# Sami Ibrahim



## Sami Ibrahim (Jan 22, 2017)

Good Evening MT Members & Readers, 

       My name is Sami Ibrahim, pronounced (Sam-E E-bra-heem), though I usually go by Sam. I began my study of the Martial Arts while I was a very small child. I eventually took up the study of Kenpo Karate which I usually call American Kenpo these days in 1990 in Cleveland, Ohio. 

    I began learning Kenpo under Associate Professor Mike Veninshek (Jan 3 1957- Jan 4 2012) at the Midwest Kenpo Karate School on the corner of W.120th street and Lorain Ave. I have remained an avid Kenpo practitioner for the last 27 years. At the time of this posting 1/22/2017 I am a 4th degree Black Belt (Senior Instructor) in Kenpo. 

    I spent a portion of my childhood growing up in the war-torn West Bank of Palestine, Gaza and Occupied Jerusalem, being exposed to violence and war as a young child, reinforced my already held beliefs that Martial Arts is a matter of life or death. Having learned to speak fluent Arabic and understand the ancient Middle Eastern customs, it seemed no great leap for me to get involved with the Military and Law Enforcement Community after the events of 9-11. Often teaching Martial Arts for free at recreation centers in Cleveland, Ohio. I was invited to live in a Japanese dojo in Mishawaka Indiana. While their I began working as a bouncer at a biker bar and a door man at a piano bar that was a popular hangout for the Nortre Dame football team. As well as training members of the Mishawaka Police Department. While I absolutely loved my time in Indiana, duty called. 

   I entered into Active duty with the US ARMY in 2006 and the next thing I know its 2017 I have been all over the world, I am married with children. I have done more stuff than I care to remember, my body is held together with duck tape and chewing gum and I am months away from retirement. I did my best to practice Martial Arts every day, to train with the best warriors I could find in any given duty station or assignment and to visit martial arts schools in every part of the world I traveled too, regardless of style or system. Though I am 33 years old, I feel very old, sometimes ancient, I can't tell if its from visiting so many ancient places or from so many people trying to blow me up or kill me by some other creative means. I still absolutely love Kenpo but as with anything I get rusty, lucky for me my last assignment had me in the state of Washington, so I am able to hang out at Mr. Rainey's Kenpo Karate School in Federal Way, WA. Thanks to his guidance much of the rust has been knocked off and I feel pretty good about the direction my Kenpo is growing. 

Also thanks to Social Media and Martial Arts Forums like Martial Talk and Kenpo Talk, I have been able to communicate with and read the thoughts of many Martial Artists from drastically different backgrounds than my own and that has been a huge factor in my growth as a human being. It because of talking with people that are into sports based Martial Arts and people that do Martial Arts for health and fitness and those who do Martial Arts purely for fun or to enjoy an ancient tradition that I am starting to loosen up, to laugh at my own sternness, to be less judgmental because I have a better understanding of where these other kinds of martial artists come from, back in the day I could not understand them one bit.


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## Tames D (Jan 22, 2017)

Welcome Sami. You're a warrior & survivor. How's Clyde?


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## Sami Ibrahim (Jan 22, 2017)

Tames D said:


> Welcome Sami. You're a warrior & survivor. How's Clyde?



Thanks, no idea.


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## Dirty Dog (Jan 22, 2017)

Welcome to MartialTalk. Hope you enjoy it.


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## Blindside (Jan 23, 2017)

Hi Sami,
Welcome to the board!  Maybe we will get a chance to meet with you now in WA.

Lamont


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## marques (Jan 23, 2017)

Welcome.


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## Sami Ibrahim (Jan 23, 2017)

Blindside said:


> Hi Sami,
> Welcome to the board!  Maybe we will get a chance to meet with you now in WA.
> 
> Lamont



Where in WA are you, I am always looking forward to meeting up with Martial Artists and I can travel.


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## KenpoMaster805 (Jan 23, 2017)

Hi sami welcome to MT its me mike


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## Blindside (Jan 23, 2017)

Sami Ibrahim said:


> Where in WA are you, I am always looking forward to meeting up with Martial Artists and I can travel.



I am over in Kennewick, about 4 hours from you, so a bit of a distance.  If you do any weapon stuff we are holding the Warrior Tipon-Tipon in Bellevue in March (think Dog Brothers lite).  Warrior Tipon-Tipon 2017

Always good to meet people over a stick hickie or two.   But I know most of the Kenpoists over there even though I am pretty much out of the art these days, so I am sure we share many acquaintances.


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## Sami Ibrahim (Jan 24, 2017)

Blindside said:


> I am over in Kennewick, about 4 hours from you, so a bit of a distance.  If you do any weapon stuff we are holding the Warrior Tipon-Tipon in Bellevue in March (think Dog Brothers lite).  Warrior Tipon-Tipon 2017
> 
> Always good to meet people over a stick hickie or two.   But I know most of the Kenpoists over there even though I am pretty much out of the art these days, so I am sure we share many acquaintances.



Very cool I would love to attend if I am still in WA in March I will be there!!


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## Jenna (Jan 24, 2017)

Sami Ibrahim said:


> Good Evening MT Members & Readers,
> 
> My name is Sami Ibrahim, pronounced (Sam-E E-bra-heem), though I usually go by Sam. I began my study of the Martial Arts while I was a very small child. I eventually took up the study of Kenpo Karate which I usually call American Kenpo these days in 1990 in Cleveland, Ohio.
> 
> ...


