![]() Random tangent - the guy that banged Elvis' wife, Mike Stone - he was a legit bad motherfucker. Slight correction - the Kang Rhee guy mentioned above was not Shotokan, he did some weird offshoot he "invented" called Pasa Ryu that was mostly Tae Kwon Do with a little kung fu and karate mixed into it. In actual training, he wore a traditional uniform. It's said he only wore this outrageous outfit for demonstrations and public appearances. Incidentally, it was this event that led to Elvis writing the song "Always On My Mind."Įlvis presenting a trophy to the legendary full contact champion Bill "Superfoot" Wallace.Įlvis sporting his custom made satin Karate gi with bell bottoms and flared collar. He hired a live in Karate instructor named Mike Stone (pictured above with a magnificent Afro), and Stone and Prescilia Presley began an affair then led to their divorce. Interestingly, it was Elvis's obsession with Karate that cost him his marriage. Here are some photos of Elvis's martial arts journey.Įlvis just after being awarded his black belt in 1960.Įlvis working out with the father of American Kenpo, Ed Parker. Elvis actually attempted to expose martial arts to American audiences by producing a documentary called "Gladiators," but the plug was pulled half way through filming by Elvis's manager Colonel Tom Parker. Martial arts weren't widely known to western audiences at the time, but who would have been better than Elvis to introduce American audiences to it? Elvis would have been considered as much of a martial arts icon as Bruce Lee today, and listed among action stars of the time such as Lee Marvin, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, etc. It made me think about the fact that Elvis stared in over 30 movies in his life, and not a single one was in the action/martial arts genre. He regularly incorporated martial arts into his live performances. He also had a high level rank in Shotokan under a guy named Kang Rhee.The legitimacy of these ranks is obviously questionable, but by all accounts, he was a Martial arts fanatic who took his training very seriously, even after prescription drug abuse caused severe weight gain and erratic behavior. By 1973, he was a 7th degree master in American Kenpo under Ed Parker. He loved kids and never missed an opportunity to teach them.Įlvis Presley was first exposed to Karate while in the Army stationed in Germany in 1958. My friend said that a couple of those kids came back to Kronk to train. Stewart had been listening the whole time and was laughing about it later. The kids eyes bugged out with fear and they took off. Go back to your school and play before I send some REAL champions out to kick all of your asses!" Ĭoach Emmanuel Stewart sticks his head out the door and says " You kids get out of here. I'd like to say that someone fought and the boxer won but that's not what happened. Soon enough they were posturing like a fight was gonna happen. I remember going to Kronk gym where my friend was training ( he was on the team) one day when, low and behold, standing outside were a couple of kids from the local mcdojo (Karate Schools of America I believe) arguing with these two beginner boxers about who would win in a fight, a champion boxer or a karate instructor. Twenty something years ago, if we found out Elvis was a Karate master, we would have thought he was a killing machine. Thank God for boxing. everyone thought they were the deadliest thing on the black. Vrill - HotSteppa - I miss my Karate years in the early 80s.
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