The Warrior Way of Joe Lewis

From the time he entered his first competition

where he won both the black-belt sparring and the blackbelt kata divisions — until he emerged as full-contact kickboxing’s heavyweight world champion, Joe Lewis was the most colorful personality in the martial arts.

A two-time Black Belt Hall of Famer, Lewis brought quickness and finesse into the ring, along with the power to unleash a knockout punch or kick from either side. During his competitive years, he was perhaps the most intimidating adversary any martial artist could have.

Then there was the other side of Lewis, one that was equally intriguing. He was a teacher, an innovator, a role model and a mentor. Those two very different facets are what made Joe Lewis such an influential force in American karate.

Motivation to Teach

Lewis observed that “only about 10 percent of the people in martial arts enjoy combat or any type of sparring.” That’s likely what motivated him to begin conveying his tactics and strategies to all who wanted to learn. He devised different ways to connect with those who claimed they couldn’t fight. He advised them to stay away from fancy moves and stick with practical applications related