Hello Sami thank you for sharing some of your experiences, is good to have you here!  I can ask you a question please? If so, I should like to know in light of those experiences you have listed, why Kenpo is the right art for you personally? thank you and welcome aboard! xo


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## Sami Ibrahim (Jan 25, 2017)

Jenna said:


> Hello Sami thank you for sharing some of your experiences, is good to have you here!  I can ask you a question please? If so, I should like to know in light of those experiences you have listed, why Kenpo is the right art for you personally? thank you and welcome aboard! xo



Thanks Jenna, the short answer is that it was not until I got involved with Kenpo that I experienced positive measurable results in violent altercations. Each time I successfully survived some violent altercation it reinforced my choice. I also like that it gave me a broad spectrum of options to use depending on the threat, if I needed a lethal option it was available but could be scaled back as needed. While I did not appreciate this in my early years of training I appreciate a great deal now that I don't need to be stronger, faster or tougher than an enemy to be successful, I simply need to be aware, accurate and efficient with just a touch of ruthless to come out alive. Also peoples eyes are squishy lol.


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## Jenna (Jan 25, 2017)

Haha human eyeballs are squishy? Ewww.. I have tasted sheep eyeballs.. squishy when they are boiled.. is not easy though to get beyond what you are eating lols.. hey I can ask you another question please? Is like hypothetical right? So like which you would rather have, your Kenpo made infallible like never fail and never let you down ever, ok? OR an absolute guarantee of safety for you and yours that meant you never needed to practice Kenpo again never having to use your Kenpo as it is ever again for a defensive purpose? Which you might choose?? Is hypothetical is all  Thank you xo


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## Touch Of Death (Jan 25, 2017)

When someone says they know Kenpo, I only know that we know the same terminology.


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## wingchun100 (Jan 25, 2017)

Sami Ibrahim said:


> Good Evening MT Members & Readers,
> 
> My name is Sami Ibrahim, pronounced (Sam-E E-bra-heem), though I usually go by Sam. I began my study of the Martial Arts while I was a very small child. I eventually took up the study of Kenpo Karate which I usually call American Kenpo these days in 1990 in Cleveland, Ohio.
> 
> ...


 
 Welcome to MT.


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## Sami Ibrahim (Jan 25, 2017)

Jenna said:


> Haha human eyeballs are squishy? Ewww.. I have tasted sheep eyeballs.. squishy when they are boiled.. is not easy though to get beyond what you are eating lols.. hey I can ask you another question please? Is like hypothetical right? So like which you would rather have, your Kenpo made infallible like never fail and never let you down ever, ok? OR an absolute guarantee of safety for you and yours that meant you never needed to practice Kenpo again never having to use your Kenpo as it is ever again for a defensive purpose? Which you might choose?? Is hypothetical is all  Thank you xo



Interesting question, I have never been asked that before. I lack the imagination to be able to answer that question very well, I can neither fathom an infallible Kenpo nor an absolute guarantee of safety for me and my loved ones.  Perhaps, if I had lived a peaceful life I would have been able to but my experiences burned into my conscious the results of people who thought they had an absolute guarantee of safety, only to be invaded and slaughtered or betrayed by the very people that gave them that absolute guarantee of safety so every time I try to answer your question and conceive of an absolute guarantee of safety I remember the bloated bodies of the dead and other wretched memories. 

On a lighter note when I try to conceive of an infallible Kenpo it conjures images of all the the Kenpo Clowns who think they have attained infallible Kenpo until they cross hands with someone who does not believe in the mythology of their immortality. I am also reminded of people who made brilliant, infallible plans in a situation room that went to absolute Hell in a hand-basket on first contact with an enemy. I know your question is hypothetical but it is very difficult for me to answer. 

OK not to burden anyone with my own religion beliefs but I believe in God, Angels an Afterlife and all that but since this life has forged me into what I am or perhaps brought out in me what God destined me to be, in the afterlife I imagine that if I make it to Heaven I'd try to sign up for some kind of protection duty, maybe I could guard something or at least train with the Angels because despite it being paradise, without the way of the warrior I would not feel like myself.


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## Jenna (Jan 26, 2017)

Sami Ibrahim said:


> Interesting question, I have never been asked that before. I lack the imagination to be able to answer that question very well, I can neither fathom an infallible Kenpo nor an absolute guarantee of safety for me and my loved ones.  Perhaps, if I had lived a peaceful life I would have been able to but my experiences burned into my conscious the results of people who thought they had an absolute guarantee of safety, only to be invaded and slaughtered or betrayed by the very people that gave them that absolute guarantee of safety so every time I try to answer your question and conceive of an absolute guarantee of safety I remember the bloated bodies of the dead and other wretched memories.
> 
> On a lighter note when I try to conceive of an infallible Kenpo it conjures images of all the the Kenpo Clowns who think they have attained infallible Kenpo until they cross hands with someone who does not believe in the mythology of their immortality. I am also reminded of people who made brilliant, infallible plans in a situation room that went to absolute Hell in a hand-basket on first contact with an enemy. I know your question is hypothetical but it is very difficult for me to answer.
> 
> OK not to burden anyone with my own religion beliefs but I believe in God, Angels an Afterlife and all that but since this life has forged me into what I am or perhaps brought out in me what God destined me to be, in the afterlife I imagine that if I make it to Heaven I'd try to sign up for some kind of protection duty, maybe I could guard something or at least train with the Angels because despite it being paradise, without the way of the warrior I would not feel like myself.


Thank you for answering me as you have, like as you, I appreciate that a lot  xo 

Ha you would be a kickass angel close quarters guard on St Peter or perimeter patrol I like that  No weapons in heaven maybe you have to use ya mind power  Wishes Jx


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## oftheherd1 (Jan 30, 2017)

Welcome to MT!  Look forward to your future input.

Looks like you had an interestingly full set of experiences in your 10 years service.  Hope all is well.


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## Brian King (Feb 3, 2017)

Welcome to martial talk. Thank you for your service.

Regards
Brian King


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