Politial figures and MA is a cool subject.
Hitler has a section in Mein Kampf where he says the ideal combatant would train boxing and juijitsu (or something like that).
Putin is a pretty good Judoka, (probably some Sambo too) from what I understand.
Any more?
Teddy Roosevelt was a big martial arts fan. I believe he hired Tom Jenkins, the wrestler who beat Frank Gotch, to train him. He was also very interested in Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Judo.
In 1904, "Judo's founder Jigoro Kano sent one of his strongest young judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda (1880-1941) with Jojiro Tomita to the White House to assist in a judo demonstration for President Teddy Roosevelt. After a formal demonstration, an American football player in the audience issued an impromptu challenge." The less adept Tomita took to the floor instead of Maeda. "Tomita failed with a throw and was pinned helplessly beneath the football player's bulk. Maeda, abashed by Tomita's poor showing and frantic to reassert the superiority of Kodokan Judo, stayed on. He persuaded some Japanese businessmen to stake him $1,000 in prize money and embarked on a long career of challenging all comers throughout North and South America. The 5'5'', 154-pound Maeda was said to have engaged in over 1,000 challenge matches, never once losing a judo-style competition and only once or twice suffering defeat as a professional wrestler. In Brazil, where he eventually settled he was feted as Conte Comte ("Count Combat") and his savage system of fighting, now called 'Gracie Jujutsu,' is employed by certain fighters in present-day 'no-holds-barred' professional matches."
Wow. 6'4 and 185, I bet he was a skinny scrappy dude.
ttt
an article about some serious NHB, catch as can wreslting..
http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_gorn_0401.htm
The honors would go to George Washington..that is if you don't include the Presidents before him.
Maeda didn't actually teach Roosevelt, right ?
Abraham Lincoln fucking rules.
Franklin said that children should be taught wrestling in school.
Teddy Roosevelt could've taken him, he practiced boxing, wrestling, and jiujitsu.