Tom Bloom
| Tom Bloom | |
|---|---|
| Born |
 California, USA |
| Residence |
California, USA |
| Style | Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Shippalgi, Kang Duk Won |
| Teacher(s) | Chuck Norris, Cecil Peoples, Harold Gross, Ron Pohnel, John Matthews, Pat E. Johnson, Bobby Burbidge, Bill Parent, Mike Stone, Joe Lewis, Bill Wallace, Howard Jackson, Benny Urquidez |
| Rank |
9th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do 6th degree black belt in Taekwondo 7th degree black belt in Hapkido 7th degree black belt in Shippalgi ' 7th degree black belt in Kang Duk Won |
| Notable students |
Blake Foster |
| Website | http://www.tombloommartialarts.com/ |
Tom Bloom is an American martial arts instructor, author, and former competitive karate fighter. He is a 5X International Karate (fighting) Champion and a 3X World Karate (fighting) Champion.
Biography
Tom Bloom has appeared in many martial arts publications such as Black Belt Magazine, and MA Training; and wrote a book titled The Complete Handbook of Karate, published by Flower Productions in 1989. He was one of the original American Tang Soo Do students of Chuck Norris at the Norris Karate School in Sherman Oaks, California.[1] Tom Bloom is a world renowned Korean martial arts expert and is; a 9th degree black belt grand master of Tang Soo Do (Korean karate),[2] a 6th degree black belt master of Taekwondo (Korean sport fighting), a 7th degree black belt master of Hapkido (Korean grappling), a 7th Degree Black Belt in Shippalgi (Korean weapons), and a 7th Degree Black Belt in Kang Duk Won (Korean Gung Fu). He started training under master Chuck Norris at his Sherman Oaks, California Karate school in the 1970s; and earned his first black belt in 1980 in American Tang Soo Do. He is famous for his ability to turn traditional martial art techniques into practical fighting techniques, as was documented in Black Belt Magazine's; The Fighting Side of Tang Soo Do.[1]
Tom Bloom Martial Arts
Bloom opened a Tang Soo Do Karate school in Thousand Oaks, California in 1982. By the 1990s it had become one of the largest and most well known Karate Schools in Southern California.[3] Bloom has trained over 3000 karate students and has promoted over 300 black belts. He has personally trained 28 World Champions and was the coach of the undefeated 2X World Champion Karate Demonstration Team.[2] After 30 years of teaching martial arts, Bloom still teaches classes at his training center in Southern California, and has several assistant instructors and coaches who teach everything from Jiu-Jitsu to MMA.[2]
International Karate Championships
In addition to being a multi-time World Karate Champion Bloom has the distinction of being a multi-time International Karate Champion by winning the prestigious Long Beach International Karate Championships 5 times. During these victories he was personally awarded the tournament champions trophy by tournament founder and martial arts legend Ed Parker. Winning this prestigious tournament launched the careers of several martial arts champions such as; Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Billy Blanks, and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. This is also where Bruce Lee was first introduced to the martial arts community in August 1964.
Celebrity Students
Over the years Bloom has trained several celebrities such as Blake Foster (Power Rangers), Nia Peeples (Walker Texas Ranger), Lorenzo Lamas (Renegade), Shane Van Dyke (Diagnosis: Murder), Barry Van Dyke (AirWolf), Steve Terada (Quest Crew), Mark Bloom (Law & Order:LA), Anthony Tesoro (Life is for Living TV).
Notable Fighters
Several of Bloom's students have become successful fighters including: Scott Harmon; who held the IKF Amateur Full Contact Rules United States Super Heavyweight title, the IKF Amateur International Rules United States Super Heavyweight title, and is the only man to defeat Chuck Liddell during his kickboxing career giving Liddell his only two losses [4] and Jim "Jimbo" Mullen; (who had 1 UFC fight in the original no-rules format) who was also a 6x world heavy weight champion kickboxer, Draka heavy weight champion, K-1 fighter, and pro boxer.[5]
Women's Fitness & Karate
Bloom became well known for teaching women when Black Belt Magazine wrote an article about it in 1995. At the time of the article he was running 6 women's only karate classes per week, with 80 students attending those classes. Many of these women went on to become Black Belts and Master Black Belts. Today Bloom continues this tradition with many female students and female instructors at his karate school.[6]
Film & Television
Bloom appeared in the films Midnight Man starring Lorenzo Lamas, and Ninja 3: The Domination starring Shô Kosugi and James Hong. He also appeared in several fitness and martial arts training related videos and TV appearances.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jane Hallander "The Fighting Side of Tang Soo Do" Black Belt Apr 1992
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Tom Bloom Karate".
- ↑ Black Belt Magazine Retrieved February 25, 2012
- ↑ .Past Amateur Champs Retrieved January 29, 2012
- ↑ Jimbo Mullen Retrieved February 25, 2012
- ↑ Black Belt Magazine Retrieved February 25, 2012