Instructor Bio
SENSEI J. BUCK FORD - ROKUDAN – 6TH DEGREE BLACK BELT
U.S.E.W.K.F. SENIOR KATA CHAMPION 2002-2006
Born in 1950, Sensei Ford began his karate training at Bushido Karate School in Inglewood, Tennessee in 1985. He was originally a student Of Sensei Melvin Brown at this location. As the years passed and the Dojo changed locations he was tested and promoted to Shodan in 1993 at the Anderson Road Jubudo Karate School and re-joined Bushido Dojo in 1994.
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At the time of Sensei Patterson’s passing in 2002, Sensei Ford had been a regular member of the Shihan Deshi, training weekly directly under Shihan Patterson for several years. He has received both the President’s Award and the Master Ohtsuka Award at the U.S.E.W.K.F. Annual Tournament at which he has been a frequent and successful competitor in kumite and kata winning the Senior Kata many consecutive years.
In 2001, Sensei Ford initiated a children’s character development and karate program at Dan Mills Elementary School. The program received wide acclaim and praise from local media and parents. Sensei Ford has served often as an official for the annual Tennessee Police and Fire Games. At the 25th Anniversary of the Games in 2004, he won the Silver Medal in both kumite and kata against much younger competitors in the civilian division.
In addition to his years as Sensei Melvin Brown's senior student, and his years as a Shihan Deshi under Shihan Patterson, Sensei Ford has trained extensively under Sensei Hironori Ohtsuka II, Sensei Kazutaka Ohtsuka, and Sensei's Toshio Osaka and Masafumi Shiomitsu. In March of this year, he was among more than seventy Yudanshi for an extensive three-day gasshuku in Nashville, Tennessee under the instruction of Kyoshi Shihan Sergio Takamatsu of Brazil. Between 2008 and 2011, while located in Southern California, Sensei Ford trained under the tutelage of one of Wado Ryu's leading instructors in the Western US, Kyoshi-Shihan Shoji Nishimura.
In addition to his thirty years as a practitioner of Wado Ryu, Sensei Ford is also a student of traditional Aikido under Sensei Frank Doran and Sensei Cindy Hayashi of Aikido West in Northern California.
The son of the late legendary Tennessee Ernie Ford, Sensei Ford is an accomplished author and actor, long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in hundreds of roles including “Country Strong”. He has volunteered his skills to serve as a role player in anti-terrorist and homeland security domestic preparedness training. He was awarded the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Community Service Award for these actions.