Blood-and-Guts Karate Pioneer Pat Burleson Was the Original Fighting Texan!
Like many of his contemporaries, Burleson had his interest in self-defense ignited by boxing, which is not surprising when one considers how little...
Like many of his contemporaries, Burleson had his interest in self-defense ignited by boxing, which is not surprising when one considers how little instruction in the Asian martial arts was available in the 1950s. Then, while stationed in Japan in 1957, he managed to devote several months to the study of wado-ryu karate. Not long afterward, the fun started. "During my tour in the United States Navy, I spent some time in Asia and Indochina," he told Black Belt in 1993. "While there, I fought some bare-knuckle, full-contact exhibition matches, and most of the time, the rules were not clear.