The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

Former ju jitsu coach had ‘profound impact’ on past students


Former ju jitsu coach Steven Copping invented a style of ju jitsu called quantum ju jitsu.
The style consists of continuous learning and changing.

It also has taken characteristics from some other martial arts including judo, kendo, shiatsu and more. Copping was forced to give up teaching ju jitsu due to his health issues.

Copping died due to complications resulting from a seizure on Aug. 12. Copping, 45, had suffered from chronic seizures since a motorcycle accident when he was younger. He was hospitalized in Burbank at the time of his death.
 
Copping earned his black belt in the martial arts in the early 1980s and later became a sensei due to his love of the martial arts.

He had practiced kickboxing in the 70s prior to his ju jitsu studies. Copping founded the ju jitsu program at Harvard School for Boys in 1989.

He continued to teach after the merger with Westlake School until December 1998.
“Through [Copping’s] impressive talents and quiet wisdom, he was able to teach and inspire his students in matters extending well beyond the martial arts he taught,” Jared Schott ’99, a former student, said.

In his later years, Copping continued his shiatsu practice, which he had been previously doing simultaneously with ju jitsu.

Jeremy Corbell ’95 continued in his sensei’s footsteps by also becoming a master of ju jitsu. He succeeded his teacher at Quantum Ju Jitsu.

“He wasn’t just a normal teacher,” Corbell said. “He had a profound impact on people. He used ju jitsu as a tool to influence your fundamental beliefs.”

Many people affected by Copping’s teachings left stories on his memorial site.

“Sensei Steve was unlike any human being I have ever encountered,” Corbell said. “Simply put, he was extraordinary.”

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The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School
Former ju jitsu coach had ‘profound impact’ on past students