a couple of towns over from Fox, Brussels. I said, well, I don't want to be worried about driving in Cambridge, Boston to go to
to a train, want something closer. So I'm doing my banking in town where I live. There's a bank. And I was going in this bank making deposits. the one day that I go into the bank, I just happen to look to my right. And I see this sign that says, Okinawa Karate Club.
Jeremy (12:06.798)
I can't run into the bank fast enough to do my transactions so I can run back over across the street. go over. It's still early. It's like 4, 430. I tap on the window. I see somebody. He comes out and I introduce myself. I'm Andre Tippett with The Patriots. I just got drafted here. I'm looking, you know, I got a martial arts background, but I'm looking to train, pick up another system.
and he introduces himself and he brings me in. I'm looking around, it's a small dojo. Dojo is probably as big as this room here.
Jeremy (12:47.886)
We've been together for 43 years since that. he's been my sensei, Steve Bancheck, who was the owner of the open arm karate club and accepted me into the dojo open hands and open arms. from there, we we've traveled to Okinawa together. We have, you know, trained together. Still my teacher. And it's it's been an amazing, amazing, amazing journey. But because of that,
essence of Okinawa and karate. knew what to look for and I knew what I wanted. Yeah. And so I I put everybody at a higher standard when I walked into the dojo when I was asking the questions, because a lot of people go into dojo sometimes and they don't know what they're looking for. They see the first thing that, you know, that catches their eye and they like it. If they see a ton of kids running around in there, if you got young ones that you're trying to sign up, you sign them up.
this is babysitting services. So if that's what you want, good for you. you I want, you know, something different. But it was, it's been pretty cool. Now I want to rewind a ways. Cause at some point you started playing football. playing football before karate? I was doing karate before football. Okay. All So that's what I would have guessed. Why football?
I got grabbed one day. was, you know, we'd play touch on the street when we were younger. And then, you know, I was doing, I was tied up karate from...
Jeremy (14:33.154)
six, seven, eight, and up through high school. I wasn't really sport or team oriented at that time. I wasn't doing anything because the martial arts kept enough of my attention. But when I got to high school freshman year, some buddies, I'm walking through the hallway. They all grabbed me. We all got our school clothes on. Yeah, I was big for myself. Always been big for my size. Grabbed me and said, hey, they got the...
JV tryouts and let's go. We all going out. I never played football for my life. I didn't know what I was doing. We went, we had a week long series of practices and they were gonna put the list up names who made it and lo and behold, through that week, all of sudden I'm realizing this is something that I can get into. This is something that I'd like.
But I was green, I didn't know anything about it. But I knew I liked it, it caught my attention a little bit like the martial arts. And at the end of the week, the list was put up, my name wasn't on it. So for me, that was the first time being rejected, being told I wasn't good enough, being told that this is something that you really can't But you were rejected from something that really wasn't important to you to start. did that matter?
It mattered. Because I was told I couldn't do it. can't. I was like, this is cool. said, you I got out there, you you're getting coached up and all of a you're applying what you're what you're what you've been taught. then, you know, this is good. think I can do this. I'm looking forward to playing the season. And then all of sudden, my name is not on the list. Now I got attitude. I got a chip on my shoulder. And now I'm like, all right.
So in high school, so from there, I don't make football teams. So I joined the wrestling team, the track team, and I'm competing. I'm hooked on athletics now. Good at wrestling. I've become good at wrestling. Track, natural thing to run hurdles, learn how to jump hurdles, sprint, throw shot put.
Jeremy (16:57.73)
Discus javelin high jump all that stuff and then my sophomore year
I'm gonna make you regret. You cut me. Same coach. He hates when I bring the story up and if he sees it somewhere out on the net, he calls me and says, still telling people that story? I said, well, it's true coach. said, you did, you screwed up. I said, but I still love you. But, but did he? Would you have been that fired up if you hadn't, if you had made it freshman? You know, it, you, you.
I think it would have given me that extra incentive to get better because then going into my sophomore year instead of going out for JV I would have went out for varsity. So I would gotten the three years of playing varsity versus the two years of playing varsity in year of JV. So I look at that stuff and it was like, you know, what's important?
seem to get more respect if you're on a varsity team. That I figured out right away and everything worked out. One of the things that you've seen it as much as any of us have, when someone who has a lot of passion
has to overcome that early adversity, right? I mean, the cliche in pro sports is Michael Jordan not making his freshman team. And we look at that and you can speculate just as, we're speculating, we don't know, we don't know what would have happened. It's not like you didn't have an amazing career. What would have changed? Maybe nothing would have changed, who knows? But I find it fascinating when people who succeed,
Jeremy (18:50.208)
look back at early non -success and what it might do for them. The other part I want us to start talking about and I watched some football. a casual fan. Never played anything more than some organized flag when I was a kid. But when I look at someone who ended up in your position on the field, there are a few things that I look at that make sense. You you've gotta be fast.
