It started in Spain, the land of conquistadors and kings, where Ernest Hemingway fought, loved and wrote. In the cradle of the West, a man who embodied the true warrior spirit, encountered, learned and would eventually inspire thousands of others to learn a fighting style from the East. The year was 1980. The man was Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film was Conan the Barbarian.
When John Milius approached Arnold Schwarzenegger to star as Robert E. Howard's legendary character, he may not have known what it would spawn. He knew that in order to accurately portray Conan, Arnold would need a martial arts master. Milius hired Kiyoshi Yamazaki, chief instructor at the Japan Karate-Do Ryobu-Kai in Anaheim, CA, as the film's martial arts and weapons instructor. Conan needed to solve the riddle of steel, and Kiyoshi Yamazaki had the answer!
Kiyoshi and Arnold met for the first time at a Universal Studios production office. When they shook hands, both knew they had 18 months of training ahead of them. Mirroring the theme of Conan, mastery of steel and the sword dominated Yamazaki's methodical approach to filling Arnold, and, therefore, Conan, with the Samurai spirit. First came the sword and its philosophy. Second, the basic techniques of Iai, the Japanese martial art of swordmanship. Third, the traditional uniforms to be worn during training, and, lastly, manners at the dojo (a martial arts training facility).
Training lasted two to three hours a day, for 4-5 days a week. Their first 4 months together, Arnold learned and practiced the basics of swordsmanship. By month five, Arnold was learning the various poses for fighting. Yamazaki noticed Arnold's ease with posing from his bodybuilding training, and even managed to combine bodybuilding posing with Iai posing, which gave Arnold his own unique style for the film. This, along with Milius' camera angles and breathtaking cinematography gave Conan the Barbarian some of the most extraordinary fight scenes in cinematic history.
Speaking of cinematic history, we get a glimpse of Master Yamazaki in the film itself. He plays the role of Conan's sword trainer. Yamazaki proudly carries the honor of one of the few people in existence who's slapped Arnold 40 times in the face and lived to tell about it.
 After failing to correctly do a sword swing Conan gets slapped by the master, who is angered by his failure. According to Yamazaki, the director asked him "to hit Arnold, like in a real fight, slapping his face 4 times. First, I hesitated to hit Arnold hard, but Arnold insisted that I slap him good." After rehearsing more than 10 times, Yamazaki's hands were sore from all the slapping. One can only guess how Arnold's face must have felt.
Yamazaki and Schwarzenegger teamed up again for Conan the Destroyer and again for Red Sonja. By now, the martial arts played a significant role in Arnold's films and in his life. Soon, Arnold knew the martial arts had to be more than just a personal hobby. Like so many of his other interests, Arnold made it easier for his fans to get involved in what he enjoyed doing.
It wasn't long before Arnold convinced his old friend Jim Lorimer to make Martial Arts an integral part of the Arnold Fitness Classic, a bodybuilding festival the two had created in 1989 in Columbus, Ohio.
This year the world will flock to Columbus, March 2-4, as some of the world's best martial arts warriors compete for honors in three simultaneous major championships during the 2001 Arnold Fitness Weekend.
As many as 3,000 competitors are expected to enter this year's expanded martial arts offerings that include the Arnold Battle of Columbus, Gracie World Championships and the Arnold All-Traditional World Karate Championship.
 The Arnold Battle of Columbus (BOC) is the only championship in the world with a true separation between different styles from Taekwondo, Karate (Open), Kung Fu and Hapkido to Tai Chi, Wushu, Tangsoodo and Jiu-Jitsu (Open). Competition is expected in 11 different martial arts disciplines.
A host of current and former world champions will be on hand for the BOC including Cung Lee, the current world champion in Sanshou (full contact Chinese kick boxing); Greg Fears of Columbus, former World and five-time National Taekwondo Champion; and Greg Baker, also of Columbus, former five-time National Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist in Taekwondo at the Seoul Olympics (1988).
And to think, it all started with a handshake and a sword. Crom would be pleased.
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