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(Enlarge) Stanley Crump is the sensei and proprietor of Ellicott City Fitness and Karate located off of Hillsborough Rd. He won the Heavyweight Champion of the World title in the 35-40 yr. age group at the Uechi Ryu World Cup last month in Florida and also won second in the overall competition. He teaches all ages and skill levels at the new facility. (Photo by Nate Pesce)

Stanley Crump scoffs at the idea that karate, the form of martial arts that became a 1980's cultural sensation in part due to the release of the film, "The Karate Kid," is making a comeback.

"Karate has never really gone anywhere and it's never going to go anywhere, karate is time-proven," said Crump of his discipline, which dates back to the 19th century.

Crump would know. He won the title of heavyweight champion of the world in late-June at the Uechi Ryu World Cup in Tampa, Fla., and is the proprietor and sensei (teacher) of Ellicott City Fitness and Karate.

Uechi Ryu is a form of karate that is marked by "deceptive, soft, round movements ... followed by hard, vicious linear attacks and strikes," systematic body toughening through pounding "so that if you get hit by a bat or stick or bottle or a punch, it doesn't hurt because you're used to it," and hand positions that turn the digits into weapons.

"You'd never use (those hand positions) in a tournament, but in real life applications," Crump added.

After beating all heavyweights regardless of age group -- Crump competes in the 35 to 40-year-old category -- he then competed for the title of Grand Champion, beating fighters from Canada, France and Argentina, and finished second to a fighter from Okinawa, Japan. The competition featured 280 fighters from around the world.

"It definitely charges me up to know that at 40 years old it doesn't make a difference, age is not a number, it's more the mentality, the spirit, the way you train," said Crump, who will turn 40 in November.

One of Crump's students, 15-year-old Mitchell Vara of Damascus, placed first in Kobudo, the weapons portion of the competition, and second place in Kata (forms).

"It helps confirm again that (this dojo) had international presence," said Crump, who holds a fourth-degree black belt in Uechi Ryu.

Crump grew up in New York and played soccer and basketball in high school. He went to college in Philadelphia before taking a job outside of Boston in pharmaceutical sales.

One day on the way home from work in 1993, "I saw this really funny looking sign. I knew it was something related to martial arts ... and I said, 'let me pull in here,' " Crump said. "From that day on I became addicted to it, and I've been doing it almost five days a week since then."

Crump moved to Maryland in the mid-90s planning to become a restaurateur in Washington. He opened a Hershey's ice cream parlor in Elkridge and continued to work as a pharmaceutical sales consultant while teaching karate out of his home.

In 1998, Crump earned his first degree black belt in California and the next day he fought in the Uechi Ryu World Cup, winning the tournament. Kiyohide Shinjo, a legendary master of Uechi Ryu karate, was there and invited Crump to come to Okinawa to train.

The World Cup took a seven-year hiatus after that because "the '98 tournament had a lot of bumps and bruises ... so they cut it off for a couple of years," said Crump, who decided not travel to Argentina or Canada for the last two tournaments.

In 2007, Crump opened Ellicott City Fitness and Karate, and in April 2008 he won the Individual Achievement award from the Howard County Economic Development Authority through its Committee for Business and Economic Diversity.

One of Crump's partners at his dojo is Michael Thompson. His father, James, trained directly under Kanei Uechi, the son of the founder of Uechi Ryu. James Thompson has become a mentor to Crump.

"He is one of the masters worldwide and I respect his eye. He tells me if my foot is off, or my defensive stances," Crump said.

Crump's wife, Danielle, also teaches with him. The couple has three children -- Nia, Kobi and Avery.

Ellicott City Fitness and Karate has been invited to host the Uechi Ryu World Cup in 2016, and Crump will host a top Okinawan fighter this winter to train at his dojo.

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