But there are a couple things that I look at that maybe came out of martial arts. Reading the offense and hands. Absolutely. Can you speak to that? I'm sure this is the first time you've thought about that. I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask this question. How did martial arts impact your high school, college, pro career? I was able to really, really utilize a lot of
martial arts and football early on to not just at the pro level but at the high school level and at the college level. Bob Ward, who was a strength and conditioning coach for the Dallas Cowboys during the 70s and part of the 80s, he was featured in one of the martial art magazines, I think Official Karate Illustrated something. I remember seeing it and I'm like, wow, he got Dan Insenato.
Bruce Lee has been in the practice and working with those guys. These guys are hand stuff. I'm like, okay. So I'm looking at it. I'm trying to figure out, you well, what are they doing? And you saw a few things, but you really couldn't tell much from the pictures. But I said, you know what? I got a martial arts background. I said, you know, let me start seeing how I can. And so for me, as a defensive player, I looked at it as hand -to -hand combat because you got people that are trying to knock me off.
ball, they're trying to hook me, they're trying to cut me. And so I'm going to look at this as a fight. And so a number of the things were just as they go to block or punch or gather. I'm using slap, grab, hook, pull, unbalance. I'm using my speed on top of hand movement.
Jeremy (21:18.078)
And not just hand moving, but being very violent with the hand moving. So I've worked with our young guys through the years, the Patriots, and I've shared a few drills with those guys. And I've spent all seasons and all seasons working with a lot of our guys and just to share that piece. And the number one thing that I'd always share with those guys are when you're using your hands, you have to be very, very violent.
Because you want that offensive lineman or if that back is stepping up to punch block you or try to grab some cloth that you're going to be doing everything you can to violently knock those hands down. I guarantee they're not going to be so fast to put those hands back. So throughout high school, college, pros, I was able to use fast hands, blocking, slapping, grab, get off.
was come pass rushing time, it was really, I really had an advantage a lot of times in my pass rush. One, getting off the ball, two, unbalancing people using leverage, which in martial arts we know a lot about learning leverage and things like that. so those things, all those things were very, very, very helpful.
development as a football player. And people took note of that. And I wanted to say that because it became, I mean, maybe not so much through the 80s, but in the early 90s, as you know, I started getting older and noticing things and notice what people were saying about pro sports. It became fairly popular specifically for defensive line players to go do some martial arts. Absolutely. You did that. Absolutely.
Like the thing of myself as a pioneer, but I know guys like Larry Garan who played early, early Patriots, 60 Patriots. He had a background in Haku Jutsu and I trained with Larry for a long time when I first got here and knowing that he was a former Patriot plus martial artist. He was always good to bounce things off of, but a lot of teams now.
Jeremy (23:43.32)
hire martial arts. We have a guy that's a, you know, martial arts background. He had a connection with Belichick. That's why he got hired. But, you know, he works those guys and I laugh because everything that I was doing, everything that I was showing those guys the same things that they're working on now, that they're working, guys. So I know.
You know, it's valuable. And I just put a whisper, a little whisper in there in the ear that don't forget to be violent with your hands. Don't get caught up with, you know, all of this hand technique, emotions and trying to do certain things without being violent with your hands. I said, that's the key to it. That's that piece that, you know, when they they reach out for you and you and you hit them on the forearm and hit them certain areas of they're to pull back and then that's your opening to free up. And
But yes, a lot of teams have invested in having that and having a lot of things for their players during the off season and during end season also. but yes, martial arts work. You know, you've got my wheels turning this idea of, you know, when it's time to go, you go. If you're going to do it, do it with violence. there are two things that I'm thinking of. know, things that I've
been taught things that I teach my students. Try not to, but if you have to, don't hold back. Zero to 100 on that. And then the other thing, and I don't think I've thought about this in years, I never played organized basketball, but playing with friends around town, the number one thing I could do was steal the ball because I was just trying to punch the ball. And I would take that ball out of their hands, and I've been this height since I was 12. I was never a big kid on the court.
but I was an annoyance. And I was able to do it because I wasn't just trying to tap that ball. I was coming in with intent.
