Las Vegas, NV -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2012 -- Tulsa is an historic city for martial arts with its pioneers of Lou Angel, Roger Green, D.W. Kang, Apollo Cook, and Carter Hargrave, who have taught in the city of Tulsa for decades. Each teacher brought an art to the city that did not exist before.

There is a great history of martial arts in Tulsa Oklahoma. Being in the middle of the United States and far from any port city where the asian migration of culture would not be expected to flourish or even be present, Tulsa has becomea virtual mecca of martial arts.

The first teachers of martial arts came to Tulsa in the 1960’s teaching Goju Ryu Karate, and Tracy Kenpo. Thenlater in the seventies Tae Kwon Do appeared.

After a few years of the three arts being taught in Tulsa, there became only one. Tae Kwon Do with its marketingthroughout the United States took over the martial arts industry with its high flashy kicks and tournament play.

In the nineties is when it got interesting again. Tulsa got its first taste of actual Bruce Lee martial arts in the form of Jeet Kune Do. Tae Kwon Do sport karate was joined by anold Japanese art known as Kempo Karate or Kenpo.

Kung Fu also began to appear for the first time along with the gentle form of Tai Chi.

That is the style history of martial arts, karate, and kung fuin Tulsa, but who were the players.

In the beginning of Tulsa Martial Arts there were the Tracy brothers teaching their art to Roger Greene who taught for many years in the art of Traci Kenpo. He no longer teaches the general public preferring to teach lawenforcement and small groups.

For Goju Ryu it was Lou Angel who had a school in Tulsa for many years, and had at least three famous students, two of which became Grandmasters, and one a movie star. Angel is now located in Missouri and is the director of the National College of Martial Arts. He is a Grandmaster and founder of Tente Goju Karate. The most famous student of Angel is Jeff Speakman who starred in theaction film Perfect Weapon, a classic in the martial arts film world. Speakman went on to be trained by Ed Parker, Elvis’s karate teacher.

Dong Wong Kang or D.W. Kang as he is known broughtthe art of Tae Kwon Do to Tulsa. He was a fixture in TKD and his local school tournaments for decades at 61st and sheridan. He taught many students and several olympiansin the art. He owns a golf course and has retired from teaching. He taught for over 25 years. He has taughtthousands of students.

His sons operate separate schools, one in Tulsa, and the other in Broken Arrow. One of Kangs students opened his own school, and started competing in Kick Boxingtournaments as Dale “Apollo” Cook. Cook and his brother operate schools in Tulsa and Broken Arrow as well. They began teaching Tae Kwon Do and branched out into other arts with the addition of part time teachers. Cook no longerteaches. He taught for over 25 years. He has trainedthousands of students.

For the art of Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do (meaning way ofthe intercepting fist), we have Carter Hargrave. Hargravewas a student of Lou Angel as Well as Gary Dill, who was a Bruce Lee student, who trained and certified Hargraveas Instructor, and was instrumental in having Hargraveinducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Jeet Kune Do Master. Hargrave is an author and head of twointernational self defense organizations. He has taught for over 21 years.

Carter Hargrave is one of two Grandmasters in Tulsa along with Dong Wong Kang. Hargrave still teaches law enforcement, governmental, and small private classes athis Tulsa Martial Arts School. He has taught thousands of students.

As you can see these pioneers in Tulsa Martial Arts come from a varied background from all over the United States, offering their unique training and earning their rightful place in Tulsa Karate History.

Today there are many more martial arts and even moreschools to choose from. How will the new breed of teachers leave their mark on Tulsa Martial Arts History, or will they be overshadowed by the Masters andGrandmasters who made martial arts in Tulsa what they are.

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