Grandmaster Bill “Superfoot” Wallace

Grandmaster Bill “Superfoot” Wallace

The Undefeated Champion Who Still Inspires Martial Artists Around the World

The room was packed with martial artists—white belts, black belts, instructors, and school owners—all watching closely.

Grandmaster Bill “Superfoot” Wallace stood at the front of the floor during one of the seminars at the Ontario Martial Arts Symposium. With a smile on his face, he lifted his leg and fired off a lightning-fast side kick.

Even today, the technique is sharp, controlled, and effortless.

He looked at the room and said with his trademark humour:

“People used to say they knew my kick was coming.
The problem was… they still couldn’t stop it.”

The entire room burst into laughter.

Moments like this are exactly why martial artists love training with him. For the past three years, Grandmaster Wallace has been the headline instructor at the Ontario Martial Arts Symposium, an annual event I host that brings martial artists together from across Canada and beyond.

Every year he delivers incredible seminars filled with practical techniques, stories from the early days of kickboxing, and plenty of humor. But what makes it even more special is that the person teaching isn’t just another instructor. He’s one of the most legendary kickboxers the martial arts world has ever seen.

Bill Wallace was born William Louis Wallace on December 1, 1945, in Portland, Indiana. Interestingly, his martial arts journey didn’t start with striking arts at all. While serving in the United States Air Force, Wallace trained in judo and wrestling. However, a serious knee injury forced him to stop training in judo. For many people, that would have been the end of their martial arts career. Instead, Wallace adapted.

In 1967, he began studying Shōrin-ryū karate, and because of his injured right knee, he developed a fighting style that relied almost entirely on his left leg for offence. That adjustment would ultimately become his greatest advantage.

His lead leg kicks became some of the fastest and most powerful techniques in martial arts history. His roundhouse kick, hook kick, and side kick were clocked at speeds approaching 60 miles per hour, earning him the nickname that would follow him throughout his career:

“Superfoot.”

Wallace has always had a sense of humour about how it all came together.

“I didn’t invent the style on purpose,” Wallace once joked.
“My right leg didn’t work very well, so I just got really good with the left one.”

During the 1970s, Wallace transitioned from point fighting into the new and rapidly growing sport of full-contact kickboxing. From 1974 to 1980, he dominated the professional middleweight division. Wallace captured the Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Middleweight Championship and defended the title multiple times during a time when kickboxing was exploding in popularity.

His professional record remains one of the most impressive in combat sports. 23 Wins, 0 Losses, 13 Knockouts, and Retired Undefeated. Retiring undefeated while defending a world championship multiple times is an extremely rare accomplishment in any combat sport.

What made Wallace even more unique was his fighting strategy. While many fighters relied heavily on punching combinations, Wallace could control an entire fight with his lead leg. His opponents knew exactly what was coming. It simply didn’t help them stop it.

“Everybody knew the kick was coming,” Wallace once said.
“But knowing it’s coming and stopping it are two different things.”

Like many martial arts legends of his era, Wallace eventually found his way into the film industry. Encouraged by his longtime friend Chuck Norris, Wallace began appearing in martial arts movies during the late 1970s and 1980s. Some of his film appearances include: A Force of One with Chuck Norris, The Protector with Jackie Chan, Killpoint, Ninja Turf, and Silent Assassins. Through these films, he worked alongside well-known actors such as Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, John Belushi, and Mickey Rourke.

Wallace also worked as a commentator in the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, helping to bring martial arts knowledge to a broader audience.

Although Wallace’s undefeated fighting career is legendary, many martial artists today know him best as a teacher. His Superfoot System focuses on flexibility, timing, distance control, and efficient kicking mechanics. His stretching methods and kicking strategies have influenced martial artists across karate, taekwondo, kickboxing, and many other disciplines. He has also authored several well-known martial arts books, including: Dynamic Kicking & Stretching, The Ultimate Kick, and Karate: Basic Concepts & Skills

Even today, Wallace continues travelling around the world teaching seminars. And if you’ve ever attended one, you quickly realize that his teaching style is just as memorable as his fighting career.

“Flexibility isn’t about kicking high,” Wallace often says.
“It’s about being able to move your body the way you want, when you want.”

One of my favourite moments from the Ontario Martial Arts Symposium happened during one of Grandmaster Wallace’s seminars. He was teaching a room full of martial artists about the importance of controlling distance with the lead leg. At one point, he asked for a volunteer and demonstrated how he could intercept someone moving forward with a perfectly timed lead leg side kick.

The volunteer tried several times to close the distance. Each time, Wallace calmly lifted his leg and stopped him before he could even get close. The room watched closely as he explained the concept. Then he smiled and said: “You don’t have to be faster than everyone else… You just have to get there first.”

It was a simple lesson, but it perfectly captured the genius behind his fighting style.

Grandmaster Bill “Superfoot” Wallace represents a generation of martial artists who helped shape the foundation of modern kickboxing. He is an undefeated world champion, a martial arts film actor, and one of the most influential instructors in striking arts. Yet despite all his accomplishments, he remains approachable, humble, and passionate about teaching. And that’s something everyone notices the moment they train with him.

As Wallace often reminds his students: “Martial arts isn’t just about fighting. It’s about improving yourself every day.”

After more than 6 decades in the martial arts, Grandmaster Bill “Superfoot” Wallace continues to inspire martial artists around the world—both through the legacy he built in the ring and the knowledge he shares today.

Career Highlights: Bill “Superfoot” Wallace

• PKA World Middleweight Kickboxing Champion
• Professional Record: 23–0 (13 KO)
• Retired Undefeated
• Pioneer of American Kickboxing
• Starred in multiple martial arts films
• Appeared alongside Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, John Belushi, and Mickey Rourke
• Author of several martial arts books, including Dynamic Kicking & Stretching
• International seminar instructor for more than four decades
• Headline instructor at the Ontario Martial Arts Symposium (2023–2025)

Grandmaster Jonathan Field

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