![]() ![]() The king of rock and roll was a skilled martial artist and a respected teacher. Being a victim of drugs does not sound like a Karate master's M.O. His untimely demise was a result of a violent heart attack that was brought on by his abuse of prescription drugs. In Elvis' case, he almost had them all locked down, but his only downfall was a lack of discipline. Those four essential pillars of Karate are taught at the incipiency of any student's journey towards mastery (which should take at least three decades of training and research). Shotokan's philosophy like many other variations of Karate and different martial arts is all about humility, respect, discipline, and patience. In traditional Karate, when a student crosses the fifth "dan" (level), their focus changes from the physical to the philosophical aspect of the martial art. In 1974, Elvis "earned" his seventh level of black belt, officially becoming a master in Shotokan Karate. Singing on stages across the world, acting in major Hollywood productions, and practicing martial arts are no easy feats to pull off. Undoubtedly, Elvis Presley had a deep-rooted understanding of Shotokan Karate his teachers were all acclaimed masters of the trade and helped the young artist reach the highest-ranking belt in about two years which is quite staggering. The rock star then decided to fly to Paris on a paid leave where he continued his training under the tutelage of Tetsuji Murakami (who later became the Shotokan master of Europe). ![]() His excessive free time allowed him to train with the German instructor vigorously. RELATED: 20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of The Karate Kid How, When, and Where?Įlvis was a US soldier stationed in Germany back in 1958 when he met Juergen Seydel, a German Shotokan expert. Becoming a Karate Master not only requires an acute understanding of the philosophy behind the martial art, but it also necessitates a certain level of maturity that can only be attained after decades of life experiences and consistent training. © 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.However, his possession of the seventh level is still shrouded in mystery to this day. It’s hard to tell if this was a planned move or an accident, but, either way, it looks like Elvis was having fun. You can tell from position of the two female backup singers that the shot was taken from a stage location behind him.įor a little variety, here is Elvis performing (?) while lying on his belly. Here is a unique view of Elvis singing while on his back. Let’s finish with my favorite Elvis performance pictures – flat on his back on the stage. It is well known that Elvis split his pants a time or two, so it’s good the same thing didn’t happen with these Karate kicks. What’s that yellow thing on his shoulder?ĭon’t you like the white fringe on this one?Įlvis would often break into Karate moves on stage. Let’s look at some obvious in-motion photos. He had to be in motion, because nobody could hold still in those positions for long. Here are a couple of photos probably showing Elvis going down into the knee-on-the-stage position. ![]() It almost looks like Elvis is doing his version of Chuck Berry’s famous duck walk. This shot cuts off most of the extended leg, but you lady readers might appreciate it anyway.
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