Chapter 24: Taekwondo in the United States

Then some fighters began using roundhouse kicks to the head (using both the leading and trailing legs), spinning back kicks, and jumping side kicks. Most of these kickers came from the Southwest, possibly due to Jhoon Rhee's influence in the area. East Coast fighters introduced the jumping double front kick and used a leading leg roundhouse kick more than other early stylists, while West Coast fighters stuck to the older Japanese styles.

In 1965, Mike Stone came home from the Army and won nine consecutive tournaments without being defeated, primarily using a leading leg roundhouse and double ridge hands. In the late 1960s, Chuck Norris became a champion by combining Korean kicks (including a leading leg side kick) with Japanese hand techniques. He was also the first American fighter to introduce combination techniques successfully.

Joe Lewis also came to fame during this time by using a leading leg side kick and crossing back kick, showing the effectiveness of single technique specialization. Lewis also proved the effectiveness of the lead punch.