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and black belts in five other forms of martial arts. At age 20, he became the first Amateur Athletic Union Champion, a title he earned five times. He is a seven-time world karate champion, captained the U.S. karate team, won 36 gold medals in international competition and earned admission to the Karate Hall of Fame in 1982.

Blanks is known for his high energy and commitment to hard work, a quality he says he learned from his parents, "Growing up in a bad neighborhood my mom and dad taught us that you have to work for everything that you have."

Blanks married his high school sweetheart Gayle in 1974. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and teach Tae Bo. It was then that Blanks's life changed forever.

He landed roles in 28 films but more importantly, it was then that Blanks committed his life to God.

"I was gaining success but I was still always searching for something more," he says.
Blanks was raised in a Christian home, but he didn't accept Christ until he was an adult.
"Before I became a Christian, I based everything on sense principles," Blanks explains. "Because of that, I was an empty person, who was off balance. When I found the Lord, Jesus Christ, I knew that I had to change my way of thinking and doing the things based on my senses and I started doing things based on the spirit man, that is when things changed."

Seeing a dramatic change in her husband, Gayle, along with their two children, gave her life to Christ soon after Blanks did.

"I grew up learning how to base things on my senses," says Blanks. "I am now 52 years old, and learning to redo it, that is what Jesus is doing, He is re-counseling me 24/7. I am not a perfect man, but He is. That is why I lean on Him."

Whether transforming someone's physical fitness or reaching out to the underprivileged, Blanks is dedicated to helping others.

He and his wife established the Billy Blanks Foundation in 1999 to equip at-risk women and children in Los Angeles and their hometown Erie, Penn. with life skills. The organization also supports men and women in the military.

"It is important to us because we feel it necessary to give back to where we came from," says Blanks. "Also, if it wasn't for our troops serving all over the world, we would not be able to enjoy our freedom."

Blanks is committed to combining the two most important parts of his life, physical fitness and God, and giving his all to both. Maintaining spiritual health, he says, is an important part of physical health. Blanks is out of bed everyday by 5:30 a.m., he teaches at least two Tae Bo classes and martial arts classes in his Los Angeles Studio, pushing participants to their physical limits and pointing them to a higher power, "I want to teach everyone to keep their eyes on God, learn the ways of Christ and fight the good fight!"

Learn more about this author, A. South.
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