Martial artists who inspire you

[Kenpoguy123]

Do you really think it's fair to make such a judgement about him as a person based on so little actual information? An article you once read is enough to decide you don't like him as a person?
So... I'm a Corvette guy. Let's say I read an article once, in which you said something nice about Mustangs. Should that be enough for me to decide that you're the scum of the earth, and that you probably should not be allowed within 100 yards of children?

Incidentally, I say things to and about my friends all the time that an outsider might consider insults. I think many (most?) people do this to some extent.

No I've read plenty of interviews where he came off like that and one of his friends wrote an article about him after he died where he said his kid hated him and called him a jerk. And yeah true enough but not to the public criticising them about their career which could damage their reputation like calling chuck Norris fat and slow. But like I said that's my opinion on the guy your right I don't know him but from what I know that's my opinion. Blimey this has gotten a reaction than it should have

 

[Kenpoguy123]

Joe Lewis , to my understanding was great man. He did criticize other martila rtists, but that doesn't make him a bad person. As a martial artist he is inspiring to me. Everyone knows Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, but not many people know Joe Lewis. He was just as good, if not better. I think he just didn't get as much Hollywood Hype. He had a crazy defensive side kick, would destroy people with it.

Fair enough and I've not said a word about his abilities as a fighter I know he was a very tough guy I'd have loved to have seen him in the fight with Bruce lee in way of the dragon but his arrogance (his own words read conversations about Bruce lee book with an interview with him) made him turn it down. If he had done it he could've had a better acting career I mean that was the movie that started chuck Norris off

 

[Kong Soo Do]

Bruce Tegner. He was my first exposure to the martial arts as I read a book he wrote that I had purchased used at a garage sale and read in the back of my grandparents pickup truck at the flea market. He's what inspired me to begin training.

William Fairbairn, Rex Applegate Erik Sykes and Dermott 'Pat' O'Neill. Some of the main figures in WWII Combatives. In my opinion one of the best and most brutal combative systems based on simple gross motor skills.

Ken Good. Developer of PCR and one Navy SEAL you'd never want to mess with. Becoming an instructor under him was more painful than both Israeli courses I took (both instinctive shooting and Krav Maga). And those hurt!

Tony Blauer. Became a SPEAR instructor under him and it's a damn fine, brutal system.

Peter Boatman (RIP). Best knife defense system on the planet in my opinion and has the stats to back it up in LEO circles.

 

[ks - learning to fly]

My Instructor and Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace

 

[Tames D]

Emin Bozetepe: I've gained a lot of respect for him as a MA.
Paul Vunak: Like him or hate him, he's a bad *** and a good guy to train with.
Gary Lam: The man is so easy going, but will rip you apart.
Jimmy Woo: Dead but not forgotten. He started me on my journey.
Chris Kent: One of the best JKD guys I've worked with. And a class act.
Frank Woolsey: You probably never heard of him, but along with Sifu Woo, trained me when I was a teenager.

Emin is the only one of the above mentioned that I haven't trained with. Yet.

 

[Dirty Dog]

That's a very British habit lol.

In my experience, it's a very HUMAN habit...

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Sherman Harrill Sensei, Harold Mitchum Sensei. Couple others I won't name because I train with them, and also, yeah, Bruce Tegner.

 

[Buka]

Okay fair enough if you knew the guy and again I'm not questioning his abilities but that's just the impression I got from him from various things I've read but hey if Im wrong I'm wrong I'll admit it

No worries, bro. We all read things written by everybody, and it's about subjects we love. Controversy makes the written word far more interesting, at least to the writers. Besides, take any thousand people, no matter what they're like, some of us like them, some of us don't, others don't give a rat's ***, then, someone else writes about it.

 

[Tez3]

In my experience, it's a very HUMAN habit...

Male habit.......

 

[Punchy]

Emin Bozetepe: I've gained a lot of respect for him as a MA.

Emin is the only one of the above mentioned that I haven't trained with. Yet.

I second this. Emin was a big influence on me and I learned a lot from him.
I definitely recommend trying to get some training time in with him.

 

[Tames D]

I second this. Emin was a big influence on me and I learned a lot from him.
I definitely recommend trying to get some training time in with him.

Yes, that is my goal. I'll have to do some research and see if he is ever in the Los Angeles area.

 

[Punchy]

Yes, that is my goal. I'll have to do some research and see if he is ever in the Los Angeles area.

He lived in LA back when I was training with him but I have lost touch with him. See if you can locate Michael Casey. He is his top man in USA and last I knew he was in LA area.

 

[Xue Sheng]

On a more serious note, and not meaning to be cliche but; Famous martial artists who have inspired me are people like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Bill (Superfoot) Wallace, Jim Kelly, Muhamed Ali, Joe Lewis and many of the guys from around that time.

Not so famous martial artist who inspire me are my Taiji sifu, Wang Rangang, Hai Yang and Fumio Demura

 

[Kong Soo Do]

...and also, yeah, Bruce Tegner.

I have quite a number of his paperback books in my library. Simple stuff, but it works.

 

[hoshin1600]

Not so famous martial artist who inspire me are my Taiji sifu, Wang Rangang, Hai Yang and Fumio Demura

Fumio Demura...not so famous? ??
He's the man! And he's the real karate kid, Mr Miyagi. But yeah maybe not AS famous as Bruce Lee.

 

[Buka]

First person who ever inspired me was Ed Parker on TV, when I was twelve. Don't know if that counts in the context of this thread, but there you go.

First person who ever inspired me in person was Van Canna. He took time to speak with us when visiting my Instructor at the time. He had such a good eye about everything we did, how we had improved since the year before, what we should work on. He was just so good a man, so the balls. He's a Judan in Uechi-ryu Karate now, he's been training forever. He still inspires me today.

 

[Blindside]

This same question was asked on my kenpo black belt test in 2000, my answer was "Dan Inosanto" and it hasn't changed since.

He is the epitome of the humble always-a-student martial artist.