| Yorinaga Nakamura | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 19, 1963 Mie Prefecture, Japan |
| Residence | Tokyo, Japan |
| Style | Shoot wrestling, Jeet Kune Do |
| Teacher(s) | Satoru Sayama, Dan Inosanto |
| Notable students | Erik Paulson, Ron Balicki, Dan Inosanto |
Yorinaga Nakamura (中村頼永, Nakamura Yorinaga), also known as Yori Nakamura, is a retired Japanese shoot wrestler and an instructor in shoot wrestling, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, Silat, and Muay Thai.
Life and career
Nakamura had trained in various martial arts, among them kickboxing, wushu and Kansui-ryu karate, until February 1984 when he enrolled at the Tiger Gym of Satoru Sayama.[1] In November 1985, he became a full-time staff member of Sayama's gym. He trained in Sayama's style of shoot wrestling and in June 1986, he competed at the tournament celebrated in the first Shooto event. He won the first fight by decision, the second by rear naked choke, the third by keylock and the last by pillow hold, winning the tournament.[2]
In January 1989, Nakamura went to the United States and became a student of Dan Inosanto in Jeet Kune Do, Filipino martial arts, and silat.[2] In 1992, he founded USA Shooto Association. On returning to Japan the same year, he became the founder and head instructor of Inosanto-Methods Unified Martial Arts Association (IUMA).[1][2][3]
Notable students
- Ron Balicki: MARS Head Instructor, producer, stuntman
- Dan Inosanto: martial arts instructor
- Junichi Okada: actor and martial arts instructor
- Erik Paulson: CSW Head Instructor
Lineages
Catch wrestling (+ Shooto) lineage
- Billy Riley/Frank Wolfe → Karl Gotch → Satoru Sayama → Yorinaga Nakamura
Jeet Kune Do lineage
- Bruce Lee → Dan Inosanto → Yorinaga Nakamura