Who's who in Martial Arts

[Masterlu]

Interesting read

Top 75 Martial Arts Movie Stars and their Training Backgrounds | Martial Arts Action Movies - DVD\'s - Blu-rays

[audioguy3107]

What? Where's Ralph Macchio???

[Masterlu]

[SCAudiophile]

Great list Ivan,...thank you for posting!

As for Ralph Macchio being mentioned, well,...I'll let you know what I think when I'm done retching <LOL>!

[NZ421291]

I find some of the claimed Karate Rankings on this list to be total BS. (IMHO)

It get to 8th Dan, you have to be training for over 50 years - continuously- so unless some of these Guys were training in the womb there is no way they are that rank or higher- they are too young. Plus, from 7th Dan onwards, Karate is your life, there is nothing else, you are expected to train & teach or administrate karate full-time.

I have been training Karate for 15 years, Shotokhan for 12 & Goju-Ryu for 3 yrs. & I know a Karate Master when I see one- and some of these on the list aren't, just watch the movies- some of their Kihon (basic skills) are very poor, & there always seems to be a body double or stunt man doing the real 'fighting'.

I have been fortunate to have trained with some of the highest ranked Karate Masters in the Karate world - Hanchi Kanazawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirokazu_Kanazawa
(Shotokhan), Takashi Yamaguchi 7th Dan http://jks.jp/en/about_en/instructor_en/ & Sensei Graham Lee 6th Dan (JKS Shotokhan http://jkskarateaustralia.com.au/shi...jks-australia/ and Hanshi Seiichi Fujiwara 8th Dan Goju Ryu.http://www.karateacademy.com.au/cont...h/?tac=Masters. & will be trained by Hanshi Masao Kagawa 8th Dan in the New Year http://jks.jp/en/about_en/masaokagawa_en/.

Notice that the 2 genuine Karateka on this list, Jean Claude Van Damme, & Dolph Lundgren; 2nd & 3rd Dan respectively- they are not into BS high Dans- I know these 2 are genuine as the Masters I named above recognize their rankings- as for the rest- yeah nah.


The number of true (internationally recognized) 9th & 10th Karate Masters in the World is probably less than 20. None of this lot would be in that top 20.

[Masterlu]

"Chuck Norris made history in 1990 when he was the first Westerner in the documented history of Tae Kwon Do to be given the rank of 8th Degree Black Belt Grand Master. In 1999, Norris was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum's Hall of Fame."

[NZ421291]

Hi Ivan, yep, Chuck's is a legend.

I cannot comment on Martial Arts outside of Karate, and specifically Shotokhan & Goju-Ryu Karate, as I don't know their ranking system or skills needed to be graded. Plus, different Martial Arts have difference emphasis & skill sets.

Even between Shotokhan & Goju-Ryu there are differences in number of Kata you have to know etc.

It was a real eye-opener for me training in Japan this year with Hanshi Fujiwarra 8th Dan. The standards are so high- I really struggled.

In Goju-Ryu the 'key Kata' that you must try to perfect is Kata Sanchin. It looks so easy- its so very difficult to do. We must have done this Kata over 250 times in the 6 days of training.

One morning before we started training, 2 of Hanshi Fukiwarras students (both 7th Dans & in there late 60's) were running through Sanchin- I thought their form was great- but they were getting 'told-off' for making the most minute mistakes!

The standard is very high.