About Kyoshi Nathan Brown
Karate has always been an active part of my life. In one form or another, I have been studying karate for almost 35 years. While I had practiced karate for years, it was during my time in North Carolina that I grew into a teacher. Over the 12 years I taught in NC, I had the honor of teaching hundreds of students and seeing my students carry the tradition on by starting their own classes. Karate is about family as much as it is about passing on the tradition of a marital art.
As part of that “family tradition,” I am grateful to have had my father as my primary teacher. Some fathers can be overbearing and harsh as teachers. My father has always been encouraging and a model for my ministry. He always allowed me to train at my own pace and ability, never pressuring me to live up to some standard as sensei’s son.
Like many, I have had one primary teacher but I have been influenced by and learned from several. It has been my honor to learn from (in no particular order):
- Kenny Broadway and his brother Jared Broadway. Both of whom are like family to me.
- Hanshi Jerry Partain, whom I have known my entire life and train with to this day.
- Grand Master Fusei Kise was a regular around my household as a kid. He would make a trip to the USA every year and during that trip would come through Arkansas and stay with us many times.
Currently, my father is Hachidan, 8th Degree, and holds the title of Tasshi as the Senior Instructor in our system under his teacher Kudan, 9th Degree, Hanshi Jerry Partain. My father has been training with his teacher exclusively for the past 40+ years. My father’s current school is in Jonesboro, AR where he has been teaching since 1995.
Currently, I serve as the Senior Pastor at Clinton First Baptist Church. As a student of the martial arts and of the Scriptures, I will never fully arrive. There is always something more to learn. In the same manner, as a disciple of Christ I will never arrive in my relationship with Him. I will always be striving for a closer walk with Him.