John Corcoran was an American non-fiction book author, magazine editor, screenwriter and martial arts historian.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he began martial arts training in 1967 eventually writing press releases for his Shōrin-ryū karate instructor to pay for lessons.
[1] Over the next three decades, Corcoran served as editor of Black Belt, and then Professional Karate, Inside Kung Fu, KICK Illustrated, The Fighter International and Martial Arts Success.
[2] He became the first PKA events coordinator where he befriended heavyweight kickboxing champion Joe Lewis who became his mentor.
[4][6] He was a primary technical consultant for the A&E channel’s 1998 documentary, Mystic Origins of the Martial Arts, and worked in that same capacity in 2002 on Modern Warriors, produced by documentarian Peter Spirer.