Tony Rockwell Jr.

People Profile

SENSEI, RISE

Whether dominating international karate championships or wrangling 6-year-olds, Chanhassen’s Tony Rockwell
Jr. trancends his passion for karate and merges his ideals with reality.

Tony Rockwell Jr., the nationally regarded tae kwon do champion who runs Metro Karate Academy in Eden
Prairie and Chanhassen, strives to be the physical embodiment of an ancient ideal. More than just a karate
instructor, Rockwell Jr. is a sensei. However, if it were up to his mom, he might still be playing the trumpet.

Terry Rockwell didn’t want her son to start martial arts in the first place. “She said that when I started
trumpet, I quit trumpet,” Rockwell Jr. says, laughing. “She was afraid I was going to quit karate because I quit
trumpet.” Brash and 17, Rockwell Jr. was undeterred. “I actually had to forge my mom’s signature because she
wasn’t going to do it.”

And who can blame him? After all, it was 1983 and karate movies were penetrating pop culture and, with it,
Rockwell Jr.’s imagination. “To me it was mystical, it was beautiful, and it was intriguing,” he says. That,
coupled with his first McDonald’s paycheck, proved too great a force to ignore. “When I cashed my first check I
went and signed up for karate. I don’t know, I thought, ‘Seize the day,’” he says. “It was the summer, I had a
car, I had an income, and it just felt like the right thing to do.”

Rockwell Jr. shot through the ranks, assuaging any lingering fears that his stint in karate would meet the same
fate as the trumpet. In 1987, the 20-year-old tested for his black belt. “I was scared out of my wits. I was on
DEFCON 1 energy level,” he says. “I did what was asked of me to the best of my ability and I surpassed that
challenge.”

The test was just the beginning. In the 21 years since, Rockwell Jr. has elevated his black belt to the 6th degree,
competed for national and international championships, opened 2 karate schools, been named 2004 American
Tae Kwon Do Master-Instructor of the Year, garnered induction into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and
earned his MBA.

However, the desire to polish his résumé is not what drives Tony Rockwell Jr. In fact, there’s an unforeseen
byproduct that keeps him focused. “If it wasn’t for the kids in karate I’d be doing something else,” he says.
“Karate develops the courage for kids to do the right thing in life,” he says. “It gives them ownership.”

Rockwell Jr. sees himself as a combination of lead instructor and lead role model. In other words, he sees
himself as a sensei. “The ideal sensei walks their talk,” says Rockwell Jr.

And walk his talk, he does. At 17, Rockwell Jr. chose to abstain from drugs, alcohol and other factors that might
keep him from “being the best black belt [he] could be.” That choice is the cornerstone of his sensei philosophy.
He believes that you can’t tell kids to resist negative temptations if you yourself succumb to them. Accordingly,
he holds himself to lofty standards. “It’s what you do when no one’s watching that counts,” says Rockwell Jr.

Far from the movies that originally drew him to the dojo, teaching kids is what keeps him there and he’s not
willing to take that to the bank. Intent on keeping the world he’s created personal, Rockwell Jr. won’t let his
inner business enthusiast jeopordize Metro Karate. “I know my karate is limited because of what we teach and
how we teach it,” he says. “In other words, I wouldn’t want 50 karate schools because I know it would be
watered down. It would be ‘McKarate.’”

Keeping things small and assembling a close staff allows Rockwell Jr. to be seemingly ever-present. “When
people sign up I extend my hand and say, ‘Welcome to the family.’” However, even the most present sensei isn’t
always present. And, when he’s not, Rockwell Jr. is probably reading, watching movies or practicing yoga.

Or, he might be on a date. “A lot of women don’t understand what a martial arts philosophy is, so it’s kind of
hard to communicate with them,” the 41-year-old bachelor says. On second thought, the trumpet might not have
been a bad idea after all.
Metro Karate Academy
www.metrokarate.com
16370 Wagner Way, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 -- 952.937.0020
2778 West 78th St., Chanhassen, MN 55317-- 952.401.7511

Contact
Tony Rockwell Jr. -- 612.309.5038 [c]

Tony Rockwell Jr. Sidebar

THE REAL MIYAGI

Twin Cities sensei Tony Rockwell Jr. of Metro Karate Academy discusses the realities of a classic karate flick.

DW: The Karate Kid; a sensei’s opinion.

TR: It’s a charming, fun movie that will be around for decades to come because I don’t think it will ever wear
out.

DW: Are you more Danny Larusso or Mr. Miyagi?

TR: I’m definitely Miyagi. Because of his mindset.

DW: I’m struck by the similarities between Miyagi and the actual sensei ideal. Do you see them?
TR: They did a good job with him except in a few areas. Like, when Larusso goes to the tournament and they
pull a black belt out of someone’s bag and just give it to him. You don’t do that. I don’t care if you’re Sensei
Miyagi or whatever; you don’t touch someone else’s black belt. Then there’s the wax-on, wax-off; you’re never
gonna forget that.

DW: Injured knee and all, Larusso busts the crane kick into Johnny’s chin in the climactic scene. Does that
move actually exist?
TR: It certainly does, and welcome to Hollywood. You take a simple kick like standing on one leg, switching legs
and kicking, and make it look mystical. Well, it’s just a front kick and it’s as beautiful a kick as you can throw in
a movie I guess.

DW: The Cobra Kais are supremely bad guys. Tell me those types of dojos don’t exist. I mean, their motto is
“Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.”
TR: They don’t last long.

DW: Lastly, and take your time with this one, does the crane kick beat Tony Rockwell Jr. when the title’s on the
line?
TR: Never!

-- Drew Wood