Jeremy (25:49.192)
And that's violent and bad intentions.
Jeremy (25:57.122)
The game of football is that way. It hasn't changed. The way you play it now has changed a little bit. But still, you still have guys playing at a high level, high intensity, a sense of urgency. And it's like you go from snap to whistle, and you're flying, and you run around like you're here on fire.
that if you can maintain that every game for a long period of time, good things are going to happen to you as a player. If you take care of yourself and do the proper training to prepare every year and it'll take you places because not everybody is committed to making that kind of
Jeremy (26:50.21)
to play that way at a high level because it's demanding. tell students, my karate students, know, San Chen is the first content that they learn. And I said, you know, San Chen is more than San Chen thrusting and waayuki blocks and San Chen stepping. I said, there's other development that takes place. You gotta learn how to grip the floor and compress your body.
And then you got to learn how to have single focus when you're moving and not get distracted. And you can't let, you know, little contact to the to your stomach area or getting yanked, you know, on your arms or getting hit in the lats and you lose your focus. I said it's constant, constant, constant training. then football is the same thing. It's getting that opportunity to work pass rush.
once or twice a week. if your position, getting to work on technique, hand placement, get off, be committed to that conditioning, understanding that you gotta always run to the ball. Don't just take off a play and say, I'll get the next play because that may not be another play. I see that all the time in the modern game. It drives me crazy as a fan. it's mental.
Mental, mental, when you say martial arts, mind, spirit. You can't have one without the other. It's the same thing in other sports. You gotta have mind, spirit. I don't know how it's changed over the years, but I've read that the average NFL career is something like two, three years. It's fairly short. Even if it's, you know, four years, you were close to triple that, right? Eleven? Twelve. Twelve season. Okay, so three times as long.
was, and you brought up taking care of yourself. How much of your understanding of how to take care of yourself came out of your martial arts upbringing and how much came out of the football side of things? I think it was a mixture of both. Obviously, the training aspect of it was I didn't get a chance to train a whole lot during the season, but as soon as the season was over, I went right into training.
Jeremy (29:11.882)
So I was staying active. I was being physical. I was working technique, even though I didn't realize I was working technique until I got a little older. But we have smart enough people that now are doctors in nutrition. And the things that you're learning about nutrition is unbelievable.
I used to laugh at guys about going to chiropractor and getting massages, but all that stuff is helpful to your recovery and hot baths and cold baths and all of that stuff wasn't around then, but now, you know, later on toward the end of my career, it started coming to fruition. But now I see our guys at Patriots, I see
all that they have there. And it's like a health facility over there on top of having a locker room. But it's all good for your longevity if you take care of yourself.
Jeremy (30:27.874)
Let's flip it.
What did you take from football into your martial arts?
that.
Jeremy (30:39.266)
go into your break glass mentality. Especially when I competed. So I was on a lot of, I competed in Kumite, did kata and kobudo, but I really enjoyed the Kumite competition part of it. I did the That doesn't surprise. I did the kata and kobudo because I always wanted to be well rounded. So after I retired from competing, I became a referee. So I was like, you know,
Stay involved. Don't just take, take, take, but give something back. So I had an opportunity through, you know, I competed on the open circuit for a long time. And then from there, I went to the AAU and a lot of the international, national karate associations that are around and competed. And it was a lot of fun. Were you treated differently? No, because, you know, it's funny, people didn't really know.
who I was until afterwards or someone would probably say something going into the finals and.
Jeremy (31:50.183)
and they're like, no way. it's like, yeah, way. So no, not really. You know, I, I, you know, if I didn't like the point not being screwed, I, I, I bitched about it, but I respected the call. But I like, I don't know what you saw, but, the thing about it, I videoed, I had someone with me that videotaped a lot of my, my fights throughout the year. So I would see it.
And you're like, referee missed that call, but what are you gonna do? It's over with. Were you watching tape of your fights in the way you might watch? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. I'd study, because we pretty much would see each other somewhere along the line. And so, you you're trying to pick up on things about people. the, that pin your ears back, go hard.
Hustle, know, that football mentality carried into the martial arts, the competition side of it. And it was very helpful.
Jeremy (33:06.242)
I don't know a lot of people who have put down martial arts and picked it back up. Not to suggest that during that martial arts offseason, your football on season, you weren't a martial artist. mean, we've got plenty of episodes where I've gone to the mat on that and said, you if you're gonna train in the future, you're a martial artist. Still in my eyes. But that setting it down, picking it up, setting it down, picking it up.
