Billy's rise to success seems all the more astonishing when seen through the prism of his childhood. Born the fourth of 15 children to Isaac and Mabeline Blanks, he had few opportunities on the streets of Erie, Pennsylvania. Complicating his young life, Billy was afflicted with undiagnosed dyslexia and suffered a problem in his hip joints, which impaired his movement, resulting in a clumsiness that caused his coaches to think he would never amount to much. However, Billy took his first martial arts class at age 11, and soon began to gain a mastery of the sport and him. In 1975, he became the first Amateur Athletic Union Champion, a title he would earn five times. Billy ascended to become an eighth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and gained black belts in five other forms of martial arts. He became a seven-time world karate champion, captained the U.S. karate team, won 36 gold medals in international competition and earned admission to the Karate Hall of Fame in 1982. Billy Blanks also became the 1984 Massachusetts Golden Gloves Champion and the Tri-State Golden Gloves Champion of Champions.
Billy moved to Boston as an adult and opened his first karate studio. Later on, Billy moved to Los Angeles in 1989 and taught classes in his home garage initially. Shortly after, he opened the Billy Blanks World Training Center in Sherman Oaks, CA.
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