Floyd Burk

Journalism

Floyd Burk is a Contributing Editor who writes exclusively for Black Belt Magazine and its sister publications since the December 1994 issue. Burk writes the recurring "State of Tae Kwon Do" column, starting in 2001 that covers the current trends and interesting topics on the Korean Martial Arts.

Articles since then include around 60 features(fifteen of which are cover stories), 70 columns, 12 Hall of Famestories and several dozen more Black Belt Timespieces.

Burk has interviewed several martial arts legends including:

*David Carradine
*Bill "Superfoot" Wallace
*Joe Lewis
*Jhoon Rhee
*S. Henry Cho
*Hee Il Cho
*Soon Ho Lee
*JC Shin
*Eric Lee
*Steven Lopez
*Nia Abdallah

Martial Art Background

Floyd Burk’s martial arts training began in 1970. This training, Japanese shito-ryu, was held in the den of his father’s attorney’s Riverside, California residence. Later Burk began training in American Karate and it took him until December 1979 to earn his black belt. In 1980 he opened up his first karate school in Upland, California. Burk relocated his school to Norco, California the next year and established a school in Rancho Cucamonga, California in 1983. While Burk no longer has schools in these locales, karate programs are still operated there by students and/or students of students and other colleagues.

Burk and his wife Martha, moved to San Diego, California in 1991 where they launched two commercial schools, and two community service karate programs. These are four well established and flourishing entities which bring much pride to the Burk family who have worked hard at making them a success. Burk’s schools are called Trad Am Karate, a name which is short for Traditional American Karate (TAK), the system Burk founded back in the 1980’s. There are more than a dozen affiliate TAK programs throughout the United States.

Burk is also the co-founder of the Independent Karate Schools Of America (IKSA). The IKSA was established back in the early 1980s as an organization that represented independent martial artists who stood for honor, integrity, indomitable spirit and loyalty. These pillars still exist today and the organization is thriving under the leadership of Burk’s closest “friends of the arts.” Floyd Burk is also a successful photo-journalist who writes exclusively for Black Belt Magazine. Burk, an avid martial arts researcher, writes a monthly column for Black Belt called the “State Of Tae Kwon Do” and has written several dozen feature articles over the years.

For the past 20 years Burk has been training under Grandmaster George W. Owens of Russellville, Arkansas who teaches his own system known as Honto-ryu karate. Honto-ryu is a system that utilizes karate’s hand and foot techniques, aikijujutsu’s limb and joint manipulations plus pressure-point attacks and defenses. Included in this combat system is an emphasis on the training, research and analysis of traditional Okinawan and Japanese Kata.

The Burk’s have a son Jeremy Burk (married to Jennifer) and are the proud grandparents of two girls, Ali (age 6) and Paige (age 8).

References

*Black Belt Magazine, January 2004 Issue, Article: "The Life-Saving Power of a Martial Art" by Floyd Burk
*Black Belt Magazine, April 2005 Issue, Article: "Extracting Fighting Secrets from Forms" by Floyd Burk
*Black Belt, Magazine, June 2007 Issue, Article: "Teacup Form of Tukong Moosul" by Floyd Burk

External links

* [http://www.floydburk.com Floyd Burk's website]
* [http://www.tradamkarate.com Master Burk's schools in San Diego]
* [http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/526 Black Belt Magazine Bio of Floyd Burk]
* [http://www.usadojo.com/biographies/writers/writer-floyd-burk.htm USA Dojo biography of Floyd Burk]
* [http://www.blackbeltmag.com/document/282 Black Belt Magazine article by Floyd Burk]
* [http://www.iksa.com/ Independent Karate Schools of America website]