Yukio Tani: Judo
Yukio Tani was born in 1881. He is known as one of the first Judoka to compete and teach outside Japan. A pioneering Japanese...
Ernie Reyes Sr.: Tae Kwon Do
Ernie Reyes, Sr. was born into a large Philippine family in Salinas, California in 1947. in high school Reyes, Sr. was an All Star...
Hohan Soken: Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu Karate
Okinawan martial arts master, Hohan Soken founded the Shorin-ryu Matsumura Seito Okinawa Karate Kobudo Association
Hohan Soken was born on May 25, 1889 and lived in...
Hawkins Cheung Inside Kung Fu Interview About Bruce Lee (1991)
This is an interview of Hawkins Cheung by Robert Chu and published Inside Kung-Fu magazine in November 1991.
Beginning in November 1991, Inside Kung-Fu published...
The History of James Mitose’s Martial Arts
James Mitose remains the one truly enigmatic figure in all the history of Kempo. James Masayoshi Mitose was born on December 30th, 1916 in...
J. Pat Burleson: American Karate System
Pat Burleson founder of the American Karate system, is a 10th degree Black Belt, and won the first US National Championship in Washington D.C. in 1964.
Frank Ordonez: Kajukenbo
Frank Ordonez was born February 15, 1927, in Puunene, Maui, Hawaii. As a teenager he trained in Jujitsu and judo from Sam Luke Sr.,...
Emilio Mel Bruno: Judo
Mel Bruno received his first degree Black Belt from Jigaro Kano in 1935. In 1954, he was recommended by Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder...
Francisco Conde: Oriental Defensive Arts Association
Army veteran and martial arts pioneer, Francisco Conde served four tours in the Korean War and two tours in Vietnam. He began his military...
Yasuichi Matsumoto: Judo
A Japanese judoka, Yasuichi Matsumoto, was born on May 25, 1918 and died on March 6, 1996. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships in...
Teruo Chinen: An Ancient Man in a Modern World
As the Arizona night descended around us in a blanket of warm desert hues, the yellow light from a kerosene yard lantern danced across...
Choki Motobu: Okinawan Karate
Choki Motobu was born on April 5, 1870 and died on April 15, 1944. He was born in Akahira village in the Shuri region...
Willie Lim: Combat Tai Chi Master
9th degree Black Belt, Willie Lim was born into a Malayan family of Kung Fu practitioners, his uncle was Head of the Eagle Claw...
Hidetaka Nishiyama: Shotokan Karate
Hidetaka Nishiyama is a Japanese-American martial arts master, instructor, author, administrator and pioneer. A student of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shōtōkan-ryū, Nishiyama is...
Takayuki Kubota: Gosoku Ryu Karate
Born in Kumamoto, Japan, Takayuki Kubota began studying martial arts at the age of four under the direction of his father, Denjiro Kubota. Because...
Jean-Claude Van Damme
1960 - 1972
Jean-Claude Van Damme (Jean-Claude Van Varenberg) was born and grew up in Brussels, on October 1960. This large European city is the...