Karate in the United

States

Karate was first introduced to American

service men after World War II by
Japanese karate masters.[1][2]
 Karate in the United States

Mike Ninomiya competing in the Sabaki

Challenge

Governing body USA National Karate-

do Federation

International competitions

Karate World Championships

Pan American Games
Summer Olympics

Many of these US servicemen took their

newfound skills to the United States and
established their own dojos.[1][3][4] Many
Japanese karate instructors were also
sent to popularize the martial art in the
United States.[5][6] Robert Trias was the
first American to open a karate dojo in the
United States.[7]

Joey Rhodes, was one of the first karate

instructors to transform point kumite
(sparring) into full contact United States
karate. As the captain of the Eastern
Illinois University karate team, Rhodes
transformed karate into a popular activity
through his numerous invitational open
style tournaments, clinics, and camps.
Rhodes is the founder of Rhodes Karate
Schools and started his training in 1968
with the Japan Karate Association. [8]

History
In 1946 Robert Trias, a returning U.S. Navy
veteran, began teaching private lessons in
Phoenix, Arizona.[9] Other early teachers of
karate in America were Ed Parker (a native
Hawaiian and Coast Guard veteran who
earned a black belt in 1953),[10] George
Mattson (who began studying while
stationed in Okinawa in 1956), and Peter
Urban (a Navy veteran who started training
in 1953).
Prior to 1946, most karate teachers
outside Japan were in the Territory of
Hawaii (not yet a state). Many of those
teachers taught Kempo, to Asians and
locals only — one such teacher was James
Mitose. It was through Mitose that one
style of Kempo (Kosho Shorei Ryu) was
introduced to the world through William
Chow, one of his black belts, who then
went on to modify it and train Adriano
Emperado, Ed Parker, Ralph Castro, and a
host of other future grandmasters, some
of whom brought the modified art to the
U.S.
In the 1950s and early 60s several other
Asian karate teachers began arriving in
America to seek their fortunes, and to aid
in the popularization of the art.[11] They
included Hidetaka Nishiyama, Teruyuki
Okazaki, Takayuki Mikami, Tsutomu
Ohshima, Richard Kim, and Takayuki
Kubota. Several Koreans also came to
America in those days to introduce the
Korean version of the martial arts (not yet
known by the term taekwondo). They
included Jhoon Rhee, Henry Cho, Kim Soo,
and Jack Hwang.

In spite of the presence of these Asian

instructors, karate was primarily spread in
the early days by American-born
teachers.[12] They included Trias (called
the "Father of American Karate"), Don
Nagle, Parker, Mattson, and Urban, plus
pioneers like Harold Long, Steve
Armstrong, Allen Steen, Ernest Lieb, Pat
Burleson, Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis.

The 1960s saw tremendous growth in

karate's popularity in the United States.[13]
By the 1970s there were even professional
karate tournaments,[14][15] a precursor to
full contact karate and kickboxing.

USA National Karate-do

Federation
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was the
official organization responsible for the
running of all amateur sports in the United
States, established in 1888. The AAU was
officially charged with the organization
and operation of many sports in the US.
During this time, karate was one of the
committees in the organization and was
not an independent governing
body.[16][17][18][19]

The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 enabled

the governance of sports in the US by
organizations other than the AAU. This act
required each sport to set up its own
National Governing Body (NGB). Each of
these governing bodies would be part of
the United States Olympic Committee, but
would not be run by the Committee. Thus,
the USA National Karate-do Federation
was born in 1996.[20][21]

Founders of American
systems
No individual can truly claim to be the
founder of "American Karate" because it is
an eclectic mix of systems and styles.
Many instructors have taken what they
considered to be the best of different
systems to devise a curriculum that
worked for them and their students. Some
individuals who have claimed to be
founders of their own systems of
"American Karate" are listed here, some of
whom have claimed 10th degree or higher
black belt ranks for themselves. In Asian
culture, most 10th degree black belts
(typically represented by a Red Belt) were
awarded only upon the death of the
Grandmaster by his successor.

