Elvis ‘Didn’t Know Half as Much About Karate’ as He Claimed, Said His 10th Degree Black Belt Bodyguard

Elvis Presley frequently entertained guests with his karate demonstrations. He became passionate about karate while he was in the Army, and continued to study it for the rest of his life. He often bragged about his skills and concocted stories about how he heroically used them. According to one of his bodyguards, though, Elvis was nowhere near as knowledgeable about karate as he made it seem.

Elvis was not as skilled in karate as he thought

Dave Hebler became one of Elvis’ bodyguards, but he initially met the singer because of his knowledge of karate. When Hebler met Elvis, he was a fifth-degree black belt who was training at Ed Parker’s studio in Las Angeles. Per Hebler’s website, he became a tenth-degree black belt. One day, Parker paired Hebler with Elvis to spar.

“Now I have been in these situations a million times,” Hebler said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. “You are usually working out with someone of similar experience to yourself, someone who knows what he is doing. Within seconds out there on the mats with Elvis it was very obvious to me that one, Elvis didn’t know half as much about karate as he thought he did; and two, he hardly knew where he was.”

Hebler initially thought Elvis was drunk because of the way he was “lurching” around, but he couldn’t smell alcohol on him. After watching Elvis trip over himself, Hebler decided to try to make him look better. 

“Somehow, I got the drift of things, and while I couldn’t make him look like an expert, I tried to react to his moves in such a way that he wouldn’t look half as bad as he could have,” he said. “Of course, the entourage, headed by Linda [Thompson], was fascinated by him. By the looks on their faces, you would have thought he was a world champion.”

Elvis attempted to officiate a karate tournament

Hebler felt relieved when his demonstration with Elvis ended. This feeling was short-lived, though, as someone suggested that Elvis should officiate an impromptu tournament. Hebler knew immediately that Elvis did not have the skills necessary to do this. Participants simulated the blows to avoid “broken bones all over the place,” and Elvis would not have known if the movements would actually land.

“You have to really know what you’re doing,” Hebler said. “Those blows are whipping by at a hundred miles an hour, and you have to pick up on them very fast. You also had to know instantly the ones that would connect and the ones that would just float into the air. It is very difficult. You can imagine what it was like for Elvis, who, in fairness, never officiated at a real karate tournament. I mean, I promise you, it was hopeless.”

Hebler decided to stand behind Elvis to help him make calls and determine a winner. While Elvis did not outright thank him for this, Hebler believed he was grateful for the help.

“Not that Elvis didn’t sincerely believe he was in charge of the situation. He did. But, in the back of his mind, he must have recognized that I had helped him.”

While Hebler found the interaction incredibly uncomfortable, Elvis soon welcomed him into his entourage.

Priscilla Presley said everyone fed into his delusion

While Hebler said everyone watched Elvis with awe, Priscilla Presley said everyone knew the singer was less talented than he claimed. She recalled a day when Elvis confronted two arguing strangers.

“He shot out a karate kick, and to his surprise — and everybody else’s — he knocked a pack of cigarettes out of the guy’s pocket,” Priscilla wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “Among our group, Elvis wasn’t known for his precision in karate.”

Afterward, Elvis spoke hyperbolically about his role in the encounter.

“When we got home, the way Elvis told it you’d think he’d just wiped out half a battalion,” Priscilla wrote. “We all supported his fantasy.”