Jeremy (33:35.598)
How did that change your relationship to it? Were you able to come back to it maybe with more passion? Because you had a little distance or? I guess I don't know what I don't know. Well, at the pro level, once I got to professional,
I got even more passionate about it. So although I wasn't in the dojo during the season, at home, in my hotel room, I might run through kata. So I was always on top of my kata, always, you know, because I loved kata. And I just pushed myself harder during the off season when I went back. You know, to this day, my sensei still tells me, slow down, take it
Why are you going so hard? He said, he's almost 65 years old. He said, you don't have nothing to prove, but I have that mentality that I gotta prove myself.
I always say this and I've said this throughout the years at Dojo Promotions, Don Promotions. We promote twice a year, winter and spring. You give some follow -up statements for Rank as presenter and I would always say to everybody.
my turn to speak. Nothing else. You got to make sure you always look the part. rank you are, you better look like that rank. If you're a shodan, you better look like a shodan. If you're a sandan, you better look like a sandan. Fifth dan, on and up. And even when you start getting up in high ranks, seventh, eighth, you tend to...
Jeremy (35:32.888)
You want to look people see you see the rain. You better represent. I believe that's my floor. I believe in representing the right that I have. And I don't ever want to be on the floor. I look like I used to. So that that work ethic that pushing yourself a little bit harder, going a little faster, moving a little quicker, being brisk about what you do.
Again, that's a personal pride. That's a level of reference. There's expectation. You know, just you want to look like you know what you're doing.
We've had a lot of guests on the show where they come on for promo for something that they've got going on. Sometimes we have to kind hunt for their relationship to martial arts. And it's very clear that they're a this or a that, an actor who does some martial arts.
And I'll be very honest, I had expected to sit down with someone who was a football player who found a passion in martial arts. But what I'm hearing, correct me I'm wrong, is a martial artist who had a job in football. Yeah, absolutely. That's not what I expected. Absolutely. I've been a martial artist long enough to be a football player. But the way you're talking about doing kata in the off season in your hotel room, that's different. That's someone who...
Right? I can understand it. Andrew, you understand what that means. And I bet a lot of the audience understands that because when it's so deeply ingrained in who you are, you can't shut it off. Even even if, as you said, you weren't going to the dojo during that time. you're just you get a couple of minutes in your and your right. You're doing you're kicking something. It's in there. I for a long time, people thought I got.
Jeremy (37:32.044)
Black Belt once I got into the pros. Like I'm some kind of honorary Black Belt, I'm a goddamn honorary Black Belt. And me, I don't know if you guys know Sensei Chuck Merriman. He was like dad Had the pleasure of interviewing him. He and I, I spent more time.
going up to his place throughout the years, just talking, training, even though he was Goju, his son and a couple of his other students that I were, we created a three -man kumite team for the AAU. So my interactions, and then whenever they would have their association, he was all part of the IOGKF, he'd go on since they headed up, and then he moved to Miyazata's Goju group.
But whenever they would have a goshoku or Connecticut I always got invited so I was able to kind of just observe see folks and You know kind of X the expectation. How do you carry yourself? know it's like you know treat people with kindness You know the world is harsh place be as kind as you can, but when it's time to defend or
someone be as hard as the world may let you. And it's just being around so many people throughout the years, it was cool. every now and then, know, people, I just...
just I'm not black, nobody gave me this. And that's the other piece of, know, I didn't want anybody thinking that, he's not really a black belt. Somebody gave, he's an honorary black belt. now there have been players in league that go around and they don't know. you know, my mind is a trap. And, I've watched guys jump from first degree black belt to fifth degree black belt to seventh degree black belt. like, okay, wait a
Jeremy (39:38.058)
And I won't use their names but I've had guys that since the Americans talked to me say hey if you can get a couple of guys we can set up some some some coumete matches because these guys were at the time I'm a black belt I trained in martial arts so I went to these prominent football players hey I got a friend of mine that's karate instructor
motor. He's heavily involved. If he says he's going to set something up, he'll say, you guys interesting. They'll give us an appearance fee. And we can come in and be part of the martial arts show that's going to be in Chicago or New York or California. I went to these guys and I'm like, I'm excited. I'm all in. And these guys looked at me mad. And you would have thought that the hair was on fire. were trying to get out of the They were like,
My teacher doesn't want me to go out fighting. I'm like your teacher doesn't want who kind of school you had your teacher tell you don't want you going out competing or guys Can't afford to get hurt in the office. I'm like I said, I don't think about that. I said, why would you think about that? but
So I've seen guys that, not imposters, but all of a when it's put to you, you turn the challenge down. I looked at them differently after that. Maybe they used their status to progress a little differently. Absolutely. And my big thing has always been people to understand that...
