My instructor, Joe Lewis, is one of only two men to have won both a World Karate and World Kickboxing Championship. He was voted by his peers, including Chuck Norris, as the greatest martial arts fighter of the 20th century as well as the only man to be inducted into Black Belt Magazine’s Hall of Fame as both a competitor and a teacher.
Mr. Lewis will be teaching a martial arts and kickboxing seminar this Saturday, June 19th, at noon at my school, the Cardio Karate Center in Seminole, Florida (call 727-392-3198). He will also be conducting a bonus Q&A health and fitness discussion at 2 p.m. following the seminar. Mr. Lewis, who trained with Bruce Lee, will be discussing his relationship with Bruce Lee and talking about how to stay healthy and fit as you age.
Mr. Lewis at 64 years old is a living example of what it means to stay healthy and fit your entire life. Don’t miss this opportunity to train with, and learn from, a true legend in the martial arts and fitness world.
Joe Lewis is not only an analytical giant who can teach anyone how to use kickboxing and martial arts techniques in the most effective manner, but he also represents what it is to be a true martial arts teacher.

What do I mean? I have known Joe Lewis for over 25 years. I have known him as a martial arts icon, a teacher, a coach and I am proud to say, a close friend.
I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone in the martial arts arena, or in any business arena for that matter, who has put his integrity and what he believes in above and beyond personal gain.
I’ll give you just one example that I personally experienced, even though, anyone who knows Joe Lewis for any length of time, has similar stories.
When I first started training with Joe Lewis, I was just a 21 year old kid. My brother John had just started working for Mr. Lewis, who had recently moved into the area, helping set up martial arts seminars in Florida.
Having The Joe Lewis in town was very exciting and I really wanted to train with this living legend. So I convinced a business partner of mine, who helped me open my first martial arts school, to pay Mr. Lewis so I could take private lessons from him. Believe me when I say the lessons were not cheap!
After just a few lessons, Mr. Lewis must have seen something in me that he liked, because he wanted to work with me more and more and when my business partner started to balk about the money, Mr. Lewis said, and I quote, “Forget about the money and let’s just work out.” I will never forget him saying, “Let’s just work out”, and from that point on I worked out with Mr. Lewis every chance I got.
Now you need to realize who Joe Lewis was to the martial arts world at the time. He had just stopped competing and was in his early forties. The only parallel I can draw would be if Joe Montana retired from football and said to an aspiring quarterback, “Lets work out together.”
The man was unbelievably generous with his time and knowledge. I can truly say I am only a martial artist champion because of Joe Lewis.

After working with him for just a short period of time, I became so far ahead of my peers that I had to start traveling with Joe to get enough quality sparring partners. When he moved to North Carolina I would go visit him for a week and stay at his house. We would go to the local boxing club during the day and then train into the wee hours of the night in his garage.
Those were special times I will never forget. Joe Lewis made me believe in myself and gave me the confidence and the forward thinking mindset that allowed me to win a world title, run a successful martial arts school, develop Cardio Karate and create the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC).
None of that would have happened if it weren’t for Joe Lewis. Thank you Sir for everything you’ve done for me and I sure look forward to working with you again this Saturday.
Jim Graden

Ben McBride Tests For 3^rd Degree Black Belt

Congratulations Ben McBride on your 3rd Degree Black Belt test. Mr. McBride demonstrated why he is such a tremendous asset to our Elite Martial Arts program.

I have known Ben McBride for over 30 years. Ben and I came up together under the same instructor, Walt Bone, in the late 70’s. Ben and I were in the same kids class, taught by an instructor who worked for Mr. Bone, Hank Farrah. Mr. Farrah was a flamboyant instructor to say the least. He liked to give kids’ nicknames; my nickname was Big Jim and Ben’s was Gentle Ben, plus there was Tarzan and a not so good-looking kid nicknamed Face. Mr. Farrah used to say that Big Jim and Gentle Ben kicked Face’s face. That was in the late seventies so there wasn’t any political correctness in those days.

The point is, the name Mr. Farrah gave Ben still describes him to this day. You will not find a kinder, gentler person than Ben McBride. You would never know that he is a 25-year police veteran and worked as undercover narcotics agent in some of the worst parts of the Tampa Bay area. Mr. McBride has wrestled guns away from criminals, won shoot -outs (something you can’t lose) and has dealt with the worst of our society for over 25 years. He has been named Police Officer of the Year and has won the National and International Martial Arts Police Olympics multiple times.

Yet you would never know it when you meet this gentle man. Ben is a true hero in the most celebrated use of the word. He works to protect our families and then comes home to his own.

On his 3rd degree Black Belt test, Ben demonstrated the cutting edge, self-defense techniques that he brings into our Elite Martial Arts program. Plus he demonstrates some of the old Chung Da Kwon Tae Kwon Do Kata’s (forms) that he and I learned when we trained with Mr. Bone. His test was truly a demonstration o the old and the new.

Congratulations again Ben on your achievement and we are proud to have you as an instructor in the Elite Martial Arts System.

Jim Graden

Take a look at these film clips of Bens Test.

Don’t miss the Joe Lewis Seminar, June 19th at Jim Graden’s Cardio Karate Center                                                                                                Call 727-392-3198 for more information