White Tiger Time-Line Points of Interest October 1981

Elsa Buckner asks her son Charles what he wants for Christmas. “Karate lessons” he replies. It is the May, 1981 issue of Black Belt Magazine that sparks this adventure.

January 1982

Charles Buckner becomes a member of the American Karate/Kung Fu Federation and begins training at Lou Casamassa’s Red Dragon Karate Studio in Upland, CA under dojo owner Sensei Tom Cosgrove and dojo manager Sensei Gino Fazio and attends classes five days a week.

Shi-han Sensei Lou Casamssa Shi-han Tom Cosgrove

Summer 1982

As a master orange belt, Charles enters the black belt trainee program and attends special Saturday classes, teaches private lessons and assists with full size classes. It is during this time that Charles is introduced to the business of martial arts and begins contemplating his own martial arts system.

Sensei Gino Fazio and Charles Buckner (red)

After opening his own dojo, Sensei Gino Fazio suffers a serious back injury and is forced to stop practicing physical martial arts for an extended period of time, perhaps even indefinitely.

Charles meets martial arts master Sho Kosugi at a Red Dragon tournament and begins working with Azandi Aiken and training in Ninjutsu. Azandi is a student at the Upland dojo and had been cast in Revenge of the Ninja, the second ninja movie from MGM starring Kosugi.

1983 – 1988

Charles and his family move to Apple Valley, CA. Charles continues training on his own and informally with instructors in the California High Desert area in Aikido, Shotokan and Kung Fu. Charles’ deeper understanding of technique and philosophy were honed during this time. Our system didn’t yet have a name but its roots were set.

1991

Charles moves to Miles City, MT and begins preparations to open his own school in 1992 under the name “White Tiger Dojo”. He starts working with his first student privately and writes the “Snake” kata. This first student was a young man who was going off to Army boot camp soon and wanted some training before-hand.

1992

The White Tiger dojo opens. Among the first students to join, Chris Johnson, Bob Brown and Ruth Buckner begin their martial arts journey.

1995

White Tiger promotes its first black belt. After a grueling two part test, Sensei Chris Johnson is promoted to Sho-Dan. The test was conducted in two parts that involved a complete requirement exam on the first day in Miles City, MT and a continuous sparring black belt exam in Billings, MT that consisted of five black belt opponents. Sensei Chris had to “continuous” fight these black belts one after another for two minutes each with only a short break mid-way through the exam. Since then, the exam has never been repeated this way.

Sensei Charles Buckner with Sensei Chris Johnson (red)

White Tiger hosts the 1st Annual White Tiger Martial Arts Open tournament in Miles City, MT. Sensei Rod Martens wins Black Belt Grand Champion and Nikki Mags (a student of White Tiger) wins Under Belt Grand Champion.

White Tiger opens a dojo in Glendive, MT.

1996

Charles joins Professor Chow’s Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo Karate under Regional Director Sensei Rod Martens.

Back row: Fred Lindau, Sensei Ruth Buckner, D.J. Archer, Sensei Charles Buckner, G.M. Sam Kuoha, Kyoshi

Ka’imi Kuoha, Sensei Dana Kuoha and Sensei Rick Kaplin Bottom row: Shihan Shane Thompson, Sensei Bucky Loomis, Shihan Chris Mendoza and Sensei Sandi Ando

Sensei Charles Buckner and the future Grand Master of Professor Chow’s Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo Karate Kyoshi

Ki’imi Kuoha

With hard work and help from Ruth Buckner, Zac Unruh and Jolyn Hatvick, White Tiger opens a dojo in Terry, MT and for a short time a school in Baker, MT.

Charles becomes a lifetime member of the World Black Belt Bureau and registers White Tiger with Master Kang Rhee as a martial arts system.

Ruth Buckner wins Under Belt Grand Champion at the 2nd Annual White Tiger Open.

In addition to the Miles City tournament, White Tiger hosts a tournament in Glendive, MT.

Sensei Charles Buckner and Sensei Rob Shepard

1997

Charles is awarded Sho-Dan in Professor Chow’s Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo Karate and becomes Area Leader for Eastern Montana.

White Tiger hosts its 3rd Annual Martial Arts Open Tournament.

August 1998

Ruth Buckner wins Under Belt Grand Champion at the 4th Annual White Tiger Martial Arts Open. She remains to this day undefeated in under belt and black belt female and co-ed Sport Karate Tournament Sparring. This was also the first year that grappling was added to the White Tiger Open’s division list. She won this division as well.

December 1998

Charles is awarded full instructor certification in Professor Chow’s Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo Karate by Grand Master Sam Kuoha.

Sensei Charles Buckner, Sensei Ruth Buckner, Sensei Rod Martens and Sensei Harry Kimbley

August 1999

White Tiger hosts its 5th Annual Open Karate Tournament.

August 2000

White Tiger hosts its 6th Annual Open Karate Tournament.

August 2001

White Tiger hosts its 7th Annual Open Martial Arts Tournament.

June 2002

White Tiger hosts an open martial arts tournament and kick boxing card.

2003 – 2004

Sensei Charles leaves Kara-Ho Kempo Karate and focusses entirely on the development of White Tiger. Sensei Ruth and Sempai Kale Freilinger are instrumental in helping with this transition.

Sensei Charles and Sempai Kale Freilinger at the Miles City, MT dojo

2006

Sensei Bucky Loomis takes over the Miles City, MT dojo

2007

White Tiger opens the Gillette, WY dojo. One of the first students to sign up is Sensei Eric May.

Sensei Eric May re-locates to Rapid City, SD and opens his own dojo under White Tiger.

October 2009

In conjunction with Sensei Harry Kimbley, White Tiger hosts the “Thunder Basin Path of Champions” open Karate tournament in Gillette, WY.

Charles Buckner breaks the world record for the most concrete blocks smashed on the groin with a sledge hammer. Unfortunately, Guinness Book

of World Records retires this record just before his attempt. The official record is held by Bibhuti Nayak of India, who smashed three blocks of 41 pounds each with a 14.7-pound sledgehammer against his groin in 2003. Charles bested this with four blocks of the same weight, dimensions and using the same size sledge hammer.

May 28, 2012

White Tiger rank promotions and a seminar in which several of its instructors teach Aikido (Sempai Tony Becker), Knife Fighting (Sensei Chris Johnson) and Grappling (Sensei Jeremy Wilde).

We continue to move forward.

What will you add to this time line?