The Academy of Martial arts was founded in 1980 in LaFollette, Tennessee by Seigun Edward T. Shepard, seventh degree black belt (seichidan) in Shaolin Kung Fu.
Master Shepard, who began his martial arts training at a young age in judo, had already achieved black belt ranking in two styles of karate before traveling overseas. at that time (around 1960) "karate" had not become the household word that it is now. The few dojo that existed were confined to large cities and for the most part were operated by former servicemen who had studied the martial arts while serving in the Far East. Since Oriental instructors were reluctant to divulge the advanced secrets and techniques of the fighting arts to Westerners, most Americans were taught "diluted" versions of karate. Although a proficient fighter, Shepard (as well as many others who had studied for any length of time) had become bored with the " Americanized" version of the martial arts.
After being selected for training at what is now Fort Bragg for the Army Special Forces, Shepard served two tours of duty in Vietnam. It was during his time overseas that a friend invited him to a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. Here he observed the style and techniques of a martial arts grandmaster who, although in his sixties, effortlessly defeated a succession of young black belt attackers in a demonstration using technique instead of strength.
Completely impressed, Shepard waited until after the tournament to approach the master and requested that he accept him as a student. At first the old man refused; it was against Eastern tradition to teach their martial arts to foreigners. Eventually though, after seeing Shepard's sincerity, the old master agreed to take him on as a student.
For almost three years, Shepard trained under the strict discipline and intense training regimen of the old master in the Chinese martial arts. His military superiors, realizing the benefits of the deadly empty hand techniques of Eastern martial arts to a soldier, allowed him ample time to train. However, the time finally came for Shepard to leave and he was sent back to Vietnam on a second tour.
After finishing his tour in Vietnam and returning to the U.S., Shepard spent time in the Army Reserves. He lived for several years in Knoxville, Tennessee, working out at the YMCA in East Knoxville with other prominent martial artists. It was upon returning to his hometown of LaFollette that he began to teach--at first informally in local backyards to a few teenage boys interested in martial arts. Shepard opened the Academy of Martial Arts on Central Avenue in LaFollette in 1980 with the help of his student Clarence Hatfield.
During the years since its founding the school has trained hundreds of local citizens of all ages in the martial arts, many of whom have gone into the military service or law enforcement and thus benefited from their training. The school has relocated several times: however, its instructors still teach the same techniques and traditional martial arts instruction to include small-circle jujitsu and Okinawan kobudo (weaponry) in its curriculum. While its main focus is the teaching of self-defense and character development, the school regularly takes a number of students to local martial arts tournaments where they consistently place highly.
Larry Bostic, who began his training under Master Shepard in 1981, is presently the senior instructor of the Academy of Martial Arts.
The school is affiliated with the Okinawan Karatedo Union and the International Association of Fighting Arts.