Tsutomu Ohshima, after being taught by

Gichin Funakoshi, traveled to America and
brought Shotokan Karate, as well as
creating the Caltech Karate Club, the first
American university karate club, in 1957.
Master Ohshima is a 5th degree black belt,
the highest rank in Shotokan Karate of
America. The reason being when Master
Funakoshi received his belt as a 5th
degree and not caring for rank, Master
Ohshima didn't want to go higher than his
master, setting the limit at five levels of
black belt rank.

Allen R. Steen is a 10th degree black belt

who earned his 1st degree in 1961, in Tae
Kwon Do from Jhoon Rhee. Steen opened
the first karate school in Texas in 1962
and became known as the "Father of
Texas Blood and Guts Karate." He also
gained fame for defeating Chuck Norris
and Joe Lewis in a single evening to win
Ed Parker's Long Beach International
Karate Championships in 1966.

Joe Lewis was often called the

"Muhammad Ali" of American sport karate.
He amassed many firsts including the first
World Professional Karate Champion and
the first U.S. Heavyweight Champion. He
began his martial studies while a 20-year-
old U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa in
1964. He earned a black belt in a record 18
months and due to his outstanding
tournament career was named the
"greatest karate fighter of all time" by his
peers in a Black Belt Magazine survey.[22]
Lewis died in 2012.
Joey Rhodes is a fifth degree Black Belt
(following Master Ohshima’s rank
philosophy) recognized as an innovative
pioneer in the USA collegiate Karate
community for introducing full contact
Karate. His United States style blended
Japan and Korean techniques, weapons
training, and Tameshiwari, (breaking -
Rhodes felt physical and psychological
confidence were instilled in his upper
ranking students because of this test and
trial) along with adherence to Gichin
Funakoshi twenty precepts, brought unity
between many practitioners and schools.
Many fellow law enforcement officers
adopted Rhodes effective self defense and
Tonfa techniques in the United States.
Rhodes retired from martial arts to
become an ordained minister.

J. Pat Burleson is a 10th-degree black

belt. He received his 1st degree black belt
in 1963 in Tae Kwon Do by Allen Steen.
Burleson was Allen Steen's first black belt
student. Steen, in turn, was Jhoon Rhee's
first black belt student in America in 1962.
Burleson based his system on Tae Kwon
Do, Tang Soo Do, and Wado-Ryu. His
website says he is one of the founders of
American Karate and his claims have been
based on his legitimacy of winning the first
National Karate Championships in 1964 in
Washington D.C.

Jim R. Harrison is a 9th-degree black belt.

He received his 1st degree black belt in
Judo and Jujitsu in 1962, Tang Soo Do in
1963, Shorin-Ryu Karate in 1964, having
trained under Bob Kurth, Kim Soo Wong
and Jim Wax. In 1964 he opened his
Bushidokan dojo in Kansas City where he
competed, trained several regional and
national champions, and hosted major
tournaments.[23][24]

Ernest Lieb was a 10th degree black belt.

He received his 1st degree black belt in
1958. Mr. Lieb based his system on Chi Do
Kwan, Karate, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, and Aikido.
In 1964 Lieb was one of the first teachers
to put the word "American" in front of
karate.[25][26][27][28]

Edmund K. Parker, Sr. was the founder of

American Kenpo Karate. He received his
black belt in 1953 from William Chow.
Parker based his system on Chow's
Chinese Kenpo Karate. Parker was one of
the first to commercialize karate in
America and became known by many as
the "Father of American Kenpo Karate"
because he originated the first
"Americanized" version of karate.[29]
Keith D. Yates is a 10th degree black belt.
He received his 1st degree black belt in
1968 in Tae Kwon Do by Allen Steen. Yates
was Allen Steen's youngest black belt
student at the time. After a successful
tournament career, Yates went on to
become a respected teacher and author.
He has served on the editorial boards of
most of the major martial arts
publications and has authored or co-
authored 13 books. He also sits on the
governing boards of several international
martial arts organizations.[30]

John Worley is a 10th degree black belt.

