In the United States in the early seventies martial arts were at their peak. Bruce Lee was still alive and films made in Hong Kong launched the movement martial. While the Chinese were very reluctant to teach their art, Koreans, arrived in the United States in large numbers after the war that had opposed South Korea and the North had opened Karate Studios everywhere, keeping the name of the best-known karate but teaching Taekwondo.
The pioneer of American taekwondo, Jhoon Ree has two merits: that of making the Korean discipline the most developed in the United States and that he invented the first protections for combat sports.
The large mass of students and fans of American sports ill digerivano the system too complicated court martial disciplines, which shows penalised and understanding. Thus was born a new combat system that was called - and still uses that name - "point karate." The contact was allowed, thanks to the protections developed by Jhoon Ree, but there was the stop after every round came to sign, and this system will be called in Europe seeds contact.
Lack of full contact and action interrupted after every round came to sign, however, did not satisfy fully the Yankees. This is so, a work of a sample of American traditional karate and point karate, born the full contact karate, or professional karate, so called because athletes could colpirsi at full strength by the belt up and were paid to do so. And 'note as in North America all disciplines martial were known by the term "karate" to which, from time to time, it added an adjective, to better explain what was the specialty (as happens today with the term kickboxing, Instead the first thing we said was its origin).
The sample in question was Joe Lewis, who, having participated in various competitions Japanese kickboxing in various parts of the globe, decided to enter into a ring wearing the typical protections of full contact produced by Jhoon Ree, "safe t".
The occasion was provided on September 24, 1974, historical date, when in Los Angeles about 1,200 spectators rushed to see the professional world karate with Joe Lewis, Billy Wallace and Jeff Smith; promoter of Mike Anderson, publisher of success of magazines and organizer of races point karate, in collaboration with Jhoon Ree and the German Georg Brückner.
The gala officially launched what we now call full contact in the USA, but Anderson to cost a fortune. For the record that was not the first major gala in the United States. At Hawaii the year before there was an open tournament won by Benny Urquidez, Californian with Indian blood in the veins, arrived in the finals with opponents much heavier him more than 20 kg, but apparently it was kickboxing and not full contact.
"The Great Ones"
Joe Lewis, born in 1944 in Knightdale, North Carolina, learned the karate during his military service in the Marines in Okinawa, the birthplace of traditional karate, in 1962.
From black belt returned to the United States where he won many tournaments point karate and then decide to try the new discipline of full contact karate and become a great champion in the -80 kg category. Currently teaches and directs stage in all States.
Billy Wallace, called "super foot", born in 1945 in Memphis, began with the judo and the shorin ryu karate during his military service. After an accident ligaments of the right leg, in a Corsican fighting judo, dedicated solely to point karate, winning, thanks to its exceptional fluency articulate, all tournaments that participated, meritandosi the nickname of super foot.
In'74 was one of three Americans interpreters of the first World Championships in Los Angeles where the mise ko German Bernd Grothe with a kick to the face. Wallace collected 19 well defenses of the title and withdrew unbeaten on 10 March 1981.
Wallace currently teaches and takes stage throughout the World on behalf of the organization known worldwide Iska and is the testimonial of producing rokavice Macho.
Benny "the Jet" Urquidez, of small stature with occhietti from Eastern Europe, Benny is the son of a lottatrice of Indian origin. Born in Los Angeles and taking its first steps in conquering the world martial black belt in 14 years. But the new rules will be coming from Japan to charm to the point that it has become one of the first world kickboxing champions, the interpreter of a popular Japanese comics and one of the founders of the first worldwide organization specializes in kickboxing Made in Japan: the World Karate Association.
The first international organizations

The Pka
The success of the gala audience of'74 full contact karate induced Mike Anderson to join spouses with Dan and Judith Quine to build Professional karate association, the historical Pka that began under contract all first samples of this discipline and got the first an important contract with the Universal television that allowed millions of Americans to see the exploits of the champions of Pka.
Most samples were celebrated Wallace, Joe Lewis, Jeff Smith, Isaiah Dueñas, Dan Maccaruso. Some fighting took place even as sottoclou of world boxing match, which the challenge Cassius Clay-Frazier in Manila that had as sottoclou Jeff Smith-Kariem Allan. Unfortunately, the time was not yet ripe for such television coverage, as a result of excessive grants paid to the Champions (then Wallace earned 25,000 U.S. dollars to match) and the lack of sponsors and promoter can pay the high cost of organization, Pka was sold by Quine and then became bankrupt, becomes a long hearing the case; from its ashes emerged a new organization, Iska in 1986, which will discuss later.

