Jerry Piddington

Jerry Clint Piddington (born June 8, 1944) is an American martial artist, actor and fight choreographer. On May 2, 1972 Jerry C. Piddington was declared the Headmaster and founder of American Open Style Karate under USKA sanctified charter. American Open Style Karate is a blend of styles acquired from many pioneers of modern-day karate. As an actor and fight choreographer his most notable film projects are The Quest, Bloodsport 2 and Night Realm Piddington is the Headmaster and Founder of American Karate Academies National Association and currently resides and teaches in Ashland Oregon.
Career
Jerry Piddington came to prominence in 1969 as a brown belt when he took the summer Four Seasons Karate Tournament tournament sponsored by Chuck Norris, Bob Wall and Mike Stone. In September 1970 Karate Illustrated featured Jerry Piddington for his performance at the World Pro-Am Championships. Dojo News Today featured Piddington's fairly new Anaheim California dojo in its Dojo of the Month article and said of Piddington "Since he began competing four years ago, Jerry Piddington has fought in 34 tournaments - placing in 30 - an impressive record"
In 1972 Jerry Piddington won the Kumite Grande Championships at the 6th Annual Karate Championships held in Atlanta Georgia. At the 1972 USKA Grande Nationals Piddington lost to Joe Lewis in the finals in a 0-1 match. In 1974 he appears in a feature article and on the cover of Karate Illustrated.
After dropping off the karate scene for many years, Piddington surfaced in Ashland Oregon as a stage actor. He began teaching karate there in 1990 and was featured in the Ashland Daily Tidings newspaper in 1992 after several of his students swept the Oregon State Regional Preliminary Championships in Bend Oregon. Piddindgton had come out or competitive retirement and "won the masters division in fighting and art forms, along with the Black Belt Heavyweight Championship".
In early 2000 shortly before his death John Pachivas passed on his American Shorei/Shorin Karate lineage to Jerry Piddington.
Piddington was awarded the Joe Lewis Eternal Warrior Award at the Battle of Atlanta in 2013.
In 2013 The Museum Of Sport Karate held its ribbon cutting ceremony in Texas. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the Living Legends Celebrity Roast and the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame ceremony. Piddington's teacher Mike Stone attended and was honored as one of the Original history generals. The organization listed Piddington as one of it's history generals.
August 1, 2014 during the Long Beach International Martial Arts Tournament, Jerry Piddington was inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame.

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