01/01/2026
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HE'S BACK ! ! ! 9th degree black belt Grandmaster Sam Naples, student of the late Senior Grandmaster Chun Kae-Bae. As a martial artist I was a National Champion, Tournament Coordinator and taught many of our nations finest martial artists. Many of them has their own martial arts schools in the Mahoning Valley.
Before I discuss my new school venture, SALEM Self-Defense and FAMILY MARTIAL ARTS I'd like to take a moment to discuss my history.
I was injured, a minor injury in 1979 that turned into degenerative arthritis. It became more and more difficult for me to teach and impossible for me to train. Needless to say, it was very depressing. I always said, "THE WAY IS IN TRAINING", a quote from the famous BOOK OF FIVE RINGS. As I lost my ability to train, I lost my way.
Around the turn of the Millennium I sold my two schools to my great students Grandmaster Charles Murzda and Master James Bundy who are still in business: Murzda as Grandmaster Chun Taekwondo in Wooster, Ohio and BUNDY, as TEAM BUNDY in Howland, Ohio.
By 2013 I was almost unable to walk, I remember looking at my stride, a mere 4 inches each step and thinking, there are no smaller steps, the next thing is a wheel chair.
Right then I decided that I needed to get both hips replaced. I told Dr. Sandy Naples: "Lets do it as quickly as possible, both at the same time if possible. He referred me to Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Timothy Domer and on April 28, 2014, I had my left hip replaced. It was the better one.
From the first step at Ed Reese's Briarfield at Ashley Circle, I knew that I wanted to train and teach the martial arts again.
I attacked physical therapy. Joining a gym as soon as physical therapy ended.
The third week in September I leg pressed 220 pounds, leg curled and leg extended 90 pounds and dead lifted 120. The next week I had my right, the worse hip replaced. They had to add 7 centimeters of length to my right hip. That much bone had been lost.
As soon as I could I began training with my fellow Grandmaster Chun black belts at Grandmaster Rosemary Isabella's Austintown Taekwondo in the Wedgewood Plaza. And I began to dream about a school.
I was inducted into the BRUCE LEE Legends of Honor with many of my fellow martial artists. The Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame said they were considering me for nomination,
WHAT IS SALEM Self-defense?
What are all of the things that you cannot do in competition? You can't strike to the face, you can't hit the eyes, the throat, the groin, the spine, the neck, you can't sweep, you can't throw, you can't do arm bars, you can't knee, you can't elbow, you can't pull hair, you can't bite . . . you get the idea.
What are the best things to do on the street?
Most schools teach and practice not doing the best most effective self-defense maneuvers. In a word SPORT!
Which techniques do they not practice defending against?
They practice defending against the "safest" least likely to occur techniques. Again Sport!
What attacks is a student most likely to encounter in the street? The ones least practiced!
Authentic martial arts as taught by many of the original masters like my teacher were a way of life focused upon surviving a street encounter.
POLITICIANS:
The Japanese governments decided they wanted to create their own spectator sport, similar to boxing but with a self-defense flavor. Karate was imported from Okinawa to Japan to change it into a safe, spectator sport! Not self-defense.
The Korean Government, not fans of the Japanese because of their occupation of Korea succeeded in their race to get "Korean Karate", TAEKWONDO into the Olympics before Japanese Karate.
Authentic martial arts consisted of 5 parts of training: flexibility; strength training (ignored by modern karate); impact training (also known as conditioning; how to use your strength to hit hard and effectively); poomsae, forms that contained secret self defense moves and applications of the forms called hoshinsul or self defense that included Keupsosul, pressure point fighting and yoosul, or grappling. As the emphasis upon sports increased, the real self defense applications of movements were lost or ignored in both Japan and Korea.
SALEM Self-Defense and FAMILY MARTIAL ARTS is a return to the past, teaching the authentic elements of martial arts. Including flexibility, strength, fitness, impact training, nutrition, pressure point fighting, grappling and self defense and taught in a semi private setting.
If you're interested in learning more about SALEM Self-Defense and FAMILY MARTIAL ARTS, please call or text me at 330-501-8599 and join me for a FREE introductory lesson.