I've been in this game for a long time. I have the love I have for martial arts goes a long, long way. And it's something that I care about. I started a karate club at Curry College. It's in Milton, Mass, probably 20 minutes from my house, 25 minutes from my house. I volunteer my time twice a week. I started 2021, got about...
Jeremy (41:49.75)
15th, I got a lot of kids that started as freshmen. So they're gonna now juniors going into the scene and And I tell I said I don't get paid to do this I said I take two days away from my family Come over here teach you guys and all I ask you guys Show up be here. Don't just sign up because you running around you want to sign up for a bunch of clubs at the college I said
This is my passion. This is what I love. So I want to, I want to give you an opportunity to do something that years from now, you're going to look back and you're going to be like, trained in authentic weight training. Holy cow. Because I get it to them all. I don't save anything. I don't hold back anything. We talk about the history of Okinawa. We talk about the history of the system. We talk about
Jeremy (42:49.933)
We talk about how it used to be one big association, how now they're
15 different weight chiroassociation in Okinawa. And the fact that I've trained in Okinawa six, seven times. I've traveled, the longest I've been there has been a month. And they're like, you stayed a month? I stayed a month. And it was unbelievable training. And the thing that you learn from those guys are they are the nicest people in the world. They're very humble. And the training.
Okinawan karate versus Japanese karate or Korean karate. It's so different, so much different. And it's amazing. It's amazing place to visit. I tell all the students and I used to tell other students back in the day is once you make that first trip to Okinawa to go train at the headquarters or
visit a few dojos that are associated with the headquarters. It's gonna change your training forever. It's gonna train how you view your art, how you train for your art, how you prepare for your art. It's gonna make your karate so much better than it did for me because I've got old were you when you went to - The first time I was, first time was like 80, 88. So you were still pretty young. 88, 89, somewhere around there.
Great, great, great trip, great trip and great training. Humble. Again, you get enough opportunity to observe high ranking people, people that are strong, been around a long time, could probably hurt you if they had to defend themselves. And the most humble people, they laugh, they talk, they want to know about you.
Jeremy (44:47.096)
You know, again, for me, I'm learning. I want to be like that. When I...
as I progress and get older. And also the other piece to that is observing how in your 30s, in your 40s to 50s, in your 60s, in your 70s, and how you start to get humble a little bit. I'm at that stage now. I have...
body parts that are starting to hurt me. And that's only because, you know, the business that I was in. I'm surprised as a Weichi guy, you can feel them. Well, you know, for those of you who don't know, body conditioning is very core in Weichi. But, know, there are parts of my body that it's just like, it's just a natural progression. It's just like, hey, you did this, this, for a long time, that weird tear is starting to wear off. And it's like,
So
Jeremy (45:53.314)
So I understand my body is limited, has been limited for say a couple of years. I got to get a hip replacement. I would have never thought I was going to get a hip replacement. I would think about doing a hip replacement, but now it's because I'm bone on bone. And again, it's arthritis, but it's, I was doing what I love. Does this realization that, you know, your body.
maybe doesn't do exactly what you want it to do. Does that change what you train, how you train, why you train? Absolutely. What does that change? I talk about it all the time. You know, it's my kicks right now, unlimited, because my hip, both hips.
Jeremy (46:42.498)
never thought something like that. now it's, in my mind, I prepared differently. I still have hands, I still have fast hands. said, know, technique is gonna, if I ever have to defend myself, it's gonna have to be more hands and lower kicks. still, you know, every now and then if I need to get it up, I save one for that one time that I really have to defend myself. But I understand that I gotta know.
Jeremy (47:15.79)
I defend myself if I ever have to. We all know the vital areas that we, and I tell, just like I tell my students, I say, look, I'm teaching you to, some day, if you're forced and you have to defend yourself, that whole situation shouldn't take no longer than three to five seconds because you're gonna get the hell out of here. You're not gonna be standing around doing a 20 minute Donnie book with anybody.
all you're doing is trying to distract that person and get the hell out of town. I said, I'm trying to distract the person and get the hell out of town. I said, I don't want to be wrestling around with anybody. If I'm going to my car and someone comes up and is trying to rob me or someone jumps on an elevator and try to push me, I said, you never know what the situations are. But my situational awareness though has become much wider and broader.
to things that
Jeremy (48:21.966)
We were to sit down and, you know, 10 years.
chat. Ask you, hey, what's happened since? What would you hope you were telling me?
