Pat Worley is a Karate legend who was Jhoon Rhee’s National grand champion in 1970, a title that was held by Joe Lewis for four years.  Worley was rated in the national top ten for fighting from 1970 through 1975 and he was a two time National Champion and the number one contender for the World Middleweight title from 1974 to 1977. BJJEE met Pat in Lisbon during the IBJJF European Championship where he was competing. As a firm believer in the Martial Arts, Pat started training BJJ in 2005 and has competed and medaled in his age group in all the major tournaments.

Sensei Pat talked to BJJEE about his martial arts and BJJ journey, his views on the ‘sportification’ of Jiu-Jitsu and what drives him to compete:

1. Hi Pat, can you please introduce yourself to the BJJ community?

Hello everybody. I am the president of Karate Championships, Inc.  (1974-Present). Karate Championships is a company that promotes the Minnesota State Karate Championships and other Martial Arts events. With over 700 competitors regularly attending the event. USA Karate, Inc. Vice President 1974-Present. USA Karate, Inc. Owned and Operated 8 Karate Schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro with an active enrollment of over 2,000 Students.

North Central Karate Association Board Member and Co- Founder 1987-Present
NCKA is an organization that sets rules and regulations for karate tournaments in the upper Midwest.

United States Taekwondo-Do Association Original Board Member 1970-1974
(USTA was dissolved in the 1980’s)

Karate Competition
I began my martial arts training under Grand Master Pat Burleson in Ft. Worth, TX in 1967. In 1969, I earned his Black Belt under the instruction of Master Chuck Loven, a student of GM Burleson. My Black Belt review panel included well known Martial Artists such as Grand Master Chuck Norris, Grand Master Allen Steen, the father of Texas Karate, and Mike Stone

My most notable win was “1970 National Karate Championships” in Washington, D.C.
I was rated in the national top ten for fighting from 1970 through 1975, and was the number one contender for the Professional Karate Association World Middle-Weight title from 1974 to 1977. In a nationally televised in 1977, I unsuccessfully challenged Bill Wallace for the PKA full contact karate World Middle-Weight title.
Most notable Form Competition was 1st Place 1970 US Open, Dallas, TX.

Awards
Featured and on the cover of January 1971 Black Belt Magazine
In April 2009, I was inducted into the Tae Kwon-Do Hall of Fame.
In October 2010, I was inducted into the Diamond Nationals Hall of Fame.
In 2013, I received the prestigious “Joe Lewis Eternal Warrior Award.”
In 2014, I was inducted into the Master’s Hall of Fame in Ft. Worth, Tx

BJJ
As a firm believer in the Martial Arts, I began BJJ training in august of 2005 at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu MN under Damian Hirtz.
I have competed in the following, 2012 Chicago Open: 1st Place Purple Belt,
2014 Pan Ams: 1st Place Brown Belt, 2014 Master’s Worlds: 1st Place Black Belt,
2015 Pan Ams: 1st Place in the Middle Weight and 1st Place in the Open Division
(These were in my age group)

I am currently a Tenth degree black belt in Tae Kwon-do/Karate and registered with the World Martial Arts Ranking Association. (www.wmara.net)
1st Degree Black Belt in BJJ

2. When did you first hear about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and how did you start your BJJ journey?

I first heard of the Gracie family when in the 1970’s they would run ads in Black Belt magazine with the family standing with their arms crossed saying, “We will fight any karate champion.”
I became aware of their skills when they started promoting the challenges and fighting other Martial Artists.

Pat Worley with Alexandre Paiva from Alliance

3. What do you think about the growth of BJJ in the USA? What are threats and opportunities for BJJ there?

Of course, I like the growth and popularity of BJJ. With the exposure enabled by social media and other channels, it has exploded. The biggest threat will be people opening schools who are not qualified. Anyone can put up a sign saying they are BJJ Black Belts.
The opportunities are numerous because of the popularity. Also, with the very good IBJJF, people can compete all over the world.

4. How do you see BJJ developing in 10 years time? What is your opinion on the ‘sportification’ of BJJ?

I am a big supporter and believer in competition. I think it is important to try one’s skills against as many different people as possible. If you only go against the same school mates, you will not get a good representation of your abilities. There is nothing as educational as experiencing a technique for the first time and seeing how you respond.

The “sportification” does not restrict one’s ability to defend oneself. This was the same argument that I have heard for fifty years about karate. Not all sport techniques work on the street. Maybe it would not be wise to use certain techniques for self-defense. But it doesn’t hurt to learn sport along with traditional BJJ. You don’t forget the basics because you learn some Bolo techniques.
In ten years, BJJ will be bigger than it is now, and some schools will be much better.

5. Do you see BJJ following the same route as Karate?

In some respects, yes. But, the big difference between Karate and BJJ is that BJJ had one beginning source. Having one source, it set the standard and the system. In Karate, we have: Tae Kwon-Do, Shuto Kan, Kung Fu, Kenpo, Kyokushin-Kai, etc. They all had their own standards, belt systems, traditions and so on. I hope that the BJJ community stays the course. But, I have already seen people adding belts.

6. What are your views on the self defense vs sport Jiu-Jitsu debate?

My biggest issue is that some people who are criticizing the sport as not being applicable to self-defense have never been in a fight. If you have never been in a fight, all you are is a theorist and a blow hard.

As I mentioned, it was the same for Karate. A kick to the head will never work on the street. Blah, blah, blah. Trust me, it works.

7. You have just won gold at the Pan’s last weekend. What drives you to still compete after decades of competing?

I love to compete and to fight. I like seeing how my skills match up against others. I like the environment and the people. One meets the best people at tournaments I feel very fortunate to be able to still compete.

8. What are your plans for 2015?

I hope to be able to do a few more tournaments. But at my age, I take it one day at a time.

9. If you want to thank somebody or sponsors, feel free

Thanks. Yes, I would like to thank:
o Damian Hirtz for his patience and excellent instruction.
o Tim Blackstone for his daily smashing and instruction.
o George Faber for being a great training partner and friend for over 25 years.
o All of my team mates at Alliance MN for their support and great training
o Fabio Gurgel and Romero Jacare Cavalcanti for their professional organization and for all of the great champions that they produce.
o Paulo Sergio Santos for his great instruction and for allowing me to train while I visit Paris.
o My Karate roots: Jhoon Rhee, Pat Burleson, Allen Steen for making it possible for me to have a great life in the Martial Arts.
o Gordon Franks, my business partner for over 40 years.
o John Worley, my brother, for always being there and giving me a great role model.
o Klint Klaas for getting me started down the road of BJJ.
o Leah, my wife, for supporting my Martial Arts and my competition.
o And last but not least BJJEE.com for doing this interview and allowing me to express my views and gratitude.