I found some interesting magazine covers from back in the day. Sensei Preston Carter was Sensei Hodgkiss's Instructor. Sensei Carter taught in the Trenton NJ area back in the 60s and 70s. He was a bouncer in a bar and one night, if I recall the story correctly, he evicted a couple of drunk patrons from said bar. They returned to the bar and shot Sensei Carter and paralyzed him from the waist down. He continued to train, not letting his disability slow him down. He was famous for his complicated breaking demos even in a wheelchair. I just wanted to pass along some of our family history. Sensei Carter passed away in 1977.
21 comments:
I was a student Shihan Carter, and was privately up until his passing.
At Shihan Carter's apartment on West State Street in Trenton the training sessions were no less brutal due to his handicap as a result of having been shot.
I was boxing at the Trenton PAL on Calhoun and would then shoot over to his "apartment dojo" for
instruction.
Shihan Carter convinced me to take a test, without any warning or time to prepare.
On that Saturday in February of 1976 I was put through a rigorous 5 hour test, that included weapons, sparring, kata, and spontaneous self defense.
Shihan had recruited 4 Black Belts of varying sizes and styles who were there to wear me out to the brink of exhaustion.
To this day my Godan and the privilege of earning it from the legendary Shihan Preston F. Carter has been a highlight of my on again
off again Martial Arts accomplishments.
JAG
I have been looking for the article on Sensei Preston Carter for years my name is Deborah E Carter Sensei was my mothers youngest brother this is the first time in years that I have seem something about my uncle if there is any way possible that you could give me a copy it so that I could share it with family members my email address is deborahc1957@yahoo.com
deborahc259@gmail.com
I think they should do a movie on Master Carter and have Denzel Washington play the role.
Carter was a very "bad" dude.
The incident that put him in a wheelchair cost one of his attackers an eye.
Reliable sources said that Carter side kicked one in the chest and the force from that kicked popped the scumbags eye out.
A pioneer who has long been forgotten.
Let's get that movie done Denzel.
I miss my father something terrible. To read all of the kind words written about him, truly brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.
My father was a student and good friend of sensei Preston Carter in the 1970's. My father was a known cab driver in Trenton, Nj. He was across the street working at the Trenton train station when Mr Carter was shot. Yes I have heard the story first hand from my father. Today my father is 86 years old today and is in great shape.
One of my child hood friends trained under Master Carter and he was an exceptional great Martial artist Edgardo Rodriguez aka fireball was fierce on the floor of competition as a 16 year old he put seasoned black belts to shame!
Luis mendez was another one of his students who was also a great students I was told that Master Carter didn't make any money teaching he excepted his rollmodel position as a Sensei purely for the good of his community OSU!
Also he has one living active student in Newark NJ named bin Ali he is about70 yrs. Old he still puts on demo's and appears in local tournaments and does weapons kata very impressive for his age.
Preston Carter, was my uncle and my hero, for his height and weight his movements were as a black cat ready to pounce, excellence is the lowest of kind words that could be said, even in a wheelchair, he would teach myself the basics and today his love and memories of his KINDNESS grows on in everyone hearts that know/ knew my uncle, Fritz Carter of TRENTON,NJ
I'm proud to have had the opportunity to know such a god fearing gentle gaint, my bui- .bui.R.I.P. PRESTON FRITZ CARTER, SR. ALWAYS LOVED AND NEVER FORGOTTEN.
R.I.P. UNCLE PRESTON FRITZ CARTER,
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR LOVING MY UNCLE AS MUCH AS I DID.
He was a phenomenal man, mentor, and teacher.
I was fortunate to continue on training under your late father from his apartment dojo on West State Street.
Although I have added elements of other systems into my personal curriculum, I still hold true to his system which still stacks up against all the others in today's Martial Arts environment.
There are others like Sensei Mendez who I honestly don't know if he is still around as I last saw him in the very late 70's early 80's.
But, I am still training,in good shape, and keeping the system alive by my example of continued training through the decades.
Sensei Mendez was a great karateka.
I remember when he was scheduled to fight Pedro Medina a Tang Soo Do stylist in a full contact match.
Don't think it came to fruition.
Shihan Carter definitely wasn't about the money.
Several students including James Paige went all the way to black belt paying minimal sometimes nothing for training.
Preston Carter was, is, and should always be remembered as a pioneer especially in the Trenton region.
To all those who were fortunate to have known or trained with the great Preston F. Carter.
I am doing my best toward keeping his system alive, as I have been for decades.
I am going to collaborate with my colleague, and friend Shihan Belida on several projects that will help showcase the accomplishments of this legendary karate pioneer, instructor, and mentor to many.
He may be long gone, but I intend to do everything possible to make certain he is never forgotten.
OSS!
