Grandmaster Soke Jane F. Van Paepeghem, 10th Dan, Ph.D. MA. Soke Jane started martial arts training in 1966 under Jim Lewis who taught her basics in self defense and boxing. She then began training with Sensei Ron Hamlet in Kempo Karate and then started training in Judo in 1969. She started a Karate club at the Pontifical Josephinum College in 1969. In these early years it was her dream to see Martial Arts come together and she formed Shukokai Kempo which took over 30 years to come to full reality. Shukokai means Way for all, and Kempo Fist way. Kempo was her 1st black belt and she wanted to keep Kempo in her art.

Soke Jane continued to study various styles of Karate and Ju-jitsu over the years while still working on Shukokai Kempo Martial Arts. She trained with many instructors and has received many Black belt rankings in Kempo, Judo, Ju-Jitsu Iaido, Shorin Ryu, Shotokan, Gojukan, Kobujitsu, and in the Korean martial Arts of Tae Kwan Do and Tang Soo Do.


Lucas Shingleton grabs at Grandmaster Jane Van Paepeghem (1). GM Jane parrys the grab and steps outside controlling Lucas' arm (2). GM Jane raises Lucas' arm and prepares to move inside (3). GM Jane steps in and cranks Lucas' neck down while applying up pressure to his arm (4). Lucas flips onto his back landing hard (5). GM Van Paepeghem finishes the attacker with an ax kick (6).

Soke Van Paepeghem has received many awards for her accomplishments in the Martial Arts from competition awards to Hall of Fame Inductions. She won the Arnold Martial Arts Festival in 2005 and in her discipline the Arnold classic is one of the biggest events in the Country and is a world class competition. She also won the Irish Cup in 1998 in forms and is a 5 time All American and has won several State and National titles.

Soke continues to compete as a senior and instructs classes at the Hornet's Nest martial Arts Academy of Street Survival in Harrisville, West Virginia. She taught classes for Grandmaster Joon P. Choi's Oriental Martial Arts College in Columbus , Ohio before moving to West Virginia. She was just recently promoted to 6th degree midnight blue belt Yukdan in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Dae Han Soo Bak Do and received the title Chungsa Nim or Senior Master. She holds a godan under the Japanese Gojukan Grandmaster Tadashi Aida through Master Mike Wayne. She also holds a Hachidan in Shotokan through the Okinawan karate Federation under Master Glen Premru Japanese Division and through the Eastern USA Martial Arts Assoc. under Soke John Kanzler.

Soke Van Paepeghem holds a 1st Dan in Seiei Kan Ju-jitsu, 4th Dan in Kaju Ryu Ju-jitsu and 6th Dan Ju-jitsu under the American Budo Assoc. and is one of the few Martial Artists to hold a separate ranking in Ko Bujitsu of 6th Dan. She is also a Sifu, 1st degree black sash in Fu Jow Kung Fu and a Si-Poo 5th degree black sash in Shuai Chiao Chinese wrestling and has been awarded her Masters Red Sash in Shuai Chiao. She is a retired Ohio police officer having served 16 years before getting injured on the job and retired on a disability. She was also an instructor at the Ohio State Police academy. She continues to work today in private security work.


Soke Jane Van Paepeghem prepares to defend with Tonfas against a bo staff attack from Si-Di Montana Bobby Phillips (1). Bobby thrusts his bo and Soke parrys (2). Soke Jane strikes Bobby in the neck and head with the opposite tonfa while still controlling the attackers bo staff (3). Si-Di Phillips slashes with the other end of the bo and Soke parrys and controlls the bo staff (4). Soke Van Paepeghem continues to control the bo with one tonfa and brings the other to the ready (5). Soke Jane finishes the attacker with a thrust to his throat (6).

In 2004 Master Jane was asked to apply for her Sokeship in the US Martial Arts Alliance under Dr. Jim Thomas and it was approved in October 2004 thus making Shukokai Kempo Martial Arts no longer a dream but a reality, she received the Title Soke and her 10th Dan and was appointed the Ohio State Representative for the Alliance until 2008. Shukokai Kempo is a mixed style martial art with over 40 years of experience. Soke Van Paepeghem has received this year her 10th Dan under the World Hombu- Budo / Bugei Kokusai Remnei in Kempo. She also holds her 10th Dan in Kempo thru the Independent Martial Arts Federation and a 9th Dan in Kokusai - Senshu - Tokukai and American Jukido Ryu under Soke Jake D. Allen.


- Inducted into Who's Who in Karate 1982-83
- Who's Who in martial Arts 1984-85 and again in 1985-86
- Featured in Ohio Martial Arts Magazine in 1985 and again in 1987
- Ohio Governors Cup 1986 and received commendation from Ohio House of Representatives 1987
- Inducted into International Martial Arts HOF, Midwest Martial Arts Alliance HOF, World Karate Union HOF, AJMAU HOF, HNMAASS HOF, USA Martial Arts HOF
- Represented USA at the 4th International San Ten Karate Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1989 won gold forms masters division. Won gold at 1986 Police Olympics
- National Champion, Grand National Champion,Ohio State Champion , West Virginia State Champion
- Appointed to US National Martial Arts Team and Team America AKJU

In 1971, she was one of the first women to receive a black belt in Karate and in 1982, she was the first woman to receive a Masters rank from The Japanese Gojukan.

  

Grandmaster Jane F. Van Paepeghem is the founder of Shukokai Kempo. She is currently teaching at the Hornet's Nest Academy of Street Survival llc. She can be reach through Grandmaster Stephen V. Colkett at E-mail: scolkett@ruralnet.org or Website: http://www.webspawner.com/users/hornetsmartialarts.

COMBAT WARRIOR E-MAGAZINE May 2006 / CombatWarriorMag.net