The History of Elvis Presley's Karate Training (1958–1977)

Elvis Presley studied karate for nineteen years — from 1958 until his death in 1977. It was not a hobby. He earned legitimate ranks from internationally recognized grandmasters, designed his own gi and patches, opened his own karate institute, and on the day of his last visit to the dojo on September 16, 1974, he was awarded the rank of eighth degree black belt by his Memphis instructor, Grandmaster Kang Rhee.

This page is an educational record of that history — the timeline, the teachers, the styles, and the building in Memphis where most of it happened.

1958 – 1960 · Bad Nauheim, GermanyFirst Lessons under Jürgen Seydel

Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1958 and stationed in West Germany, Elvis took his very first karate lessons from Jürgen Seydel — the Shotokan pioneer often called “the father of German karate.” Seydel was Elvis's introduction to the art, training with him during his off-duty hours throughout the Army years.

By the time Elvis was discharged in March 1960, he had earned a third-degree brown belt under Seydel — and a lifelong fascination with the martial arts that would continue for the rest of his life.

1960 · United StatesHank Slemansky & the First Black Belt

Returning to the United States in March 1960, Elvis continued his training under Hank Slemansky, a Shorin-ryū-trained American karateka. It was Slemansky who awarded Elvis his first-degree black belt later that year — the rank he carried with him into the 1960s and the start of his Los Angeles film career.

1960 – 1970 · Los Angeles & MemphisEd Parker & American Kenpo

Through the 1960s Elvis trained primarily under Grandmaster Ed Parker, the founder of American Kenpo, during long stretches in Los Angeles between films. Parker remained one of Elvis's lifelong friends and trusted bodyguards, and Kenpo influenced the look and feel of the karate exhibitions that began showing up on stage and in films.

He also studied with Master Mike Stone — an undefeated tournament champion of the era.

Jürgen Seydel

Shotokan

The “father of German karate.” Elvis's first karate instructor, in Germany 1958–1960. Took him to third-degree brown belt before discharge.

Hank Slemansky

Shorin-ryū

U.S.-based instructor who continued Elvis's training after his return from Germany. Awarded Elvis his first-degree black belt in 1960.

Ed Parker

American Kenpo

Founder of American Kenpo and Elvis's primary West Coast instructor and friend from 1960 onward.

Kang Rhee

Pasaryu

Memphis-based grandmaster who taught Elvis from 1970 to 1974, designed his gi and patches, and named him “Tiger.”

Mike Stone

Kenpo / Open

Undefeated tournament fighter of the 1960s who occasionally trained with Elvis privately.

Bill “Superfoot” Wallace

Pasaryu / Kickboxing

World-champion kickboxer and fellow Kang Rhee student. Met Elvis in Memphis through Master Rhee and the Tennessee Karate Institute in the 1970s.

1970 – 1974 · MemphisThe Golden Years at Tennessee Karate Institute

In 1970 Elvis returned to live full-time in Memphis. He sought out a local instructor and was introduced to Grandmaster Kang Rhee, a young Korean master who had founded the Tennessee Karate Institute in a small building on Summer Avenue and was teaching a style of his own creation called Pasaryu — a synthesis of Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, Judo, and Hapkido that Master Rhee had refined for American students.

For the next four years Elvis trained at that building almost every chance he had between tours and recording sessions. He was given the name “Tiger” by his instructor — a name that survives today in the dojo's identity. He earned his sixth-degree black belt in 1973 and his seventh in 1974, and on his final visit to the building on September 16, 1974, Master Rhee awarded him the rank of eighth-degree black belt — the same day the famous photographs of Elvis in his gi were taken inside the dojo.

It was at the Tennessee Karate Institute that Elvis also befriended Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, another of Master Kang Rhee's students who would go on to become a world-champion kickboxer. Wallace remained close with Elvis until the end of his life.

“Elvis Presley was a legend, even in my homeland of Korea. So when the phone rang and a voice on the other end said, ‘This is Elvis Presley, and I would like to continue my martial arts training under you,’ I was certain it had to be a prank. A few hours later I was sitting at my desk, and the legend himself was sitting across from me.” — Grandmaster Kang Rhee

Master Rhee personally designed the white gi Elvis became famous for — cut with red trim and bearing two patches he created with Elvis's input: the TCB lightning-bolt patch (for “Taking Care of Business”) on one breast, and the Crown Fist on the other.

For the full account of those years told in Master Kang Rhee's own voice, see About Grandmaster Kang Rhee.

