Lynn karate champ teaching local kids at YMCA

LYNN – Jordan Berry isn’t the sort of name that comes to mind in a discussion about Japanese karate.But a quick review of the sport’s recent history soon reveals that this 60-year-old Lynn native learned directly from the great masters.Berry, who lives in Topsfield, on Wednesday began teaching twice-weekly karate classes at the Greater Lynn YMCA. It has been a passion since he was a 19-year-old white belt, newly graduated from Lynn Classical High School, where he played basketball and ran track.”I started taking karate classes because kids were causing trouble and getting into it with each other. I thought it was a good idea and as soon as I started the lessons I knew it was something I would do for the rest of my life,” said Berry, who worked as an ironwork craftsman at the GE River Works for 38 years. “It was just one of those things.”Today, Berry is a 7th-degree black belt with more than 35 years of teaching karate.As fate would have it, Berry was introduced years ago to Lynn resident and former Nahanter Kazumi Tabata, an esteemed karate master. Tabata, head of the American Karate Federation, had learned the art from an instructor known as Mr. Obata, who in turn had been trained by the infamous Gichin Funakoshi.Funakoshi was born in Shuri, Okinawa in 1868. As a boy, he was trained by two famous masters of that era and went on to found Shotokan karate, the most widely known style.Tabata, a native of Japan since elevated to the rank of grand master, lives at Seaport Landing and remains active in the sport.”Mr. Tabata taught me,” said Berry, who also teaches Shotokan style karate. “I enjoyed it and now I have taught thousands of kids and adults, although I never advertised.”Berry taught karate classes above the North Shore Animal Hospital for 18 years.The youth class at the YMCA is on Wednesday and Thursday from 3:15-5:15 p.m. An adult class that will be held later in the evening on those days is being scheduled.For more information, call YMCA fitness director Sharon Dobbyn at 781-581-3105.