Steve "Nasty" Anderson (March 29, 1955 - January 24, 2020) was a well-known retired karate competitor. [1] Anderson appeared on the covers and in articles in many martial arts magazines [2] and won numerous world championships. Various sources list different numbers, but On Point magazine claimed he won 10 world titles. [3] Anderson was a karate kempo stylist [4] and was a Black Belt magazine 1982 Competitor of the year. [5] Anderson got involved in karate in 1969 [6] and received the nickname Nasty from his instructor Chicken Gabriels mother. [7] One of his students was James Benjamin Stewart.
Anderson was famous for his backfist and blitz attack [6] and as a brown belt won 92 consecutive tournaments. [6] He fought well known individuals like Kevin Thompson [8] and one of his primary rivals was Ray McCallum. [7] Steve Curran has referred to Anderson as being their toughest opponent. [9]
Anderson stood at 6'3, 210 lbs [4] and was a member of the Black Karate Federation. [7]
On January 24, 2020, Steve died at his home in the Ottawa, Ontario suburb of Orleans.
Karate (空手), also karate-do, is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. Shortly after, in Hollywood, Norris trained celebrities in martial arts. Norris went on to appear in a minor role in the spy film The Wrecking Crew (1968). Friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in The Way of the Dragon (1972). While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star.
Kyokushin (極真) is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a full-contact style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training.
Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion.
Kumite is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.
William Wayne Blanks is an American actor, martial artist and fitness personality. He was a nationally ranked competitor in semi-contact and point karate during the 1980s, winning a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games, before creating the Tae Bo exercise program.
Benny Urquidez is an American former professional kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United States. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974, the year of its inception in the US, frequently fighting in bouts where the rules were ambiguous and contrasts in styles were dramatic. Urquidez is also known for once holding the rare achievement of six world titles in five different weight divisions, and remained largely undefeated in his 27-year career. His only loss came in a Muay Thai match which was shrouded in controversy, as Urquidez had only agreed to a no-decision exhibition, a clause which was ignored when the fight had ended.
Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art based on karate and can include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by some Kwans to identify the traditional Korean fusion of fighting styles. In the mid 1950s, it became the basis for the martial art taekwondo when the Korean Nine Kwans united.
Enshin kaikan (円心会館) is a style of "full contact karate", or knockdown karate, founded in 1988 with dojo and students in various countries around the world.
Joe Lewis was an American martial artist, professional kickboxer and actor. Originally a practitioner of Shōrin-ryū karate and champion in point sparring competitions, he became one of the fathers of full contact karate and kickboxing in the United States, and is credited with popularizing the combat sport in North America.
The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) also known as World Kickboxing and Karate Association, is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning body for kickboxing and Karate.
Toyotaro Miyazaki was a Japanese martial artist.
Raymond Daniels is an American professional kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and former sport karate competitor. He currently competes for Karate Combat in the Welterweight division. He has formerly competed for Bellator MMA and Bellator Kickboxing, where he was the Bellator Kickboxing Welterweight Champion and was a 2 time runner up for the Glory welterweight title.
Joe Corley is an American karate and kickboxing competitor, instructor, broadcaster and promoter who helped achieve the success of the Professional Karate Association and the early establishment of professional kickboxing in the United States. Joe Corley is CEO of PKA Worldwide.
Thomas "Lapuppet" Carroll, was a pioneer African-American martial artist, and also a member of USA Karate Hall of Fame, and the Black Belt Hall of Fame. of Brooklyn, New York. He was also a member of the US Ju-Jitsu Federation, but focussed on Shotokan karate. Carrol died from cancer in March 1999.
Stephen Randall Thompson is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer. Thompson currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a full-contact kickboxer, Thompson was undefeated through 37 amateur and 20 professional matches. Thompson is regarded as one of the most accomplished strikers in the UFC. As of March 12, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
Leo White is a former Army Officer and two time member of the US olympic judo team. White is one of the winningest judoka in US history. White currently holds the rank of 8th degree black belt in judo.
Kevin Brown Thompson was an American world champion of karate. Thompson was referred to in his early years of fighting as Lil K.A. named after his teacher Karriem Abdallah. At the age of 14, Thompson had an article in Black Belt Magazine. Kevin was inducted into the 1988 Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame as the Co-Competitor of the Year.
Karate was first introduced to American service men after World War II by Japanese and Okinawan karate masters.
Karate was first introduced in the United Kingdom by Vernon Bell, a judo instructor who attended karate classes with Henry Plée in Paris.