I am master (Godan) Wm. E. Murphy III, Wado Ryu karate Iwho was a Instr. at Trinity Cath.,801 W. State St.,Trenton, NJ ,& at Ewing Adult evening sch., who was also a student of Grandmaster Preston F. Carter one who I have known since the 1960's at St. Paul AME Zion church next door to Anderson FH., some of his other students were master Skeezie Thompson Correction officer, master James Page Trucker, Grandmaster (Clarence Leach) Ben Ali of Neward,NJ, Lit. Pete of Trenton, NJ, The last tournament demonstration he had was at the War Memorial bldg. Trenton,NJ, where (late) master Nick Nixon & I did the most outstanding Zin Nippon Kudo breaking and dynamic tension demonstrations ever performed in this area. I can tell the world STOP the Lie, Pedro Medina was a kid back then in TCHS with my little brother's " That would have been Sudden dealth! Pedro & .myself helped teach the G Guardian angels At the Shiloh Baptist church he had only Respect for GM Carter.
Absolutely true.,he Gm.Eugene Teacher at Rutgers Univ.,Nwk., M.James Page ,Trenton, MSkeezie Thompson Trenton, NJ.,M Pete Trenton, NJ.
I have put some of there names up here.
A script is going to be submitted to both Fred Williamson and Wesley Snipes.
It has been registered with Writers Guild East and Writers Vault.
Based on actual events the Preston F Carter story and his pioneering efforts as the "godfather" of karate and Martial Arts in Trenton as well as the bar incident and more should have been told long ago.
Maybe the lottery winning Smith family would be receptive to funding the project.
Myself and my collaborator plan to make this happen.
Master Murphy of Trenton Medina was supposed to fight Mendez. The late James Lee Tang Soo was trying to put them together. This is after Shin's Three Musketeers(Lee, Britt, Chambliss)on East State Street closed up.
To my knowledge, other than yourself, there is only ONE other individual that is maintaining Grandmaster's Carter's methods alive. Furthermore, this person who I believe is pushing 70 is doing this through hard, consistent training and is in good enough shape to have received respect from the current combat sports community(MMA, kickboxing, boxing).
Being the humble man that he is, his social media presence is non existent, and he does not, to my knowledge, advertise.
However, he has receiving the attention of many top fighters by preaching the effectiveness of the Preston Fritz Carter system to the current crop of combat sports athletes with 0 to little knowledge of the legendary pioneers such as Carter.
Being able to train alongside of these elite athletes and perform equally in the stand up/striking range has gotten Cater and his traditional karate style respect among those that believe that MMA, BJJ, and other fight sports are the best all/end all when it comes to self defense effective karate, like that of Carter's.
My uncle trained with a Nippon style Carter brown belt here in East Orange.
As of 2024 there is ONE individual still training, practicing and keeping the Carter legacy alive through his on going efforts.
I have had conversations with this individual and he is legit and goes way back to the 1960's as a student of Preston Carter.
I will leave it up to himself if and when he decides to go public.
His knowledge of Preston Carter as a teacher, fighter, and promoter of events, and more is undeniable.
Clarence Jr.
Very fortunate to have found this site and comments on Master Carter and his style of karate.
My father was an advanced black belt under Master Carter and assisted him with classes and running tournament exhibitions.
I wanted to mention that Master William Brown was another high level black belt.
Through correspondence I was able to connect briefly with the person, supposedly sole active practitioner of Master Carter's style.
All the information discussed in our talks was 100% credible.
Dates, time, lineage, specific information about the tournaments, pretty much all of it lined up with what my father talked about.
He would rather remain low key for now but if half of what he has planned happens, Carter's legacy and influence on karate as an early black pioneer will be known by a lot of young brothers and Martial Arts practitioners.
I was there up until Master Carter's untimely passing. Let's go back to his tournaments at the War Memorial Building.
Goju Master Joe Artesi would bring his students from Vineland to compete in kata, kumite, weapons.
Among them were Eddie Andujar and Emilio Narvaez who went on to win titles in PKA full contact.
Grandmaster Peter Urban, Peter Siringano Sr., Issac Henry and other notables would often support Master Carter's tournaments.
Leech, and Page as well as Bill Brown were part of "Team" Carter and the Nippon Kudo system.
You fellow martial artists are going to be in for a pleasant surprise, "Blood and Bullets" has been registered with the Writer's Guild and will soon be presented to two well known talents in the film industry so, sooner or later there is optimism that this project will get the green light.
If there are any ACTIVELY practicing members of the Nippon Kudo system please post name and contact information.
By ACTIVELY, I mean individuals who still train and have kept the system alive and evolving through multiple decades like I have.
Lastly, Mendez and Pedro Medina were scheduled to compete and the main individuals who were trying to put it together were James Lee and Steve Chambliss
TY
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