Three new sports were introduced to America during the sixties; volleyball, surfing and of course the Martial Arts. The first two are now fully sponsored, professional sports permanently implanted into America’s cable system. Kickboxing is still around but has been eclipsed by barehanded full contact/grappling. Where are Sport Martial Arts tournaments?

During the sixties, volleyball became a popular sport among America’s youth; with it’s easy to understand rules and availability of playing areas participation soared. Always a standard with women in all-girl schools, the players in the sport became the driving force in making volleyball a professional sport that is enjoyed by millions of television viewers across America.

John Kessel, Program Services Director for the United States Volleyball Association, states there are more than 200 amateur federations worldwide with some events drawing as many as 1000 competitors. In 1964, volleyball became an Olympic sport, and its popularity had another major growth spurt after the 1984 Olympics.

On the amateur level, European teams seek after the top players as seriously as football teams pursue the Hieseman Trophy winners in football. Many of these players make over five hundred thousand dollars per year playing volleyball.The Association of Volleyball Professionals, (AVP) is the largest professional organization, with major backing from Miller Lite. There are over 20 events per year with paydays ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 for the first place team. Television coverage is seasonal, but consistent. Volleyball is definitely a sport with a future for the talented youth interested in the sport.

Surfing is a sport limited to the beach, yet as early as 1976 surfing went international and the prize money, which began in the sixties, went up accordingly. Sam George, senior editor of Surfing Magazine, tells how two past surfing champions had a big hand in organizing and in finding sponsors for the sport. Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick understood the importance of sound business in running their organizations and the importance of sponsors. Television coverage has been constant, starting with the Wide World of Sports in the sixties, though prize money is not as high volleyball. Depending on the sanctioning bodies, paydays range from $3,000 to $10,000.

There are seven major professional surfing organizations with over 20 events per year. The largest is the Professional Surfing Association (PSA) with 10 events, many of them drawing over 120 competitors.

Of course most surfing champions live near the water, but the PSA has helped carve a niche for surfing champions to have a professional sport if she/he desires.

Sport Martial Arts was also born in the sixties. Jack Hwang, Ed Parker and Allen Steen are some of the early karate tournament producers in America.

Since then, the sport has split into three arenas; full contact karate or “kickboxing”, sport karate or “point karate” and of course the full contact grappling events that are so successful on pay per view television. As in volleyball, beer companies sponsored the early full contact events. American and European sanctioning bodies saw relative success during the 80’s, since the mid 90’s full contact grappling events have stolen the spotlight.

Television coverage in the 1980’s on ESPN for the Professional karate Association (PKA) events was great and the fighters received paydays ranging from five thousand to ten thousand dollars. Full contact karate in America has been eclipsed by full contact grappling but is still enjoyed immensely in Europe, Japan and of course Thailand.

Full contact grappling events are the new “big payday” for pay per view television the various sanctioning bodies allow their fighters to compete with little or no gear and to use all the strikes and kicks of “karate” while incorporating a full range of grappling and throwing techniques. The realism and the blood appeal to the same age group that watched PKA Full contact karate on ESPN back in the 80’s; predominately young men between the ages of 18 and 32. The champions inside the various sanctioning bodies enjoy paydays ranging from five thousand to fifty thousand dollars for a “title match”.

Then we have “tournament karate” or sport martial arts, this is what most Americans learn and practice. In 1986, ESPN aired several events sanctioned by the North American karate Conference (NAKC) and sponsored by Budweiser. This was short lived and Budweiser pulled sponsorship and ESPN stopped scheduling tournament karate within the first or second year.

During the mid and late 90’s ESPN picked up tournament karate in the form of the “finals” competition from some of the North American Sport Karate Association events (NASKA). These programs have a small following but Black Belt prize money is small or non-existent as NASKA is an “amateur” sports association. Current prize money does not even cover expenses. Amounts like fifty to two hundred and fifty dollars are considered acceptable. The national tournaments are a great time and the level of competition is very exciting, but where is the future?

There are several national sanctioning bodies for tournament karate, but unlike the AVP and the PSA, the promoter purchases a stamp of approval from the sanctioning body. In other sports, the sanctioning body organizes and produces the event.

“Tournament Karate” is in “its own world”, the ability of the competitors has become extraordinary. The “form divisions” are incredible, competitors are incorporating music, weapons and gymnastics to build a truly “American phenomena” in “floor exercise”. The sparring is fast and the kicks abound. Now all the Black Belts need is a proper paycheck and genuine recognition with the American public to go with their hard work and refined skills.

Originally printed in Texas Kicks Magazine, Volume 1, Issue, 3 Nov/Dec 1994

Covert Blackledge
7th Dan, Taekwon Do, Chung Do Kwan
Dallas, Texas