Poison Hand Master T-Shirt

"I am a Black Dragon, always have been, always will be...."

Grandmaster Lawrence Day

          Hanshi Frank Dux was trained in Poison Hand techniques by Grandmaster Lawrence Day, one of the original students of Count Dante. "John was one of the early pioneers of Karate in the Chicago area. In a time when karate was strictly traditional he began teaching an eclectic system that was applicable to real life combat and self defense. He was one of the first instructors to teach ‘mixed martial arts,’ borrowing whatever worked from various systems. He sponsored the first full contact tournaments in the U.S. starting in 1967. Kumite between the various schools were practiced with contact but these were the first open tournaments that didn’t use the point system. There was no protective equipment in those days and the fights were often brutal and bloody affairs. The martial art media and the martial arts community didn’t approve of them and many schools refused to support the tournaments. John was just ahead of his time. Now these types of tournaments are common place."

          According to urban legend, Count Dante, First Grandmaster of the Black Dragon Fighting Society in America and master of the Dance of Death, had participated in forbidden Death Matches on the closed Chinese mainland and had killed three men with his bare hands using the Tibetan Burning Palm taught to him by master Senzo Tanaka. He was schedule to fight again in 1975. With his untimely death the invitation was offered to his young protégé, Frank Dux, who competed in Keehan’s place in the coveted and legendary Kokuryukai, Black Dragon Fighting Society No-Holds Barred, Anything Goes, Last Man Standing Kumite. This event is the basis of the 1988 classic martial arts film Bloodsport. based on true events in the life of Frank Dux, Undefeated Champion 1975-1981, who still holds sixteen unbroken World Records for Fastest Punch, Fastest Kick and Fastest Knockout.