American National Treasures

[LSWCTN1]

another thread on the board has got me thinking...

in the same way that China granted many true gong fu masters the title of 'Nationa Treasure', who do you think (past or present) would make it on an American list.

Who, and why?

c'mon lets all have an actual, friendly, discussion...

[SPJ]

there are many factors to consider

mike tyson for heavy weight boxing champ

--

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v0vl6iTlC4

that is why.

:)

[LSWCTN1]

very good point. i hadnt thought of anything other than TCMA's...

[Jimbo]

Joe Lewis.

Benny Urquidez.

Hayward Nishioka.

Gene LeBell.

None I've listed so far are CMA, but others will chime in...

[lkfmdc]

Joe Lewis.

Benny Urquidez.

Hayward Nishioka.

Gene LeBell.

None I've listed so far are CMA, but others will chime in...

Beat me to it with these....

For CMA, well, don't you think Mike Paterson bringing IMA with fighting to the US scene (trained a whole pile of fighters), or Al Novak who was recently covered in the magazine?

Ed Parker is a pseudo CMA person, I mean his art has Chinese influence

I'm sure we can get a real list going

[LSWCTN1]

all very good names.

i was initially thinking leading lights of TCMA's

people like Chan Tai San - i read an awesome thread on here about his exploits

people like Lau Bun - the first TCMA school the USA.

C'mon people!

[kfman5F]

Ark Y. Wong

[mooyingmantis]

Feeman Ong

[Drake]

CHUCK NORRIS. Holy hell...wtf is wrong with you guys?

[Tao Of The Fist]

Bruce Lee- if not for his skills, then for the fact that he brought CMA to the attention to millions of people who would have been unaware otherwise.

Kam Yuen- for a similar reason, both for his skills in Mantis and BSL and his consultation work on the Kung Fu television series helped propogate CMA in the 70's.

Wong Jack Man- One of the major players on the west coast, not much else to say other then he was one of the greats.

William CC Chen- He has reached a level of tai chi mastery that few, if any, can claim to have achieved in America. That and along with Cheng Man Ching he helped spread tai chi as a martial art on the east coast.

B.P. Chan- Just one of the great internal masters of the day.

There are many many more, but these are just a few examples from the early days of the emergence of kung fu. Anyone else got some?

Oh, that only includes CMA, if you go for martial arts in general I'd add Bill Wallace and Elvis Presley (i'm kidding on that last one dont kill me)

[Jimbo]

John Leong. Hung Gar.

Gin Foon Mark. Southern Praying Mantis.

Y.C. Wong. Hung Gar, Pi Kua (and bagua too?).

Bucksam Kong. Hung Gar, Choy Lee Fut.

Dino Salvatera. Choy Lee Fut.

I also agree with lkfmdc that Al Novak should be included.

I've also heard a lot of good things about Tim Cartmell (Xingyi, Bagua, BJJ, more?).

[TenTigers]

Adam Hsu
Yang Jwing-Ming
Sher K. Lew
Duncan Leung
Roy Goldberg
Jhoon Rhee

[San Soo Sifu]

Dan Gable won the Gold Medal in Freestyle Wrestling at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany; while not giving up a single point. He was the head coach at the University of Iowa where he won 15 NCAA team titles from 1976–1998.

[LSWCTN1]

this is exceptional! c'mon people descriptions too!

[LSWCTN1]

people like Yeung Fook and his student David Harris

people who would still be national treasures if they were still in China

those that stand head and shoulders above the rest

AL Nowak - wasnt he the guy that Bruce Lee refused to fight with? used to a marine and is now sadly wheelchair bound? i saw an excellent article about him in a magazine a few months back.

what about the guy that fought a recently arrived sifu from the mainland who had declared that he could beat any american gung fu practitoner? got knocked out within 10 seconds.

i suppose if you talk about any other arts then Rickson has to be included too.

[Fei Li]

Adam Hsu


I am a big admirer of Adam Hsu,
but I do not think he counts, he is born and raised in Asia,
has spent most of his life there and finally did return to Taiwan.
His US adventure was too short to consider him american…

Of course he could be Taiwanese National Treasure :)

[David Jamieson]

No Ali?

No Bruce Lee? (edit nm he got a half mention above)

No Wing Lam?

No Chuck Norris? (also a half mention lol)

Wtf people?

[lkfmdc]

tsk tsk
Asking about AMERICAN treasures and most of you are putting up lists of people born, raised and trained in China :cool:

[Dragonzbane76]

bill "superfoot" wallace....:)

[Jimbo]

Some more U.S.-born, non-CMA:

Danny Inosanto.

Robert Trias.