He received his 1st degree black belt in
1967 in Karate under the tutelage of
Charles Loven, and Texas karate legend
Master Instructor J. Pat Burleson. Worley
also studied with Jhoon Rhee and was one
of the top instructors in the Jhoon Rhee
Institute in Washington, D.C., before
leaving to found the National Karate
system of schools in Minnesota in 1973.
Along with co-founder and fellow 10th
degree black belt Larry Carnahan, Worley
has grown the National Karate schools
into one of the most successful sport and
Americanized karate systems in North
America. In 1977, Worley and Carnahan
also founded the Diamond Nationals
Karate Championships.[31]
Robert Trias is considered by many to be
the father of American karate.[32]

International competition
America is not traditionally considered a
"world power" in Sport Karate, and its
record in Karate World Championships is
poor for a country its size and wealth.[33]

Karate World Championships …

Year Host city Gold Silver Bronze Total

1970 Tokyo 0 0 1 1

1972 Paris 0 0 0 0

1975 California 0 0 0 0

1977 Tokyo 0 0 0 0

1980 Madrid 1 2 1 4

1982 Taipei 0 1 0 1

1984 Maastricht 0 1 0 1

1986 Sydney 0 0 1 1

1988 Cairo 0 1 2 3

Mexico
1990 0 1 1 2
City

1992 Granada 0 2 0 2

1994 Kota 0 0 0 0
 Kinabalu

1996 Sun City 0 2 1 3

Rio de
1998 0 1 0 1
Janeiro

Total 1 11 7 32

Popularity
Karate experienced an explosion of
popularity in the 1970s and 1980s thanks
to such movies as The Karate Kid.[34][35][36]
Its popularity has declined since the 1990s
due to competition from other martial arts
like Taekwondo and MMA.[37][38]

Commercialization
One of the major criticism of martial arts
teaching in the United States, is the
common practice in American of teaching
primarily for profit, at the expense of good
quality self-defense instruction.[39][40]

