Karate for kids and grown-ups Karate for kids and grown-ups (September 22, 2000)

Pegis family's Mountain View dojo teaches self-defense, builds confidence

Alex Gale, 10, of Mountain View practices drills during an afternoon class at Ben Pegis' United Studios for Self-Defense studio.

By Ruth Patrick

In Silicon Valley, everything moves at hyper-speed. But at a small United Studios for Self-Defense (USSD) franchise karate school in the Blossom Valley Shopping Center in Mountain View, Ben Pegis and his two sons, Ben Jr. and Nick, slow the world down. At their karate dojo, they teach self-discipline, self-defense, and self-confidence -- as well as when to walk away from a fight.

Karate has been a major part of Ben Pegis' life. He's been running his own karate studios for 30 years, including 20 when he worked full-time detective for the San Mateo Police Department. Pegis served on the department's hostage negotiation team. He's also taught interrogation techniques and fraud investigation at San Jose State. Pegis retired from the force in 1992 after being wounded in the line of duty. He then started running his studio full time. He jokes, "I've really cut back. Now I only work eight hours a day."

According to Pegis, karate is "a sport, an art, and a way of life" that's "even in the Olympics." Karate has been around for 2,000 years. In 526 A.D., it was used by Buddhist monks to defend themselves against warlords and bandits. In 1470, Okinawan farmers used karate to fight off marauding bands of Samurai. Today, thousands of men, women, and children practice karate to get into shape, learn to defend themselves, and develop self-confidence as well as a healthy, respectful attitude towards themselves and each other.

People are drawn to karate for numerous reasons, Pegis says. "A few years ago when the crime statistics were up, they took it because they were scared. Now that the crime rates have gone down, they take it for fun."

But there's another, deeper reason why people take karate. Pegis says many people who start karate have some kind of physical or emotional issue they're dealing with.

"Either they're short or skinny or overweight and were teased about it. They took karate to get revenge on someone, only to find out they didn't have to take revenge on anyone." Along the way, he says, "They get into better shape, they feel better about themselves, they learn how to defend themselves." They also "learn how to walk away from trouble whenever possible," seeking out a peaceful solution instead. A physical defense like a block or a punch is always the last resort, according to Pegis.

USSD has 150 studios and a well-established program tailored to the individual, offering private as well as group lessons. All affiliated dojos, including Pegis' studio, model their teaching techniques and stances after five animals: tiger, crane, leopard, snake, and dragon. The tiger, for example, stands for courage, tenacity, and power, and the techniques associated with it develop strong bones and a strong back. But according to Pegis, "Self-defense is the least of what we teach here."

Every beginning student is introduced to the five basic principles of karate: effort, etiquette, sincerity, self-control, and character. These principles and behaviors are reinforced in every class. Students are expected to act with self-control and respect for others. When they don't, "discipline is fair and consistent. Then the incident is forgotten and not brought up again," Pegis says.

Pegis' classes begin with warm-up exercises, meditation, and a bow of respect to the flag and each other. Each class covers certain karate moves needed for different skill levels, each of which is symbolized by a different colored belt. Beginners wear a white belt; experts a black belt. Black belts are not awarded to anyone younger than age 14 because, according to Ben Jr., "You need a level of maturity to get a black belt." Nick adds, "Size and age still count. Their (children's) muscles need to fully develop before they can use the martial arts properly."

In the children's classes, games are played, but even in the karate version of "Simon Says," students are expected to practice "honesty and integrity." It doesn't matter if the teacher didn't catch them -- the students are taught to sit down if they know they moved when they weren't supposed to, Ben Jr. emphasizes that the kids "are also learning self-confidence as they progress and learn to coordinate their hands and feet. And with techniques like the forward roll, they're learning self-defense as well.

Pegis sees better behavior and even academic improvement because the children are not permitted to practice their karate if their homework has not been done.

With adults, there's more of a focus on realistic self-defense since that's one of the main reasons they come to learn karate. Instruction is individualized. If someone has trouble with a high kick, for example, "We work around physical problems," Ben Jr. says.

Karate runs in the Pegis' family. Not only does Pegis have a black belt, so does his brother and his mother, who earned her black belt in judo during World War II.

Pegis' sons, Ben Jr. and Nick, also have black belts. They agree with their father that psychology plays a large part in wanting to learn karate. Both boys were overweight as youngsters and were teased about it.

Ben Jr. remembers when "I used to walk with my head down, avoiding people's eyes." Then he started karate at age 8. He enjoyed it and found he had a natural ability for it that he lacked for other sports. "I would strike out in baseball, couldn't catch a ball, but I could always do karate," he said.

But he didn't really take karate seriously until he was a teenager. Prior to that, karate wasn't popular. Ben Jr. stopped his lessons and became a TV junkie until he was 15 or 16. Then, he says, "I'd watch Claude Van Damme movies and think, 'Man, I used to be able to do that stuff.'" He'd lost much of his flexibility in his off years, and it took six months to get his skill level back up. "The next thing I knew, I was doing it every day. Karate has given me tons of self-confidence," and people no longer "mess with me," he said.

As he increased his training, Ben Jr. found himself improving in other areas, not just self-defense. "I lost weight. Plus I made a lot of friends in karate. Most of my friends are black belts. We have a lot of fun together. We compete with each other at tournaments, but we're buddies," he said.

At 16, Ben Jr. started teaching for fun at his dad's studio, although he didn't earn his black belt until he was 17. While he enjoys teaching adults, Ben Jr. loves working with children. "It's fun to watch them do a kata (a series of karate moves). Sometimes it looks exactly the way I'd do it. And I realize they're looking up to me, the way I looked up to my instructor," he says.

Pegis' other son, Nick, also began taking karate when he was in elementary school, starting at age 6, and earning his black belt when he was 18. Nick gives a lot of credit to his dad for his training. "I don't have anything to prove. I know my strengths and my weaknesses," he says, adding that his father "taught me to be an instructor. A lot of my teaching skills came from him."

Nick likes karate because it is a "lifelong lifestyle, something to keep you moving and motivated. Unlike soccer or baseball which is seasonal, this is full-year, round-the-clock, an ongoing process. There's always more to learn."

This dojo is definitely a family affair. Ben Jr. says being in business with his father and brother is "a good thing and a bad thing. It gets frustrating sometimes, but it's kept the family together. This is the age where people tend to drift apart."

Pegis offers tips about how to choose a karate studio. He advises staying away from studios that won't let you observe a class first, or ones that require you to sign a contract.

Pegis notes that all instructors at USSD franchise schools must graduate with honors from the United Studios Instructors College. To keep up their skills, instructors also participate in weekly and monthly workouts held by Charles Mattera, a 10th degree black belt and the president and founder of United Studios.

The Pegis' family United Studios of Self-Defense karate school is located at 1770 Miramonte Ave., in the Blossom Valley Shopping Center, at the corner of Cuesta Drive and Miramonte Avenue. The dojo, which is open Monday through Friday, 12-9 p.m. and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., offers day and evening classes for children and adults, group and private lessons, cardio-kickboxing for adults, and summer camps for children. For more information about class times and prices, call Ben Pegis at 960-0101.