Blanks was innate inside Erie, Pennsylvania, the fourth of xv babies. As a infant he experienced dyslexia and a hip to abnormality; he did non require higher martial arts until a age of Fourteen. Nevertheless, he quickly excelled, winning many state, local & national championships. He occurs as septet-instance globe Karate champion, and holds the seventh-degree black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. In the 1980s, Blanks was the captain of the U.S. Olympic Karate team. Blanks occurs as member of the Karate Hall of Fame. He presently works as an athletic consultant for the television show Battledome.