Karate Ways has a long history in the Bay Area. Dan Bicksler opened the first Karate Ways school in the 60’s in San Mateo. Sensei Joe Meyer began training with Mr. Bicksler in 1965, started teaching in 1968, and opened his first dojo in 1973. This dojo was on Moorpark Avenue in San Jose. One of his students at that school was Dale Gobin, who studied with Mr. Meyer for many years and taught at his schools for almost as long, taking on his own students. When the school transitioned to the Blossom Valley area, Mr. Gobin continued with Mr. Meyer. During the next 30+ years, Karate Ways operated in that school, as well as in Pleasant Hill and the Santa Teresa area in Almaden, and ultimately landed in Morgan Hill where it taught students until the early 2000’s. Mr. Gobin ran many of those schools. The Pleasant Hill Karate Ways studio was opened by two of Mr. Meyer’s esteemed Black Belts, Gerald Guintu and Jerry Giles in 1992. That school was open for 15 years.
Mr. Meyer was well known for many things in the Martial Arts world. In the 60’s and 70’s he was an avid tournament competitor and won over 100 trophies. Perhaps his most notable accomplishment was the creation of the California Karate League (CKL), in collaboration with Ron Marchini and Leo Fong. This league set forth the standards, policies, processes, rules, etc. for karate competition and tournaments in California. These were adopted and implemented by tournament sponsors statewide, and competitors actively sought to compete in CKL sanctioned tournaments. Mr. Meyer sponsored and conducted countless tournaments all over the Bay Area, including the Karate Ways Nationals and the official California State Karate Championships. He was honored by local State and City governments for his civic contributions to youth and charitable organizations related to martial arts. Mr. Meyer was an active member of just about every martial arts organization that existed in his time, holding office in many. These included the AAU, the CA State Athletic Commission, American Teachers Association of Martial Arts (ATAMA), American Martial Arts Promoters Association (AMAPA), the CKL, Karate Referees Associations and the Worldwide Kenpo Association (WWKA). He co-authored the “American Sports Karate Rule Book,” and founded the National Karate Ways Association (NKWA). He was an expert witness on Use of Force and was also voted “Martial Arts Man of the Year” in 1982. Sensei Meyer was most proud of the scores of students he taught. We are proud that our Sensei was so active, renowned, and well-respected across the martial arts community and believe his history lends to the legacy and quality of the Karate Ways culture as a whole.
The National Karate Ways Association (NKWA) was formed by Mr. Meyer as the governing body setting the standards for all Karate Ways studios. The Board was responsible for setting and maintaining standards with regards to all procedures dealing with instruction in the studios, to certify instructors, and uphold the meaningful traditions of the Martial Arts. Mr. Mike Cozzens was elected to be President of the Board, and Mr. Gobin as Vice President. Mrs. Cozzens served as Secretary, and later, Social Chair. The NKWA also organized numerous inter-school tournaments, seminars, social events such as picnics and holiday dinners, and published a quarterly newsletter for all Karate Ways students and affiliates.
Karate Ways students were known for their prolific tournament competition successes. Among the trophies of many, many students for freestyle and kata, Mr. Gobin was a California State Champion in full contact sparring (no longer sanctioned), Mr. Guintu was CKL Fighter of the Year 3 times, won almost 40 first place trophies and multiple Grand Championships in his decade of competition, was named #1 California Fighter of the Year by Sport Karate Illustrated magazine, and went on to fight on an international fighting team where he did exceedingly well. Christa Major was highly successful as well, winning a multitude of 1st place trophies and was named CKL Female Fighter of the Year. Mr. Cozzens was undefeated in point-sparring competition, and Mrs. Cozzens won several trophies with her team in Open Kata competitions. Many other students experienced success outside of competition, crediting Kenpo as the reason for their personal and professional growth, discipline, and perseverance.
When Mr. Meyer retired in the mid-1990’s, the school was operated by his student Bob Smith, for a few years, with Mr. Gobin as the Head Instructor. He and Jeff Scharbach reviewed and updated the entire system at that point, incorporating even more Ed Parker and Huk Planas influence. Rich Howell trained initially under Sensei Meyer, starting in 1993, becoming an Assistant Instructor in 1994 and then later trained under Mr. Dale Gobin, who promoted him to 1st Degree Black Belt in 1999. Mr. Howell then embarked on a long career of teaching and studying Kenpo. When Mr. Smith closed the school, Karate Ways, as we knew it, was operated via private lessons with Mr. Gobin for about two decades, and was very much alive in the hearts of loyal students.
Mr. Howell relocated to the Granite Bay/Roseville area, studying and teaching a different system of Kenpo, learning all of the material there from White Belt up to 2nd Degree Black Belt, while serving as Manager and the only full-time instructor of that school, aside from its owner, Mr. Paul Frampton. After a few years, Mr. Howell moved back to Morgan Hill and taught individual students in private and group classes before resuming his studies and collaboration with Mr. Gobin. He now holds the rank of 5th Degree Black Belt, Associate Professor.
Over that same time period, Mr. Gobin continued his Kenpo education under Mr. Richard “Huk” Planas, a renowned student of Mr. Edmund K. Parker, the Father of American Kenpo. Mr. Planas was a prolific instructor of Kenpo, both domestically and internationally. After the Covid pandemic, Mr. Gobin resurrected the Karate Ways dojo in his garage studio in Gilroy, where he and Mr. Howell spent months combing through the Karate Ways Kenpo system and refining its content to what is the robust and highly effective system that is currently offered.
Mr. and Mrs. Cozzens spent time in numerous different schools and styles of Martial Arts, including Wing Chun, Aikido, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and multiple different systems of Kenpo including that of Ralph Castro (instructor Leo Lopez), Jim Mitchell (instructor Mark Retana), Chuck Sullivan (instructor John Deloa), John Ozuna, and Dave Cantrelle. They were happy to return to Karate Ways Kenpo when Mr. Gobin and Mr. Howell began teaching again.
As it happens, the cycle continues. Mr. Gobin retired, and Mr. Howell has stepped up to continue teaching the values, quality, and principles that are Karate Ways Kenpo today.