Photo by Roy DeanThe Only Thing That
Counts Is What You Can
Do in Chaos
A few years ago, Glen Heggstad was in Mexico taking an early-morning stroll through
the streets of Tijuana when a passing group of men set upon him. The first one
clotheslined him and slipped into a rear chokehold as the others looked to rob him. A
former nationally ranked judoka with a vast and varied martial arts background — not
to mention a one-time member of an outlaw motorcycle gang with more than a few
street fights under his belt — Heggstad was caught off-guard only for a moment.
BY MARK JACOBSI
’D NEVER BEEN ATTACKED in
broad daylight like that before,”
said Heggstad, now 65. “But the
only thing that really counts in
martial arts is what you can do in
chaos.”
It didn’t take Heggstad long to
recover his poise, then execute a
shoulder throw on the man choking
him. He hit a second man with a low
roundhouse kick that crumpled him.
When the rest of the would-be assail-
ants took flight, Heggstad chased
after them, laughing to himself with
the realization that he probably
shouldn’t be doing that.
But it was hardly the first time
Heggstad found himself in perilous
situations doing things he probably
shouldn’t be doing, nor was it the only
time the martial arts may have saved
his life. The most notable of these
incidents occurred in 2001 when a
rebel army in Colombia held the world
traveler hostage for five weeks.BORN IN SAN FRANCISCO, Heggstad
developed a love for adventure travel
at a young age. His rebellious nature
got him kicked out of his home at
13, inspired him to hitchhike cross-
country at 16 and eventually led him
to join a motorcycle gang.
“I was their youngest sergeant at
arms and would get into a fight every
night,” he said.
The outlaw life ultimately led to a
prison term, and when he got out, he
began bouncing in bars. But Heggs-
tad realized that the path he was on
was a self-destructive one. Looking
to make a positive change, he started
training in the Chinese martial arts.
“I already knew how to fight,” he
said. “I got into martial arts to calm
down. I began training with Dr. Mark
Cazares six hours a day, every day.
Other martial artists told me no one
trains six hours a day, but I said, ‘I’m
doing this to save my life.’”
Heggstad learned a hybrid kung fu
style that included elements of yoga,
mediation and fasting. From that
background, he progressed to gosoku-
ryu karate with Black Belt Hall of
Famer Tak Kubota. After earning a24 BLACKBELTMAG.COM § AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019FIGHTBOOK