Born and raised in the Lower East-side of Manhattan, New York City where drugs and violence were a prevalent part of every day life, Nathan Ingram, managed to rise above his environment to become the Legendary Martial Artist that he is to this day. Nathan began his Martial Arts career in 1968 under the tutelage of Angel Crespo Sensei, a very talented traditional Japanese Shotokan instructor, at a time when very few people even knew about karate. In 1971, after training hard for three years and becoming an advanced brown belt, Nathan would go on to train with many outstanding instructors the likes of Timothy Yearwood Sensei in Goju Ryu Karate, Peter Chan Sifu in White Crane Kung Fu, and Christopher Tang in Northern 7 Star Praying Mantis, all this while being the only black member of an all Chinese gang, The Quan Ying, Group of Eagles, otherwise known as the notorious Ghost Shadows. It was not unusual at that time for a Martial Artist to train in several different systems of the Arts as hardcore training was the norm.Known for his consistent hard work in training, his integrity, and his heart of courage, Nathan’s potential easily stood out to the powerful and gifted Martial Artist, Hector Martinez Sensei, the Chief Instructor of the ASKD, American Shotokan Kodokan Dojo, who would have the greatest impact on Nathan’s entire Martial Arts career. In June of 1973, after five years of training, Nathan earned his Shotokan Blackbelt and was honored for his tireless work ethics by receiving his First Degree, Shodan. In October of that year, he also earned his Blackbelt in Goju Ryu under Timothy Yearwood Sensei. Nathan quickly became ASKD’s winningest Bareknuckle Champion. His Blackbelt rank achievements include 5 th Dan Shotokan Karate ASKD, 3 rd Dan Goju Ryu Karate, 5 th Dan Jujitsu which he studied under the late Taiwan Delane, 4 th Dan Semi Fist-Semi Mantis which he studied under Nelson Maldonado Sifu, Senior ranking White Crane, and Black Sash Northern 7 th Star Praying Mantis. He was rated No.3 by the World Gung Fu Kickboxing Association in 1976-78. He is renowned for his incredible Tameshiwari breaking technique since the early 70s. He studied Looang Fu Pai under the late great George Crayton Sijo and Boxing under Coach Charles The Recker Hecker achieving level 2 boxing coach with the USA Boxing Organization. Nathan, known to teach and train for as much as 10 hours a day, was considered to have been one of the top conditioned instructors in the world winning many awards for his physique including Mr. Natural Physique 1984-85 and two time Mr. Z 100 1985-86, He worked as a well respected bodyguard and a legendary bouncer for close to 30 years working in over 100 clubs and lounges throughout the Tri-state area and bodyguarding celebrities such as Tupac Shakur, DMX, Ice Cube, and Tre Songz as Founder & Chief Instructor of The D.A.S. Karate Federation 1979 - present Subject of the biography The Deadly Art of Survival The Life and Times of a Warrior By Rebecca Green Sixteen Times Martial Art’s Bare-Knuckle Champion 1976 - 1978 10th Degree Red Belt well as countless corporate execs. He was co-owner of Special Enforcers Bodyguard Agency 1998-2001 and Chief Bodyguard/Head Trainer for the Royal Protection Agency. He was given the highest Citizen’s Award in 1981 by the mayor of New York City, Mayor Koch, for single-handedly stopping a bank robbery. He has had several articles written about him and has been honored by FIT Magazine, Bodyguard Magazine, The Daily News, New York Post, and different news papers throughout Asia where he is highly respected. He was named New Yorker of the Week in 2001, featured in World’s Greatest Martial Artists Vol 17, in Yes Yes Ya’ll by Charlie Ahearn, and in Black Heroes of the Martial Arts Vol 2. Nathan was presented with his Ju Dan 10th Dan. In May 2012 Nathan had the rare honor of teaching the United States Army the D.A.S. method of Martial Arts in 2014 at Fort Carson Colorado as the second civilian to ever achieve this in the history of the military. He was named New Yorker of the Week for his Women’s Self Defense and Rape Prevention Programs. He founded the Save The Children Free Martial Arts Tournament aimed at getting children off the streets away from drugs. He was inducted into the East Coast Hall of Fame April 1976, the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame Jan 2000, The Martial Arts Hall of Honors Jan 2015 and the prestigious Ultimate Warriors Hall of Fame August 2021. Nathan was the only African American Karate instructor to own a school in the history of China Town, NY. Under his guidance, the D.A.S. Karate Federation has trained over 20,000 students, winning over 1300 championships, producing over 50 champions and earning more than 150 community awards.. Nathan is the father of 3 beautiful daughters and 5 wonderful sons. He is Grandpa to 20 amazing grandchildren. He is a musician, singer, actor, and a man of God.Read more about this authorRead less about this author