Tom Bloom Martial artist
Tom Bloom is an American martial arts instructor, author, and former competitive karate fighter. He 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. He is a 9th degree black belt grand master of Tang Soo Do (Korean karate), a 6th degree black belt master of Taekwondo, a 7th degree black belt master of Hapkido, a 7th Degree Black Belt in Shippalgi, and a 7th Degree Black Belt in 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. He became famous for his ability to turn traditional karate techniques into practical fighting techniques, as was documented in Black Belt Magazine's; The Fighting Side of Tang Soo Do.