Griffin continues teaching, honing martial arts craft

The amazing thing about Ed Griffin – or “Coach,” as most know him – isn’t that he’s a 78-year-old that could easily drop guys half his age in the blink of an eye.

Griffin, who teaches combat judo at Gautreaux’s Martial Arts Center in Blue Springs, is a ninth degree black belt in jujitsu and judo. Impressive in it’s own right, but what is truly phenomenal about Griffin is that he keeps finding ways to add to his repertoire.

Griffin might be nicknamed “Coach” for the way he loves to teach his martial arts students, but more than anything, he’s a lifelong student.

“I’m a coach because I’m a teacher and I learn from my students,” Griffin said. “I still want to learn.”

And Griffin has. Constantly. Ever since he delved into martial arts in 1953. In recent years, Griffin has honed his focus a softer more efficient style of judo. Sure, Griffin could whoop about anyone, and once upon a time he relished that ability.

“I used to knock people down and walk all over them and abuse them,” Griffin said.

But as Griffin reached his 60s, he started to realize the benefits of a more reactive style. Instead of aggressive power moves, he started practicing a reactive style that utilizes true body movements.

The pros of this technique were obvious. For one, it would allow Griffin to keep practicing even as he continued to age. He also found the style more stimulating.

“I can still do (power mechanics), but I wasn’t getting intellectual satisfaction from it,” he said. “I needed to study more. I needed to develop something better.”

Griffin’s now an expert on body angles. Lift an arm toward him and he’ll pull off a swift, seamless move that leaves you on the ground in half a second.

“It’s doing what the body wants to do,” he said. “It’s letting people fall where they want to fall. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.”

Griffin explains that the body naturally will fall at a 22 1/2 degree angle. Finding ways to move opponents in a position where that’s possible is key to the approach.

Griffin swears he never thinks about what maneuver he’s about to execute as an opponent nears him. Everything he does is instinctive and dependent on muscle memory. Just as he’s taught so many students over the years, he’s also trained his body.

And he’s done it through hands-on experience. Every Tuesday morning, Griffin trains with Bob Parkay, of Independence, and Richard Cloe, of Wellington. Both are advanced students who have worked with Griffin for at least 12 years. Every week, Griffin takes the mat with them and inevitably ends up tossed to the mat a dozen or so times.  

“He’s one of the few masters that will crawl on the mat with two knotheads like us,” said Parkay, a second degree black belt.

That’s the mentality that’s made Griffin what he is. He says he can’t help a student by watching them. He needs to physically experience their moves and techniques to be able to pinpoint the improvements they can make.

That, in turn, helps him continue to progress.

“Every time I come out I learn more from my students than they learn from me” Griffin said.  

And that philosophy has not only allowed Griffin to pursue his passion for seven decades, but it also earned him recognition from one of martial arts’ greats. In 2009, legendary martial arts teacher Professor Ridgely Abele presented Griffin with the Meijin Award, which is an achievement award for excellence. Griffin said Abele only gave out about a dozen of the awards in his lifetime.

“That means more to me than anything,” Griffin said. “I look at it every day and think, ‘Thank you, Professor. And I miss you.’”

Like Abele, Griffin is an advocate for martial arts above all else. He acknowledges the years and years he’s devoted to reaching his level. But he also adds that there’s no reason for anyone to be too intimidated to try it out – regardless of their age.

“It’s really important to understand that people can practice to an advanced age,” he said. “It can be safe. It’s healthy. It’s good for you.”