Alexander Kisten is known as “The Legend” in the Systema martial art. He is a 1984 graduate from the Ryazan Airborne Command School. Upon graduation, he served in a Spetsnaz Brigade of the GRU. From 1985 to 1987 he participated in combat operations in Afghanistan. There he held the post of Group Commander, and... more »
Antonius “Anton” Johannes Geesink (April 6, 1934 – August 27, 2010) was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion (1961, 1964 and 1965), Olympic Gold Medalist (1964) and won 21 European championships. He was 6’6″ (1.98m) tall and at one time weighed 320 pounds (145 kg). Geesink first... more »
Born in the 19th year of Emperor Guangxu’s Reign of the Qing Dynasty (1893), Lu Zijian lives in Chongqing City, Sichuan Province, China. Despite his age, he is healthy and lithe. He is a well know martial artist, heading the Dragon Gate lineage of Daoism (Long Men Pai). In 2002 Lu was awarded 9... more »
Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; 27 November 1940 – 20 July 1973) was a Chinese American and Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. He is widely considered by many commentators and other martial artists to be the most... more »
General Choi Hong Hi was born on November 9th, 1918, in the Hwa Dae Myong Chun District of Korea. At the age of twelve he started to study Taek Kyon, an ancient Korean method of fighting with the feet. Later, when he was studying in Japan, he met a Karate teacher who helped him... more »
Grandmaster Chojun Miyagi was born on April 25, 1888. He began training in karate under Kanryo Higaonna at the age of 14, in 1902. Like his teacher before him, because of his great natural talent and fierce determination, he progressed very rapidly. The training was severe beyond belief at times but he practiced ever... more »
Christian Tissier (born 1951 in Paris, France) is one of the best known European Aikido teachers, who pioneered the art in France. He started training in Aikido as a child in 1962, and trained under Mutsuro Nakazono in Paris until he left for Tokyo in 1969. He came to Aikikai Hombu Dojo as an... more »
Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do. As a result of his “tough guy” image, an Internet phenomenon... more »
Daniel Arca “Dan” Inosanto (born July 24, 1936) is an Filipino-American martial arts instructor from California who is best-known as a student of the late Bruce Lee and authority on Jeet Kune Do Concepts. Inosanto is one of three people allowed by Bruce Lee to teach his Martial Arts system (Taky Kimura and James... more »
Doshin So was the creator and founder of Shorinji Kempo and the doctrine Kongo Zen. Born Michiomi Nakano, So (usually referred to as Kaisō which approximately translates as ‘the founder’) lived in the Manchuria region of China with his grandfather, and later from the mid 1920s to the end of the Second World War.... more »
Master Duan Zhi-Liang, is a Wuji Qigong Master. “The essence of all evolution in nature emerges from chaos, by understanding the infinite energy that is always available to us we can flow naturally with the chaotic rythms of the universe. Try to avoid patterns and repetition, mix things up, and let chi flow smoothly.... more »
Senior Grand Master Ed Parker is known worldwide as the “Father of American Kenpo Karate”. Mr. Edmund Kealoha Parker was born on March 18, 1931 in Honolulu, Hawaii where he lived until 1950, when he left to attend college in Utah. He studied and earned his Black Belt in Kenpo Karate under the late... more »
Emin Boztepe (born 17 June 1962) is an American martial artist of Turkish origin who held German nationality prior to naturalization. He first came to prominence for his fight in 1986 with noted Wing Chun practitioner William Cheung, and he continued to gain attention in the 1990s with a public challenge of the Gracie... more »
Gene LeBell was born in 1932 in Los Angeles, and holds a 10th degree black belt (red belt rank) in Judo and a 9th degree black belt in Jujutsu. Along with Judo and Jujutsu, Gene has also trained in Boxing, Catch-Wrestling and Kyokushin Karate. In addition to martial arts, he also dubbed in professional... more »
Gichin Funakoshi (November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) was the creator of Shotokan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the ‘father of modern karate.’ As a boy, he was trained by two famous masters of that time. Each trained him in a different Okinawan martial... more »
Gozo Shioda Sensei was born in 1915. His farther, Dr. Seiichi Shioda was known as a famous doctor and a patriot. Gozo was his second son. When Gozo Shioda sensei was 18, he became a student of Morihei Ueshiba Sense (O-Sensei), the Founder of Aikido. He spent 8 years with Ueshiba Sensei, dedicating his life to... more »
Cho Hee Il (born October 13, 1940) is a prominent Korean-American master of taekwondo, holding the rank of 9th dan in the martial art. He has written 11 martial art books, produced 70 martial art training videos, and has appeared on more than 70 martial arts magazine covers. Cho won several national and international... more »