Covert Blackledge
6th Degree Black Belt
School Name: Blackledge Martial Arts
Contact Information
104 N. Greenville
Allen,TX 75002
http://www.eagleswingsathletics.com
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Certified Member
Covert Blackledge
(0000149)
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www.wmara.net |
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Covert Blackledge has been teaching martial arts and swimming since his teen years. He has over 30 years experience in martial arts. He has been with Timberbend Academy for 17 years. He was a swim coach for the Huntsville Youth Summer Team, and for the summer team at Springpark Health Club in Garland, Texas. Mr. Blackledge was a top competitor in Texas during the 80's and was featured in Karate / Kung Fu Illustrated Magazine throughout his "competition days." He has performed at Astroworld in Houston, Texas, and has appeared on ESPN performing his trademark weapons routine to music. Some of his awards follow:
1983, 1985, 1986: Best All-Around Male Black Belt in Texas, from Karate / Kung Fu Illustrated Magazine
1980-1986: Rated Number 1 in Texas Weapons Competition, from Karate / Kung Fu Illustrated Magazine
Covert Blackledge, at 51, retired from sparring competition at the 2008 USKA Grand Nationals on a good note, first place. His 37 years in Texas and American martial arts have seen him perform on ESPN and at Astroworld. Mr. Blackledge holds a seventh degree Black Belt rank in Chung Do Kwan (Korean martial art) and eight degree Black Belt rank in Okinawan Kobudo (weaponry). He was consistently ranked by Karate Illustrated Magazine from 1979 through 1986 in Sparring, Forms, Weapons and Specialty (martial arts choreographed to music). He won the Triple Crown Award for the Best All-Around Male Black Belt from Karate Illustrated Magazine in 1983, ’85 and ’86. He is currently ranked by the USKA in Black Belt Weapons and Sparring for the region including; Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. His list of instructors is a who’s who of martial arts pioneers: started in 1971 under Dr. David Jordan; while serving in the U.S. Marines from ’74-’78 Covert trained under Master Kichiro Shimabuku of Isshin Ryu at Camp Hansen, Okinawa; in ‘78 Covert made Black Belt under Master Gwon Pugil and at his first event in the Black Belt division, Sho Kosugi’s Los Angeles Open, Mr. Blackledge won three matches and took second place in sparring (Sho Kosugi was a premier martial artist through the ‘70’s and ‘80’s with several movies to his credit). Through the mid ‘80’s Covert attended four seminars with Master Edmund Parker. In 1993 he teamed with Ed Parker Jr. and John Anderson of International Strategic Marketing and produced the first martial arts tradeshow with guests including Aaron Norris, Jeff Speakman, Wesley Snipes and Bob Wall. Covert always has his finger on the heart beat and was fortunate to assist Gary Lee in his 2002 Celebrity Roast of Bob Wall (roles in Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon and Return of the Dragon). Covert met Ohioan Bob Herndon (Herndon a long time Kung Fu stylist with Eric Lee) and with Herndon’s help the American Youth Sport Martial Arts Association was started.
Currently Mr. Blackledge teaches full time at Eagle's Wings Athletics in Allen. Covert has just started a team with the help of Congo Systems (Congo Karate Team). He is the founder of the American Youth Sport Martial Arts Association, a non-profit corporation registered in Texas (501(c) 3 pending). The AYSMA has been awarding Educational Scholarships to children since 2005 and is heading to Shreveport May 10th this year, bringing the chance for scholarships to the high school teens of Louisiana. Covert believes the children of sport martial arts deserve the same chance at Educational Scholarships that children in the other sports enjoy. The AYSMA intends to offer a myriad of scholarship programs to our children as corporate sponsorship grows.
Covert considers himself blessed, his career has been long and successful, as Covert puts it “I don’t work, I just teach and I get paid” and now he is putting children into college through the martial arts. If the AYSMA becomes as successful as Mr. Blackledge, children across America will have the chance at scholarships because of their involvement in sport martial arts - and that is better than first place at the USKA Grand Nationals.
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Last Updated - 11/28/2008 11:59:25 PM
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