Ernie reyes sr biography for kids

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Eventually, Ernie attended a public high school, where he became motivated to become a better student.

After high school graduation he attended and graduated from San Jose State University. Sabot Publishing, Inc. . During his high school years, he would stay until midnight practicing his basketball skills; this, in turn, caused him to fall asleep during class.

He would get punished every time this happened, getting hit by his teachers with paddle sticks on his buttocks.

. Ernie was particularly bad with mathematics, and he disliked that subject a lot. The demonstration team has been entertaining and demonstrating martial arts since the early 1980s.

In 2021, Reyes was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.[2]

Film

Ernie Reyes choreographed the martial arts for the films Surf Ninjas and The Last Dragon.

The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present . During his time at the university he met the man who would become his primary taekwondo instructor, Dan Kyu Choi. His portrayal underscored the physical and emotional toll of martial arts competition, informed by decades of personal experience. The reason children’s martial arts became so widespread can be traced back to the vision of one man: Great Grandmaster Ernie Reyes, Sr.

Pioneering Martial Arts for Children

In the 1960s and 70s, martial arts in the U.S.

were taught almost exclusively to adults and teens. Some of his career highlights include:

  • The Last Dragon (1985)– Breakout martial arts film role.
  • Red Sonja (1985)– Performed major action sequences.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)– Donatello stunt performer.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)– Starred as Keno, the Turtles’ secret weapon.
  • Surf Ninjas (1993)– Starred in the martial arts comedy classic.
  • The Rundown (2003)– Memorable fight scene with The Rock.

No other young martial artist had ever blended world-class competition with Hollywood stardom in the way Ernie Reyes Jr.

did.

Li’l Dragons: The Curriculum That Changed Everything

To share his methods nationwide, Ernie Reyes Sr. developed theLi’l Dragons programin partnership with Century Martial Arts.

Designed for ages 3–7, Li’l Dragons became the gold standard for introducing young children to martial arts.

World Wide Dojo . 978-0-345-49773-4.

  • Callos . He balanced acting duties with behind-the-scenes contributions, though his on-screen presence as Zatch emphasized comedic timing and mentorship.In 1995, Reyes Sr. provided motion capture performance for the character Akuma in the arcade and console versions of Street Fighter: The Movie, the video game adaptation of the 1994 live-action film.[16] As the demonic martial artist Akuma, known for his dark hado energy and brutal fighting style, Reyes Sr.

    embodied the character's intense, otherworldly presence through captured movements, influencing the game's portrayal without on-screen visibility. A vivid illustration from his teachings occurred during a 2025 reflection on assisting Tony Robbins at a Maui mastery seminar, where Reyes Sr. guided the motivational speaker to succeed in board-breaking after an initial failure by advising him to "take a breath, focus, and center yourself," underscoring the universal power of martial arts wisdom in achieving breakthroughs.[14]Reyes Sr.'s commitment to community endures into his later years, as evidenced by his active participation in martial arts events at age 78 in 2025.

    Marsh . He majored in business administration at San Jose State University, where he met Tony Thompson. 2007 . This role marked an early foray into performance, leveraging his extensive taekwondo background to deliver authentic combat portrayals.[3]In 1991, Reyes Sr. appeared in the Disney Channel TV series Secret Bodyguard, playing the recurring character Uncle Benny, a supportive family figure in the teen action-comedy centered around undercover protection and martial arts adventures.

    He then studied Tae Kwon Do. By the early 70s, he was studying other martial arts, including Boxing, Kickboxing, Escrima, knife and Wu Shu. In the mid-1970s, he competed in karate. He also met his future business associate Tony Thompson. Tim .

    ernie reyes sr biography for kids

    After graduating from Hartnell Junior College, he attended San Jose State University, where he earned a degree in business administration, gaining practical skills in management and organization that would later inform his entrepreneurial efforts in the martial arts industry.[1][5][6][7]Reyes's initial exposure to martial arts came in 1967, when he began training in Tang Soo Do, a Korean striking art that emphasized discipline and technique, under instructor Moises Arizmendi at a local health club.