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Finally, we come to a famous martial artist named Elvis. Lots of tough guys think of figure skating as a sissy sport, but skating champion Elvis Stojko* is no sissy. Stojko's martial arts background (black belt in karate at age 16, hung gar gung fu since 1989) is evident in many of his skating routines.
Stojko's sifu (teacher), Glen Doyle, even teaches in skating seminars with his star pupil, while Stojko demonstrated his gung fu at the 1995 World Wushu Championships. And then there's that rumor about a little dust-up between Elvis Stojko and hockey player Eric Lindros--with Stojko getting the best of the guy from the more "macho" sport.
Doyle recently published a book about martial arts training, "The Martial Artist's Way", in which he discusses ways of looking at martial arts training that keeps the study of the martial arts fresh and invigorating. Doyle covers selecting a style, sparring, forms, cross-training, and other issues common to all styles of the martial arts. This book fills a niche not covered by most other martial arts books--instead of technique descriptions or strategy and tactics, Doyle describes the way, or path, of martial arts study and the common issues faced by all martial artists during that journey.
Many, many folks find the martial arts fun, educational, and spiritually fulfilling--even the "rich and famous"! Keep an eye out for more features on celebrity martial artists; chances are, your favorite celebrity might practice the same style you do. For more information on celebrity martial artists, consult the following links:
*Now I'm sure you were expecting a different Elvis--one hunka hunka burnin' karate love. But a discussion of Elvis Presley's martial arts career could fill up an entire article--and it does: Celebrity Martial Artists, Part 2: The King of Rock 'n Roll.
- "49ers
Learn Karate"
Article from the Los Gatos Weekly newspaper describes George Chung's training class for San Francisco 49ers football players.
- Bruce
Lee
All about Bruce Lee, from your About.com Martial Arts Guide.
- Elvis
Stojko: Heart of a Champion
Big fan site devoted to Elvis Stojko has a lot of content about Elvis' martial arts background.
- Elvis
Stojko: Heart of Gold
Huge fan site about Elvis Stojko, martial artist and champion figure skater.
- The
Martial Artist's Way
Glen Doyle's book guiding practioners through a philosophy of martial arts study.
- The
Martial Artist's Way Bulletin Board
Bulletin board for readers of Glen Doyle's book, The Martial Artist's Way.
- USA
Judo
Governing body of judo in the US, responsible for US Olympic competitors.
- Yoshiaki
Yamashita
Biography of the man who taught Teddy Roosevelt judo.