Security and Martial Art Expert Aran Dharmeratnam pays tribute to American Karate champion and action hero Chuck Norris

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In the late 1990s I was in Los Angeles training with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion Rickson Gracie and other martial artists. One evening a friend invites me to his local bar.

At this time, still in my 20s I have a black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu and am already teaching my own system of self-protection.

My American friend is fascinated by the martial arts and proceeds to tell his friends about the Brit with a black belt. If I ever wanted to be a martial arts actor- this gentleman would be a good agent.

Slightly concerning is that as he proceeds to tell his friends about some basic techniques I showed him, there is a man of heavy set build making stern glances at me. I try to observe without making eye contact. Then, the tumbleweed tension increases as the man walks towards me. Oh well...so much for keeping a low profile.With intense eyes the man opens with some dialogue- "I hear your some martial art guy; you know who my teacher was..Carlos Ray!" For a split second I am baffled; then he provides more clues and I am rather pleased that the challenging demeanour is replaced with enthusiasm - "you know Carlos Ray- cowboy boots, beard...." Then it clicks, as I had read a book written by his teacher. Carlos Ray was the real name of none other than Chuck Norris.

The man goes on to tell me some lessons, he learnt from this legendary Karate champion. "Chuck would tell us, to always observe your opponent carefully, be patient and see what mistakes they make." It was something along these lines that this Chuck Norris acolyte shared with me. Over the years I met many martial arts masters and legitimate tough individuals, but sadly I never got to meet Chuck Norris and yesterday when I heard that he has passed away, it was a strange feeling. Chuck represented an iconic era in martial arts and the world of action films.Chuck learnt martial arts when he was serving in the US military and based in Korea. He studied Judo and a Korean striking art known as Tang Soo Do. Later, he would go on to train with many top martial artists, including Bruce Lee. To this day, his fight scene in The Way of the Dragon with Lee, in the Coliseum, is considered one of the most memorable of cinematic duels.  He was a six time world karate champion and I believe he competed as a middle weight.In later years, Chuck also studied Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to a high level and I understand he developed his own martial art approach, known as the Chuck Norris System.

Chuck was an open minded and disciplined martial artist. He was a great ambassador for the arts and he showed what could be achieved through hard work and focus. In comparison to some of the towering action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dolph Lundgren, Chuck was under six foot with an athletic build developed through functional training, rather than the body builder look.

His agility, toughness and powerful kicks combined with a strong presence made him a convincing action hero. Starring in films such as Delta Force, Lone Wolf McQuade and Missing in Action, the American Karate champion became known all over the world. He was also involved in philanthrophy work and during the presidency of George H W Bush, when there was the focus on the war on drugs, Chuck Norris formed a non profit organisation to help children learn discipline and avoid gang culture. This organisation is known as Kickstart Kids.

And as my friend, Greg Swenson, Chairman of Republicans Overseas UK told me, "Chuck Norris was a great, patriotic American and a good friend to the Republican Party."

Now, Chuck has passed away not long after his 86th birthday. The action legend has earned a well deserved rest and will be remembered fondly by many people across generations. Rest in peace, Chuck Norris._____

Aran Dharmeratnam works in private investigations and risk intelligence. He is also the founder of  Tri-Tier - which equips executives, families, organisations and high profile figures with situational awareness and hybrid  self-protection training.

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