Man, I'm still going strong. I'm teaching. I've since retired from the Patriots again. my grandchildren are now I'm teaching my grandchildren and I've taken another trip to Okinawa to go train with the the Masters and hang out.
Jeremy (49:07.168)
still have the same love for the March Roars.
Jeremy (49:15.64)
What do you want the audience to take away from our chat today? One that, wow, Andre Tippett really does know martial arts. He is a karate guy. And he's also very passionate about it. And I should think about training. And in my thinking about training, I should make sure that
I'm training with the right people, right situation for myself.
Jeremy (49:55.63)
I would say people that are on the floor teaching you and they're on the floor every day instead of standing around yelling and shouting orders to you. Someone that is committed to their system regardless of what they're teaching and they're 100 % committed to what they're doing and they believe in what they're doing. And if...
That particular system of martial arts grabs your attention and you look at everybody in the room and you see everybody in the room can pretty much handle themselves or they look like they've been trained well.
then that's the right place for you. There's a few other things, but that one thing though is the sensei, is he respected? you know, to Versus maybe feared? Being feared, absolutely, absolutely. But yeah, and I always tell people, go visit two or three schools. Ask a lot of questions.
Because you want to train. You don't want to go there and have anything else take place. You're there to learn, get exercise, get healthy, get your confidence back. If you've ever been accosted by anybody out in the street, you're trying to learn how to protect yourself.
You know, so it's all about, it should always be about the training and the betterment of the dojo.
Jeremy (51:49.122)
I think we're just going to cut it there. That seemed like the spot. Did I not ask him anything I should have asked him? No, that was great. Most of what we do, I mean, we've worked hard to make the transition into in -person. I live in Vermont. You're only going to interview people in person. There's probably so many people in Vermont. It makes it tougher. I've been in Vermont, so I know what you're saying. It's so much more fun to get to sit down and...
and not have.
This was good. Well, you got a lot of guys, like you got a lot of people lined up, so. Yeah, we're doing some fun stuff. know, this is we've been at it for 10 years. We're coming up on episode 1000. And I started the show. Completely solo. Because I wanted to capture people's stories, because there were people in my lineage that I heard them tell great stories, and I would try to get them to repeat the story to somebody else and really, you know, and then they died.
Yeah, yeah. Come on. So now I think we're up to six or seven who have been on the show. Yeah. Right. Merriman, sensei, as an example, you know, probably a few other people that you know. Absolutely. I we we're losing we're losing people in our association and over and over and Everybody, know, 90, 91, 92 saying, you you're hearing about this person pass away.
And thank God I had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with them. So I still hold on to the teachings that took place. I was fortunate to capture some video footage that I use. I go back from time to time I like to look at. And then just how I was treated. Again, you go back how I was treated.
Jeremy (53:44.024)
You know, it's why I'm here. know, great respect for Sensei Durkens. I said he and I have never been on the dojo floor together, but he's a pioneer in Weichiro. Sensei Madsen. He and I spent I've probably spent more time with Sensei Madsen than I have Sensei Durkens. And he's a godfather of American Weichiro.
you know, trying to talk to you. said, that's fucking cool. People are like, yeah, I never thought about it. said, yeah, I said to be the first person, I said, you're like, and I'm always, my mind is always like.
Jeremy (54:30.958)
thing I could to maintain that group around the country because you know it was him. He was a soul. Everybody reported to him. They had a few groups out there that were allowed to do the thing but when it was all time when it was grading in the winter time grading in the springtime you had to come here and then all of sudden
some stuff happened in open hour and then they started off as a and then everybody went out there. It's happened in every art and you know it never seems to come back. Yeah, not. Well, here's what does come back because there was a time like
You gotta ask permission. Can I come, can I go to Sensei Durkin's? I'm not asking permission from anybody to do anything. I'm asked to come be here, help out in the seminar. I'll be there if problem.
Jeremy (55:39.596)
That tells me that the people I'm around are insecure. I'm like, it's showing insecurities that I didn't know about. Whoa. So now I'm like my, you know, spider would.
Jeremy (55:54.904)
But I'm not up against that. Everybody, I'm like, I'm loyal to it.
to wear them.
Jeremy (56:06.37)
Thank you. you. I look forward to it. I look forward to seeing you.