References
1. Thompson, Chris (24 July 2017).
"Black Belt Karate" . New Holland
Publishers. Retrieved 24 July 2017 –
via Google Books.
2. Yi, Joseph E. (16 June 2009). "God and
Karate on the Southside: Bridging
Differences, Building American
Communities" . Lexington Books.
Retrieved 24 July 2017 – via Google
Books.
3. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 October
1967). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. Retrieved 24 July 2017 –
via Google Books.
4. Beasley, Jerry (24 July 2017).
"Mastering Karate" . Human Kinetics.
Retrieved 24 July 2017 – via Google
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5. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 February
1992). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 December
1986). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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7. Ortiz, Sergio. "Robert Trias: pioneer of
U.S. karate." Black Belt Magazine. April
1976, pages 36-39.
. {{cite William, Resch. “Black Belt Joey
Rhodes.” ‘’Sandoval Registar, Centralia
Sentinel, EIU Daily Eastern News. May
1972, et al May 1974, et al pages 1-2.]]
 9. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 May
1977). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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10. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 June
1977). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. Retrieved 1 January 2018 –
via Google Books.
11. Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R.
(11 June 2010). "Martial Arts of the
World: An Encyclopedia of History and
Innovation [2 volumes]: An
Encyclopedia of History and
Innovation" . ABC-CLIO – via Google
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12. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 July
1977). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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13. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 October
1967). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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14. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 April
1970). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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15. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 May
1969). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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1 . Inc, Active Interest Media (1 February
1972). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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17. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 March
1975). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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1 . Inc, Active Interest Media (1 January
1985). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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19. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 March
1973). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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20. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 December
1997). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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21. Resende, Antonio (Tone) (16
September 2013). "Hajime: Karate
History in a U.S. community" . Xlibris
Corporation. Retrieved 24 July 2017 –
via Google Books.
22. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 April
1985). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. Retrieved 31 May 2019 –
via Google Books.
23. "A Candid Interview With Jim Harrison:
All You Ever Wanted to Know About
the Blood-and-Guts Days of American
karate but Were Afraid to Ask".
Professional Karate Magazine. Nov-
Dec, 1975. Print. (Pgs 20-22)
24. Martial Arts: Traditions, History,
People, John Cocoran and Emil Farkas
(1983), Gallery Books, ISBN 0-8317-
5805-8 (Pg 328)
25. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 October
1973). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. Retrieved 3 June 2019 –
via Google Books.
2 . Inc, Active Interest Media (1 October
1973). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. Retrieved 3 June 2019 –
via Google Books.
27. Inc, Active Interest Media (February
1974). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. p. 35 . Retrieved 3 June
2019 – via Internet Archive. "ernest
lieb america karate."
2 . Inc, Active Interest Media (1
September 1965). "Black Belt" . Active
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2019 – via Google Books.
29. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 April
1979). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
30. "A Visual and Martial Arts Sensei:
Profile of Keith D. Yates" .
31. Kickboxing: The Modern Martial Art,
Daniel Sipe (1994), Capstone Press,
ISBN 1-56065-203-9 (Pg 9-12)
32. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 March
1985). "Black Belt" . Active Interest
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33. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 February
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34. "The Karate Generation" .
Newsweek.com. 27 August 2000.
Retrieved 24 July 2017.
35. "Contender Shores Up Karate's
Reputation Among U.F.C. Fans" . The
New York Times. 23 May 2009.
Retrieved 24 July 2017.
3 . Joseph E. Yi (2009-06-16). God and
Karate on the Southside: Bridging
Differences, Building American ...
Books.google.co.uk. p. 128. Retrieved
2017-07-25.
37. Sofge, Erik (11 June 2010). "The Not-
So-Karate Kid" – via Slate.
3 . "Can Karate Hold Its Own In The Mixed
Martial Arts Era?" . onlyagame. 17
August 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
39. "The Martial Arts as Moneymakers" .
The New York Times. 28 August 1988.
Retrieved 24 July 2017.
40. "Thompson champions karate in MMA,
seeks UFC welterweight title" .
Espn.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2017.

Bibliography
1. The Development of American Karate:
History and Skills, Jerry Beasley
(1983), Bemjo Martial Arts Library,
ISBN 0-943736-02-1
2. Martial Arts: Traditions, History,
People, John Cocoran and Emil
 Farkas (1983), Gallery Books, ISBN 0-
8317-5805-8
3. Korean Karate, Keith D. Yates and H.
Bryan Robbins (1987), Sterling,
ISBN 0-8069-6836-2
4. The Karate Dojo: Traditions and Tales
of a Martial Art, Peter Urban (1997),
Tuttle Publishing, ISBN 0-8048-1703-
0
5. The Official History of Karate in
America: The Golden Age: 1968–1986,
Al Weiss (1997), ISBN 0-9615126-8-7
. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tae
Kwon Do, Karen Eden and Keith D.
 Yates (1998), Alpha Books, ISBN 0-
02-862389-4
7. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Karate,
Randall G. Hassell (2000), Alpha
Books, ISBN 0-02-863832-8
. The Ultimate Martial Arts Q & A Book:
750 Expert Answers to Your Essential
Questions, John Cocoran, John
Graden (2001), Contemporary Books,
ISBN 0-8092-9444-3
9. An Illustrated History of the Martial
Arts in America, Emil Farkas (2007),
Rising Sun Productions, ISBN 1-
897307-90-X
 10. The Complete Guide to American
Karate and Tae Kwon Do, Keith D.
Yates (2008), Blue Snake Books,
ISBN 1-58394-215-7

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