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Christopher Rappold started studying martial arts when he was 13, but he always loved watching Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee on the screen kicking and spinning away.

“I was always into the Kung Fu theater, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and I was always amazed how they could walk into an adversity and have total calm,” Rappold said. “I thought martial arts would be that vehicle to show me that calm.”

Rappold started Personal Best Karate over 20 years ago. He said when he was 13 a friend brought him to a martial arts class and he’s been going ever since.

“Now it’s been 30 years,” he said.

Rappold started in a blended system of Tae Kwon Do, which included boxing and grappling and other styles of fighting.

Rappold said he studied with seven-time world champion Billy Blane.

“It was really cool at the time,” he said. “He was a seven-time world champion, and it was a personal goal I set to see if I could be that good. He mentored me; I even babysat his kids. He was unbelievable.”

Rappold, originally from Easton, went to Bridgewater State and got a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology.

“I had an eye on what I wanted to do, which was open Personal Best,” he said.

Rappold also studied with many different masters and won 1995 and 1997 Martial Artist of the Year Award from the U.S. Martial arts Hall of Fame.

Personal Best now has five locations, and while Rappold attributes much of his success to his hard approach, he said there were some factors of the time that you might not expect.

“In the beginning it was hard work and the Ninja Turtles,” he said. “In 91’ the Turtles were huge. We had good mentors and hard work, followed by the Power Rangers.”

Rappold said he’s since studied many different styles, traditions and influences from all over the globe, including Japan, China, Brazil and the Philippines.

“I’m somebody who’s had the good fortune of studying with a lot of good people,” he said. “I’m constantly studying and training. Because of my experience I get to train with some of the best people in the world.”

Rappold said he got to meet one of his idols during his career, Chuck Norris, during his time in training and competitions.

“I’ve met Chuck Norris probably a dozen times,” he said. “He was very complimentary when he saw me compete, and we’ve also raised money for his organization over the years.”

Rappold said it was a different time for martial arts schools back in the 90s. The schools were, as he put it, more intimidating and less welcoming then they are now, and he said he wanted a school to be inviting and welcoming.

“At the time parents weren’t allowed to watch,” he said. “From my standpoint, I’ve always felt very strongly that parents should be right there and see and hear what we do. In 91’, martial arts schools weren’t very warm and inviting. It wasn’t an atmosphere of service to the students and families. We were one of the first schools in the area that embraced that at a very high level.”

Rappold added that teaching instruction is very important at his school, so that all instructors have also been trained in teaching as well as martial arts.

“A practitioner of martial arts and a teacher of martial arts are two totally different things,” he said.

Alecia Danch has faced unusual odds on her path to learning taekwondo.
The 22-year-old South Bend woman was born with mental and physical disabilities, and some things that most people take for granted are challenges for her.
Walking can be a struggle. She communicates with sign language because she can’t speak.
But she’s still managed to earn a black belt in taekwondo.
She can perform the martial art’s poomsae motions. She can even break boards.
“You know, everybody’s into something. She’s into taekwondo,” Alecia’s mother, Janet Danch, said. “She lives and breathes it, watches it all the time.”
Alecia began developing her love of the sport four years ago at Hong’s USA Taekwondo in Mishawaka. Now she works on her skills at Hong’s dojo in Niles.
On Saturday, she participated for the first time in a large public competition with about 200 other people at the USA Taekwondo Indiana State Championship at Century Center.
Although she fell during the competition, she picked herself up each time and finished her routine.
That kind of determination has inspired many other people who have seen her progress at Hong’s, and the audience Saturday responded with a standing ovation.
Alecia is the youngest of Janet and John Danch’s four children.
“She has a birth defect. There’s not really a category for it,” Janet said of Alecia. “Her brain didn’t form right on one side, so she has low motor tone. … She’s had to be taught stuff that comes naturally to a lot of people. You don’t really think about the things that come naturally to people until they don’t.”
Alecia decided four years ago that she wanted to try taekwondo, so Janet found Hong’s in the phone book.
She walked only with crutches when she started going to Hong’s, but that’s not the case anymore.
“She’s very persistent about not using her crutches,” Janet said. “She falls down a lot, but she tries real hard. She doesn’t get frustrated, she just gets right back up and keeps doing it.
“She’s more confident,” she continued. “I would be nervous at this (large event), but she’s not. She’s been looking forward to it.”
Grand Master Soon Pil Hong and Master Ron Harris have worked extensively with Alecia at the Niles dojo.
Hong wants paralympic events to recognize taekwondo because he believes the martial art could help a lot more people as it’s helped Alecia.
How?
“Make them believe in themselves,” he said.

