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St. Pierre remains humble as karate honors pile up
Take a walk from the front of the All-American Karate Academy back to the office of owners Steve and Niki St. Pierre, and you'll notice more than a few awards.
Trophies, plaques, certificates and photos of old tournaments line the west wall of the school at 1021 Indianapolis Rd., Suite D. Those are the efforts of nearly 50 years of training for Steve and more than 20 for Niki.
So it's easy to understand why the ever-humble Steve at first played off his promotion to the rank of ninth dan by the United States Association of Martial Arts earlier this year.
"When I got this, I sort of played it off as not that big of a deal," St. Pierre told the Banner Graphic, "but apparently it is."
It means that St. Pierre is now on an international council of martial artists, a testament to his "journey to improve physically, mentally and spiritually through diligent study and practice," according to the award presented to St. Pierre.
"It doesn't make you any tougher but hopefully it means you have more knowledge," St. Pierre said. "You realize you put some time into this."
Additionally, it means that the karate style St. Pierre has developed over the years -- kenpo goju ryu karate, a mix of the older kenpo and goju-ryu styles -- has gained acceptance in the wider world of martial arts.
"I try to blend the old-time tradition with new values," St. Pierre said. "There are a lot of people who have done that in the United States."
Having studied karate since 1967 (when he was 12) and as a blackbelt since 1971, St. Pierre has seen a lot of different styles of martial arts rise to popularity. The point has always been to adapt to the new developments while remembering where he came from.
"You sort of look down this narrow tube and that's your style, but there's so many other things in the world," St. Pierre said. "Being on the tournament circuit, you come up against a number of different styles and you have to adapt.
"If you're a karate guy, you'll do what you have to do."
One example came when mixed martial arts achieved increased popularity in the last 10 or 15 years. Rather than ignore it, St. Pierre embraced the possibilities.
"When MMA came in, we put a team together and were real successful with that," St. Pierre said.
Adapting has also been part of what has kept the school going for more than 12 years now, with youth and adult karate classes, as well as classes over the years such as boot camp, kickboxing, Pilates, Zumba and MMA.
It's been a winning formula. Not only has Grand Master Steve achieved his elevated rank, but Sensei Niki is also a fourth-degree blackbelt. They have also trained dozens of champions over the years.
"As a karate school, we've had a number of state, national and international champions who have gone all over the world," St. Pierre said. "I always say that Niki and I are maybe the inspiration, but they are the ones who put in the work."
St. Pierre can trace his attitude back to his humble beginnings as a martial artist, as a kid who got into karate because he got picked on.
Through training with Sensei Phil Drennan and then with Grand Master Tsai, things changed for St. Pierre. But even as he rose through the ranks, his teachers kept him humble.
Besides training with Grand Master Tsai, St. Pierre also worked for him in the 1970s. This was certainly a humbling experience. Besides being told to kick a heavy back 500 times with each leg, six days a week, Steve was also required to do things like clean bathrooms and go get lunch.
"I taught, but I was basically a gofer," St. Pierre recalls of those days.
But the recollection is not with bitterness. Instead, St. Pierre's knows there were essential lessons, even in the lowliest tasks.
"Our humbleness came from doing menial tasks," St. Pierre said. "You're a blackbelt. And as a blackbelt, you're required to keep the school clean. You constantly have responsibilities and with little or no pay."
Eventually it paid off, with St. Pierre running five of Master Tsai's schools and being paid accordingly.
"But there were a lot of sacrifices that a lot of people wouldn't have made."
In the end, it's all paid off. Now a ninth-degree blackbelt, St. Pierre realizes he has achieved more than he would have dreamed in his younger days.
"In the old days, if you even saw a third- or fourth-degree blackbelt, it was like, 'Whoa!'" St. Pierre said.
For more information on All-American Karate Academy, check them out of Facebook or call 655-1300.