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Cover Story Throwback: Jay T. Will

A man in a yellow karate uniform strikes a pose on a magazine cover. Text: "Karate Illustrated," "Violence—America’s Ingredient."
Two "Black Belt Magazine" covers featured; one with a woman in a hat, the other with a man in a red gi. Spring '25 issue promotion.

Do you remember Jay T. Will?


Featured on the cover in 1975, Jay T. Will trained under American kenpo legends Ed Parker and Al Tracy, eventually earning his 8th-degree black belt from Tracy.


Will taught over 10,000 students and made his mark as a tournament competitor, but he became most famous as the referee for the PKA—earning Referee of the Year honors in both 1982 and 1983, and being named Karate International magazine’s “Referee of the Decade.” He was also a prominent media commentator for martial arts competitions.


Karate magazine cover with colorful image of a man in a martial arts stance, yelling. Text: "Violence—America's Ingredient to Oriental Martial Arts."

Learn more about this cover and the entire magazine preserved in digital format: https://www.blackbeltmag.com 



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