This athleticism and flexibility is further evidenced in his attaining a black belt in Shotokan karate and brown belt in taekwondo.
In 1976, at the age of 14, Boztepe began studying martial arts, including judo, Shotokan karate, wrestling, Muay Thai, and traditional boxing.
Frank Woon-A-Tai (b May 22, 1950), a ninth degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, is the chief instructor of the International Karate Daigaku, President of The Caribbean Karate College, Chief Instructor and Chairman of the Guyana Karate College, and Chairman of both IKD Canada and IKD Guyana.
Although a Muay Thai fighter by trade, Leuyer first began practicing martial arts at the age of five with Shotokan karate.
Several other mixed martial artists also have a Shotokan background or utilize Shotokan (e.g., Vitor Belfort, Antonio Carvalho, John Makdessi, Mark Holst, Assuerio Silva).
Steve began his training in his father's Karate school, Torakan, at the age of 4 in Shotokan Karate, attaining his black belt, fighting and winning Karate tournaments before he began his kickboxing career at 16.
Shotokan |
Bill Ryusaki trained in Shotokan Karate and Judo while his brothers trained in Kendo, Aikido, and Judo.
Master Tabata went to Waseda University and started studying Shotokan style karate under Master Isao Obata, one of Master Gichin Funakoshi's first students and first chairman of the Japan Karate Association.
A practitioner of Shotokan karate since youth, in 1984 Tokitsu started his own school, the Shaolin-mon ("door to Shaolin", compare the Mumonkan) school in Paris, where he had taught Shotokan karate since 1971.
Beginning in 1936, Ro studied Shotokan under Funakoshi, along with Chung Do Kwan founder, Won Kuk Lee.