The Wka
In 1977, when the Pka was at the maximum splendor, a rich American tour operator returning from Japan decided to launch the Japanese kickboxing further amended by creating a new organization. This was Howard Hanson, and his organization the World Karate association. Note how, despite the name in Japan was kickboxing, Hanson associated once again with this new sport the word karate.
His first sample was the co-founder of Wka Benny "the Jet" Urquidez. Urquidez, already famous in Japan, had no outlets in North America because it was outside the group Pka which are not shared style, preferring to fight with kicked in the legs (low kick) gala in the Asian world, where instead the full contact karate was not practised.
The launch of Wka was great like that of Pka but most economically profitable. It was Antonio Inoki, known Japanese wrestler to organize in Tokyo and Urquidez became the star of the first magnitude.


France and Germany pioneers of discipline
The sports movement in Europe is developing thanks to the work of two great personalities: Dominique Valera French and German Georg Brückner. Since it disappeared a few years ago and having recently met Valera, ripercorriamo with him the steps that led the full contact karate in Europe.


I WORLD OF LONG BEACH
Dominique Valera in the seventies was nicknamed "the King" and it was. Star undisputed karate, French, Valera was the man to beat at every competition that participated and won punctually. In'74 the first championships Mike Anderson, in Los Angeles, had excited the imagination of many Europeans. In particular, the French Karate magazine had published several articles supporting the new phenomenon athlete for that purpose its director, Roland Gaillac, decided to send Dominique as a special envoy in Berlin, during the first gala of full contact karate in Europe. In Berlin would have done the fighting between Mexican Romero Guzman and the United States Franck Gordon (who won the tournament in points). On that occasion he met Dominique Wallace, who had been invited to an exhibition of his talents. The two men allenarono and Valera together for the first time was amazed by someone. Wallace placed techniques unknown to him. That game attracted him, but would never have imagined what the sport influenced his life. Indeed, a few months later, in October 1975, the French National was in Long Beach for the World disputare Wuko Karate. Dominique faced the Dominican Oliveira; arbitrò the English Tommy Morris. Valera continued to tap his opponent repeatedly without the referee gave the point no. Dominique spazientito struck at full strength Oliveira. Morris sanzionò him. The French transfigured by anger struck the referee and was in turn attacked by a Japanese court with a shovel red marks points. Scoppiò a brawl during which Valera chased in the changing rooms since the Triad arbitration. He was stopped by policemen Americans that paved their guns to stop his appointment.

The European star: Dominique Valera
Rimpatriato and disqualified from the French Federation of karate, Dominique returned to the USA to learn the secrets of full contact karate by his friend Wallace, in Memphis. He returned to France, Dominique launched the new discipline involving his many students and friends. The French Federation of karate but reacted to the new fashion with the weapons of bureaucracy convincing the Minister of Justice, Pyrfitto, the danger of full contact karate. So, in'76 we were the first to ban the practice new discipline American, then only the prohibition to use the name karate tied to the word full contact. This happened in almost all European countries where Karate Federations were recognised by the relevant ministries. So in France was called long "American boxing" while, in other countries, was simply full contact.
Valera undertaken, the first in Europe, the road of professionalism for France becoming the symbol of full contact el'idolo of those years, involving, with the help of Karate magazine, thousands of students. His choice of professionalism but went to clash with the vision that this sport had a Berlin named Georg Brückner.

The German manager: Georg Brückner
Georg Brückner was started taekwondo at first, then full contact by Mike Anderson who had known when he was military in Germany.
The two, linked by deep friendship, were set into since gala in Los Angeles, Georg led a German team. The tasks were clear from the outset, Mike, who in the meantime had separated from spouses of Quine Pka, was busy developing the full contact in the United States while Brückner than in Europe.
To this end, they founded the Wako (World all style karate organizations), which in their mind, had to oppose Wuko (World Karate union of organizations) organ world karate who tried several times to stem the arrival of full contact.
The Wako wanted essentially deal with amateurs, regarding it more profitable and easier to manage compared to the enormous costs for the time necessary for professionals Pka.
Brückner, brilliant and dynamic character, loved faraoniche demonstrations, which in 1976 organized a challenge in Berlin between the United States and Europe. The American team that won consisted of Wallace, Dueñas, Smith and Valera (which, as in professional allenatosi States fought for them), coach Joe Lewis. For the record the American team itself through increased experience and Valera battè ko for the 1 ° round the German Kunnibertbach.
The full European contact took flight with the meeting of the World Championship, Jeff Smith-Valera held at the Pavillon de Paris before a star of the show which Billi Halliday, Alain Delon and Silvie Vartan.
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(This article was translated by a machine translation software and not by one person)