Bill Snyder (martial arts)
William G. Snyder (born August 7, 1949) is a lifelong martial artist, having devoted over 56 years to the study, performance, and instruction of The Martial Arts. He holds the rank of Grand Master 10th degree black belt in the Phung Hwa Do style of karate, which he founded, and a 8th degree black belt in Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) Moo Duk Kwan. He also holds masterships in Kendo, Shotokan Karate, and Hwa Rang Do, as well as black belts in Judo, Hapkido, Aikido, and Jujitsu. Snyder fought professionally as a kickboxer, boxer and thai boxer during the 1960s and 1970s with a total (combined) undefeated record of 101 victories. He was the reigning NAKA Heavyweight World Champion in kickboxing during that time. Known as “Master Bill” to his students and peers, Snyder has been teaching martial arts for over 40 years and currently has schools in the United States, Thailand, and the Philippines. Snyder has been inducted into 4 martial arts halls of fame.
Early life
Snyder was born in 1949 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Snyder’s father, an embassy guard, moved his family to Seoul, Korea in 1953 where Snyder’s love for the martial arts was forged at an early age. He began training in Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) Moo Duk Kwan at the age of four. Snyder studied under Grand Master Hwang Kee, the founder of Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) Moo Duk Kwan, and received his first black belt at the age of seven. Snyder’s family moved back to the United States in 1957 and settled in Michigan where he continued his martial arts studies in Soo Bahk Do. By the time he reached his eighteen birthday, Snyder was already a highly accomplished martial artist, having earned his 5th degree master black belt and having won five World Grand Champion Soo Bahk titles in the junior black belt division. In addition to amateur karate, Snyder had a very successful amateur boxing career, winning over 150 amateur contests, two National Junior Golden Gloves titles, and three Junior Olympic Boxing titles.
Military Service
Snyder joined the United States Marine Corps in 1967 and served two tours in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, Snyder was awarded several medals for combat heroism and received 44 Combat Action Ribbons. While in Vietnam, Snyder began learning Muay Thai and won the U.S. Marine Corps heavyweight boxing title. After his second tour in Vietnam, Snyder was stationed in Jacksonville, N.C. where he founded the first “all marine” martial arts team. Snyder was honorably discharged from the Marines Corps in 1973.
Professional Fighting
Snyder began his professional kickboxing career in 1968. He won the NAKA World Heavyweight title in 1969 and remained undefeated until he retired from professional fighting in 1980 with a total record of 101 wins of combind fights in thai boxing, kickingboxing and boxing Snyder fought professionally at the international level, including fights in the U.S., Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea. His most memorable title defense was a 15 round decision win against John Ford in 1973 at Madison Square Gardens in New York. In addition to his NAKA World Heavyweight title, Snyder won a Muay Thai world title in Bangkok in 1971 Thailand.
After retiring from professional fighting, Snyder continued to train, manage, and promote kickboxing professionals. Between 1981 and 1993, Snyder trained and managed six world champion kickboxers within the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF). Snyder also continued to be active within the boxing community and was a sparring partner periodically for professional boxers.
Martial Arts Instruction
Snyder has been providing martial arts instruction for over 40 years. In 1969, he opened his first school in Jacksonville, N.C. while in the Marine Corps. During the 1970s and early 1980s Snyder had several martial arts studios in Michigan that focused on traditional Tang Soo Do as well as amateur boxing. In 1986 Snyder founded the martial arts style Phung Hwa Do based on his diverse background and professional fighting experience. Using traditional Soo Bahk Do (Tang Soo Do) as its core style, Phung Hwa Do incorporates elements of kickboxing, boxing, Jujitsu and Judo. To date, Snyder has opened Twelve Phung Hwa Do school branches within the Unites States, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Over the years Snyder has personally taught over a thousand students and instructors. Snyder’s credits as an instructor and coach include 7 kickboxing world champions, 37 Golden Gloves champions, two runner ups to the 1980 and 1984 Olympic boxing teams and numerous sparring and forms champions within the various U.S. karate tournament networks