Kiado-Ryu Karate

Black Belt #20: Doug "Doc" McGregor

Doug “Doc” McGregor came to the KIA after an enormously successful diving career in which he traveled the world, winning many national and international high diving championships.

Doc was a seasoned competitor, a perfectionist with a heart of gold and a solid ethical platform. His drive to be the best nearly cost him his karate career, however. Luckily, it did not, as the following story depicts.

When Doug was an orange belt, he participated in a national karate championship held in Palm Springs. Doug, quite used to professional conduct, became intensely upset with the way the tournament was run. The day after the tournament he came into Mr. King’s office toting a blood-flushed face of understandable ire. He said he was quitting karate because he didn’t want to be associated with such an unorganized and unprofessional art. Mr. King assured him that tournament karate was not representative of the true path of martial arts and that Doc had too much talent to throw away. To the great good fortune of the Karate Institute of America, Doug McGregor stayed with the program, giving everyone in those days many memorable performances of artistic and professional excellence.

Doc was a professional physical therapist. He often shared his knowledge with the students of the KIA. Here is one excellent piece of advice to always remember: keep your muscles supple and flexible because they keep the skeletal structure in its proper alignment. When muscles become tight and unequal, they can pull the spine out of alignment, thus inhibiting the person’s well-being. The moral of the story: stay flexible! Thanks, Doc, for everything!