TOUGHEST MEN ON PLANET EARTH Part 2
The Senior Edition
In its April 2006 issue, Black Belt published an article I wrote titled “Toughest Men on Planet Earth.” I profiled the 20 martial artists I considered the most capable in the context of street fighting. It was meant to generate discussion, and it certainly did.
Fast-forward 13 years. The editor of Black Belt asked me to write a follow-up piece, this time focusing on martial artists who are at least 60 years old. I accepted. To keep the playing field level, I mentally evaluated all of them as if they were 60 years old. Those of you who read the first article no doubt will notice that 12 of the 20 people on this new list were also on the previous list. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the nature of martial arts training.
On a side note, I made a slight age exception for two men, both of whom are just shy of 60 but likely will reach that milestone by the time you read this. No matter their exact dates of birth, all these martial artists are sources of inspiration, and those who still teach or have written books are excellent sources of knowledge.
Before proceeding, I must pay tribute to the legendary Jon Bluming. The Dutchman was going to be on this list, but he passed away on December 17, 2018, at age 85. May he rest in peace.
20 Bill Kipp
This Colorado-based martial artist is the founder of and former head instructor for the FAST Defense program. Before becoming a martial arts teacher, he trained in karate and and earned a black belt in both. As if that didn’t make him tough enough, know that he gained his vast amounts of fight smarts in a stream of precarious street situations he endured while serving in Asia as a member of