1974 · MemphisTennessee Karate Institute — Elvis as Backer

In 1974 Elvis backed the building of a larger Tennessee Karate Institute facility for Master Rhee in Memphis. He covered construction costs, was photographed at the demonstration that opened the school, and personally took part in the kicking exhibition that became one of the most-photographed days of his karate life.

Although Elvis stopped training there in person after September 1974, he remained Master Rhee's most famous student until his death in 1977. Master Rhee continued to teach in Memphis for nearly fifty more years.

1974 · MemphisElvis Opens His Own Dojo — Tennessee Karate Institute

In 1974 Elvis opened his own karate school in Memphis, Tennessee Karate Institute (TKI), in partnership with two of his closest friends and students: world-champion kickboxer Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and Elvis's longtime friend and bodyguard Red West. The school carried the same Tennessee Karate Institute name as Master Kang Rhee's dojo and operated under Elvis's personal backing.

That original dojo is still open today, still operating in Midtown Memphis as a working karate school under Grandmaster Patrick Wrenn — an unbroken thread of teaching that runs straight back to Elvis's own school of 1974. Visit tennesseekarateinstitute.net for current class information.

1974 – 1975 · Memphis & Los AngelesThe Karate Documentary — “The New Gladiators”

In 1974 Elvis began work with Ed Parker and others on a karate documentary — sometimes referred to today as “The New Gladiators” — intended to showcase the leading martial artists of the era. He filmed exhibitions and personally narrated portions of the project. The film was never released commercially during his lifetime; a posthumous edit later surfaced.

TimelineElvis Presley's Karate Career at a Glance

Belts, Teachers & Milestones

1958Begins karate training in Bad Nauheim, Germany, under Jürgen Seydel (Shotokan), the “father of German karate.”
March 1960Discharged from the U.S. Army holding a third-degree brown belt earned under Jürgen Seydel in Germany.
1960Back in the United States, continues training under Hank Slemansky (Shorin-ryū), who promotes Elvis to first-degree black belt.
1960sTrains primarily under Grandmaster Ed Parker (American Kenpo) in Los Angeles between films.
1970Returns to Memphis full-time and begins training with Grandmaster Kang Rhee at Tennessee Karate Institute. Meets fellow Rhee student Bill “Superfoot” Wallace.
1971–73Receives the Pasaryu gi designed by Master Rhee, with the TCB and Crown Fist patches.
1973Promoted to sixth-degree black belt by Master Kang Rhee.
1974Promoted to seventh-degree black belt. Backs the construction of a larger Tennessee Karate Institute building in Memphis. Begins filming the karate documentary later known as “The New Gladiators.”
1974Opens his own dojo, Tennessee Karate Institute, in Midtown Memphis with Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and Red West.
Sept 16, 1974Final visit to the Memphis dojo. Awarded eighth-degree black belt by Master Kang Rhee. The famous photographs of Elvis in his white gi are taken that day inside the building.
TodayElvis's original Tennessee Karate Institute is still open as a working dojo in Midtown Memphis under Grandmaster Patrick Wrenn — tennesseekarateinstitute.net.
Aug 16, 1977Elvis Presley passes away in Memphis at age 42.
2020sThe original Memphis dojo building is acquired and preserved as the TigerMan Karate Dojo & Museum.

The BuildingWhere It All Happened

The original Tennessee Karate Institute building — the one in which Elvis trained with Master Kang Rhee, earned his ranks, and posed for the photographs that have circled the world — still stands in Memphis, Tennessee. It is preserved today as the TigerMan Karate Dojo & Museum, a working dojo and a public museum dedicated to documenting Elvis's karate training and the legacy of Master Kang Rhee.

Visitors can stand in the exact spot where Elvis stood in 1974, see the gi and patch designs up close, and walk through a curated collection of photographs, belts, certificates and memorabilia.

Visit the Building Where Elvis Trained

The TigerMan Karate Dojo & Museum keeps the dojo open to the public as a working museum. Self-guided tours, private after-hours access, and Memphis Elvis Week events.

Visit TigerMan Museum →

About This Domainelviskarate.com

elviskarate.com has been in continuous use as a historical and educational reference to the karate training of Elvis Presley since the early 2000s, originally maintained by the family of his Memphis instructor, Grandmaster Kang Rhee. The domain was transferred from the Rhee family to the TigerMan Karate Dojo & Museum, the public museum located in the original Memphis building in which Elvis trained from 1970 to 1974.

This page is presented as a free, non-commercial historical archive. References to Elvis Presley are made for educational, descriptive, and nominative purposes only, and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group, or the Estate of Elvis Presley.

The History of Elvis Presley's Karate Training