Skyline High School sophomore Damian Banki learned to understand the meaning of special by watching his mother turn the special needs of his older brother diagnosed with autism into strength for his family.

The 16-year-old red belt in taekwondo has applied the same strong spirit to help special-needs students build self-esteem that extends beyond the mats of their martial arts studio.

“Damian is wise beyond his years,” said Mitch Boss, of Bellevue, who enrolled his daughter Megan in the special-needs martial arts class with Banki at True Martial Arts on the Sammamish Plateau. “Martial arts is all about flexibility and strength. But, it’s also about mental discipline. Damian has the unique ability to combine the physical aspects with personal respect.”

At 12, Banki became one of the youngest students ever promoted to full instructor in the 31 years the school has operated near Pine Lake. The young teacher studied alongside his mother, Lynne Banki, who just happens to hold her own first-degree black belt.

Skyler Zoppi, the chief instructor at True Martial Arts, asked Lynne for help when he was forced to deal with an irate parent with a special-needs child who had been asked to leave a class for being too disruptive.

“We want to accommodate all of our students,” Zoppi said. “I turned to Lynne after we received a nasty letter from the unhappy parent. After all, Lynne had raised Damian and his older brother, Caspian. Lynne and Damian jumped right in to design a class that was open to everybody.”

Damian said he learned a great deal about dealing with people from the love and commitment his mother showed to his older brother while they were growing up. Caspian, who is on the autism spectrum, is now living on his own while attending college in Colorado.

Damian modified the requirements for students to progress through the ranks of colored belts associated with martial arts, Zoppi said. The young instructor then adapted the rules of the sport to fit the physical limitations of special-needs students. He initiated modified steps between belts that allowed students in his class to earn stripes on their belt to reward mastering specific kicks or a new stance.

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art famous for its long low stances, high kicks, jump kicks and flying kicks. It is the world’s most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners. It combines combat techniques with meditation and philosophy.

Zoppi is a fourth-degree black belt who owns and operates True Martial Arts with his mother Laurel. He said the weekly special-needs martial arts class, commonly called SNAP at the studio, has attracted students beyond the community and from as far away as Seattle and Tacoma. In addition to the unique curriculum of the class, Zoppi said martial arts training offers families with special needs an affordable alternative to expensive activities that are normally associated with such children.

The expense associated with individuals with special needs is a sensitive topic for Lynne Banki. She established Autism Day WA in 2001 to bring together caregivers and service providers with families across the Eastside who have been touched by autism. The annual event at Jubilee Farms in Carnation is free for participants and vendors. Lynne teaches the SNAP class developed by her son to students from the Tavon Center in Issaquah and at the APL School in Seattle during the week, while Damian is in class at Skyline.

The teenage instructor admitted he must pay special attention to the language he uses in class each week to be certain each student understands the techniques and can progress at his or her own pace. In addition to students on the autistic spectrum, Damian said his refined curriculum has also been successful with students who have trouble with focus, including his pupils afflicted with ADHD.

Lynne described her youngest son’s teaching style as “creative and patient.”

“Damian is very awesome,” said Megan Boss, a 22-year-old student who has thrived under the tutelage of Banki. “He teaches me about sparring and using weapons. But, he does everything with respect.”

Megan has excelled in a variety of individual sports at the Special Olympics. Mitch Boss said taekwondo has provided Megan with the mental discipline to “shine at team sports as well.”

“Damian gave Megan the ability to be feisty,” her father said with a smile. “And feisty can be a very good thing.”