[SanHeChuan]

Raymond Fogg, 7 star praying mantis, student of Chui Chuen Luen. Founded the U.S. Kung Fu Exchange which is an association of related 7 star schools across the country, with schools in Texas, California, New York, Louisiana, and Florida. Many of the schools are run by direct students of Raymond fogg. He has also written two books on 7 star mantis; The Seven Star Mantis Book: Soft Principles (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-seven-star-mantis-book-soft-principles/3016296?productTrackingContext=center_search_resul ts), and The Seven Star Book: Twelve Keywords of Attack and Defense (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-seven-star-book-twelve-keywords-of-attack-and-defense/3035226?productTrackingContext=center_search_resul ts)

Also

Carl Albright his kung fu brother under Chui Chuen Luen.
http://mantiscave.110mb.com/albright.htm

[sanjuro_ronin]

Inosanto for sure.
Peter urban
Robert Trias.
Peter Hymas
Donn Draeger
Urquidez
Norris

[MasterKiller]

Dan Gable won the Gold Medal in Freestyle Wrestling at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany; while not giving up a single point. He was the head coach at the University of Iowa where he won 15 NCAA team titles from 1976–1998.

Dan Gable ftw!

[David Jamieson]

Here we see Dan Gable using the technique of "extreme frottage" to help another man who is ailing from male pattern baldness.

surely, this man is a king!

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/34/734-004-62C7B328.jpg

[Lee Chiang Po]

What makes any of these people qualify as a national treasure? A national treasure is something that is relished by everyone, not just a silly bunch of people that are obsessed with martial arts.
A real national treasure in the form of a person would be someone like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, not some dingle f@rt like that no acting Bruce Lee. A national treasure stands the test of time, not like some boxer that lasts a couple of years as champ.

[Lucas]

but even john wayne or clint eastwood wouldnt work by those standards. how many people under 30 in america give a **** about either?

[David Jamieson]

What makes any of these people qualify as a national treasure? A national treasure is something that is relished by everyone, not just a silly bunch of people that are obsessed with martial arts.
A real national treasure in the form of a person would be someone like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, not some dingle f@rt like that no acting Bruce Lee. A national treasure stands the test of time, not like some boxer that lasts a couple of years as champ.

right, so why are chinese martial artists called national treasures then? I mean, they did start the whole idea of martial artists being national treasures. lol

what makes any of them qualify?

[goju]

CHUCK NORRIS. Holy hell...wtf is wrong with you guys?
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
chuck?

[Jimbo]

What makes any of these people qualify as a national treasure? A national treasure is something that is relished by everyone, not just a silly bunch of people that are obsessed with martial arts.
A real national treasure in the form of a person would be someone like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, not some dingle f@rt like that no acting Bruce Lee. A national treasure stands the test of time, not like some boxer that lasts a couple of years as champ.

Because it's obvious the original poster meant "national treasures" relating to martial artists, not necessarily Hollywood celebrities. And not everyone idolizes or even cares about John Wayne. Plus, I would guess that many if not all of the above-named individuals have had more direct positive influence in the lives of more people than some movie star.

[Jimbo]

right, so why are chinese martial artists called national treasures then? I mean, they did start the whole idea of martial artists being national treasures. lol

what makes any of them qualify?

I'm not sure if it was China that started the idea of martial artists as national treasures, but I do know than in Japan, many masters are listed among its living national treasures.

[SPJ]

the ideas of listing people as treasures in china

actually, it is not only about martial arts

but also in medicine, science, literature, ---

names of people with great talents and contributing to culture and welfare of people---

so they can be from all circles of life/profession but with influences on a national level--

the treasures of a nation

or guo bao.

----

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6a02Nq7_ak

a 3 year old singing hua mu lan in he nan opera.

she won in a talent show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9nRmFVtek

she is a rising star for reviving he nan opera.

in a sense, she is a national treasure for he nan opera.

:cool:

[Lucas]

small list off the top of my head, not kungfu people, but i think treasures of american past none the less.


Harriet Tubman

Martin Luther King Jr.

Geronimo (a bit different but a true warrior and hero, some may disagree with me, but ill just leave it as a matter of perspective)

Abraham Lincoln

[Hardwork108]

I always thought the Chinese MA national treasures were very rare. I know of three - the late Chi Kim Thong (5 Ancestor Fist, Emperor Fist, Shaolin, Lohan and Wu Mei), Chan Kwo Wai (Northern Shaolin) and Chan Tai San (Lama Pai, Pak mei)

Eventhough I am sure that there are more, I kind of think some of you guys are throwing names out like candy.

HW108

PS. LSWTN1, good thread, by the way.:)

[David Jamieson]

We actually already have National treasures. They don't need the labeling though I guess, everybody either agrees on it r doesn't.

Many in the Arts are considered national treausres, and many who went before are that as well.

Western culture just doesn't label them like that...unless someone is getting mentioned in a toast or a speech and someone 'might' use the national treasure term about the individual, or even place or thing! :)

example:

Stature of Liberty and Lincoln Memorial et al are national treasures.

Aerosmith and Kiss are national treasures.

Mohamed Ali is a national treasure

Andy Warhol is a national treasure

Mark Twain is a national treasure
and so on...