Carter Hargrave

Hargrave is not only a teacher but is also a best selling international author through his media companies (Combat Martial Arts Press and now Hargrave Media) selling over one hundred thousand copies worldwide.


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Carter Hargrave is the founder of a new martial arts self defense style known as American Combat Kempo Karate, and is also the 10th Degree Grandmaster in that style.

Hargrave also instructs in the art of Jeet Kune do the art that was founded by Bruce Lee, as well as directing the World Jeet Kune Do Federation the governing body of the international organization.

There are approximately five full time Jeet Kune Do teachers in existence, and Carter Hargrave is one of them.

Carter Hargrave teaches seminars worldwide, as well as at his private martial arts academy, Hargrave Martial Arts

Please enjoy this website and the many links to our blogs, articles, foundation, and associations. We know you will find this site very informative. To learn more about Carter Hargrave and the arts that he teaches you can purchase any of his twenty martial arts films, and his three illustrated martial arts training manuals.

One of the most important things that Carter Hargrave accomplished in his career was to found a new martial arts style, today known as American Combat Kempo. This style is now recognized by many international organizations and its techniques are used by the United States Marines.

American Combat Kempo was born because Hargrave felt that a combat self defense art is needed in order to meet people’s requirements in what concerns real world situations. It is a style that can be practiced at any age and even by people physically limited. Hargrave combined different styles to come up with this one that doesn’t resemble anything else in Kempo or Kenpo.

Hargrave describes in a simple way the process that he followed in order to create his new system or fighting style. He takes a traditional technique or move and then removes all the unnecessary steps, changes the angles and curvature in order to convert it into something that can’t be anticipated by an attacker. In this way our counter attack cannot be blocked or prevented from finding its target. The new straight lines and non chambering have a second effect in that delivers a high amount of energy that before his modifications was not present, or was at a much lesser degree.

He started with modifying some moves from Standard Kempo and Okinawan Karate and combined them with Kung Fu strikes. Then Carter Hargrave also included the best of Ju Jitsu and, in order for his art to be complete, he incorporated traditional okinawan weapons and modern weapons. The final purpose was to make the procedures effective for real world fighting scenarios. Hargrave thinks of the American Combat Kempo to be an art that meets real needs that real people have and not just a sporting art. Hargrave being an expert second generation Bruce Lee School student and now teacher, added his knowledge of Lee's supreme art into this Kenpo system making it even more street effective.

Carter Hargrave is the president of World Kempo Association, the largest Kempo Karate association. It teaches both inexperienced individuals and military and agencies. Hargrave came up with the best training and ranking program that offers effective results one can use when his or her safety is at risk. The video programs are especially conceived in order for the student to feel like Hargrave is right there in person. World Kempo Association also offers certification and rank recognition for school owners or for those who already hold black belts.

Carter Hargrave: A Martial Arts Success Story

As early as age seven, Carter Hargrave set off on the path of martial arts perfection. This native to Oklahoma started training under Goju Ryu Karate Master Lou Angel in the 1960’s in Tulsa. His path hit a fork, however, when he decided that he was just too young to continue training; he promised he would return someday to the discipline. Carter went on to return to martial arts when his high school friends in Texas were actively training. In the late 70’s, Carter returned to Oklahoma and continued his martial arts training.

Hargrave went on to become an assistant instructor for the Oklahoma Karate Academy. He taught both Korean Ju Jitsu, Kuk Sool, as well as Tae Kwon Do. One day, a master instructor of the famous Bruce Lee School of California came to his school. Carter was interested in Lee’s teachings. One of his students later invited him to his home to meet someone, who ended up being the very Lee instructor he had met at his school. The Lee instructor challenged him to a sparring match that changed his life forever.

Hargrave began to use his fighting methods against the Lee instructor, but was no match for Lee’s Jeet Kune Do discipline. Despite his repeated kicks and punches, he was never able to land a strike against his challenger. The JKD instructor finally asked Carter if he was ready to start; Carter replied that he thought they were already sparring. “No,” replied the JKD student, “NOW we are sparring.” He proceeded to throw Carter to the ground again and again, effortlessly. He asked Carter what he now thought of the discipline he had been teaching for two years.

“I remember feeling at the time like I was completely unarmed, and felt a sinking sadness like I had wasted my time with my other training to be thrashed so easily.”

-Carter Hargrave

The Bruce Lee instructor invited Carter to be trained in Jeet Kune Do and become one of his instructors.

For nearly two and a half years, Carter both trained in and taught Jeet Kune Do, Ju Jitsu, Kung Fu and Kempo Karate. The training was hard; the facility offered no air conditioning in the summer and no heat in the winter. The training was usually conducted outside in the blistering heat or bone numbing cold. He split his time between training and his personal life, caring for his two daughters during the day and training at night.

Hargrave was heard to say about these years:

“I am glad I went through the training though, it made me very hardened mentally in a way you don’t find at most of today’s schools. It was an instructor training school, not a student school.”

“The really fun part was that everyone was bigger than me so I had to pay constant attention or get my head handed to me, and sometimes you just got your head handed to you anyway.”

“Regular students stayed for one class and they were gone.”

“No one wants to put up with that much pain.”

“It was a joy fighting someone who outweighs you by one hundred pounds. You gotta want it really bad.”

-Carter Hargrave

In 1992, the World Jeet Kune Do Federation was formed by Hargrave to bring both teachers and students together. This organization also promotes Bruce Lee’s teachings and philosophies. He founded a school known as Combat Martial Arts and founded this discipline of martial arts. American Combat Kempo techniques are now taught to the US Marines as a part of their training program and are recognized as a formal discipline throughout the globe. Hargrave is the grandmaster of this style as the founder, or Soke, of the discipline. He founded the World Kempo Association to spread his techniques across the world.

As an author, Carter has published three books to date: “Japanese Kempo Karate Entrance to Secrets Manual” as a guideline for more advanced training, “The Original Jeet Kune Do Training Manual,” a bestseller which promotes Bruce Lee’s discipline, and “Japanese Kempo Karate Manual” which outlines the techniques used in his own martial arts form.

Carter Hargrave currently holds seven black belts in the disciplines of Ju Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Kempo, Kung Fu, Eighth Degree Black Sash, Arnis Guro, and Goshin Jutsu.

When told by his detractors that say “a man would have to be a thousand years old to accomplish all he has done and achieve such high ranks,” Hargrave says:

“I am a full time martial artist, that is my job not a hobby or part time endeavor, and I hold myself to a higher standard than most that has allowed me to excel unlike the 99% of those who start the martial arts and never attain the coveted black belt.”

-Carter Hargrave

“Talk is cheap, and in this world it is unfortunately common to tear down others to make up for our lack of achievements. I say be persistent and tenacious and be the one on top who takes the heat. It is a sad thing, and a wasted life to go through your life and not be able to do one thing really well, think about that for a while. Don’t be that person. Find something anything and master it! You are never too old or to out of shape to start, just make it happen.”

-Carter Hargrave

Carter Hargrave is both a master of the martial arts and an inspiration to aspiring students throughout the world.