A CHIP OFF THE OLD (KARATE) BLOCK

IT'S NOT EASY BEING THE SON OF A FAMOUS SPORTS FATHER. FOR EVERY PEYTON AND ELI MANNING, THE SONS OF NFL QUARTERBACK ARCHIE MANNING WHO FOUND MASSIVE SUCCESS IN THE SAME SPORT AS THEIR DAD, THERE'S A JEFFREY OR MARCUS JORDAN, THE SONS OF BASKETBALL LEGEND MICHAEL JORDAN WHO DID NOT. RICHARD AVERY PLOWDEN IS DECIDEDLY IN THE FORMER CATEGORY.

- MARK JACOBS

The son of Black Belt Hall of Famer Richard Plowden, 28-year-old Richard Avery Plowden has carved out a legacy of his own just as impressive as his father's.

Karate is more or less the family business of the Plowden clan with seven black belts in all, including Richard Avery's mother, uncle and cousins. His older sister Morgan is one of the most successful female point fighters of all time. So the younger Plowden had a lot to live up to from an early age.

"My father actually didn't want me and my sister doing karate - he didn't want that kind of pressure on us having to live up to his success, Richard Avery said. "He wanted us to do track or tennis. But he owned a karate school our whole lives. Even before I was practicing, I remember running around on the mats when I was little, so it was something I was always interested in."

Despite his abiding interest, Richard Avery said he was far from a natural as a youngster Although he did well locally, the few times his father let him compete at the national level, he had trouble breaking through. He managed to win one junior title at the AKA Warrior Cup when he was 13 but didn't score another big junior victory for three years. Even when he did start to win at the national level, his success was inconsistent.

"It takes time, and there's a certain development process you have to go through," he said. "During that period and into my early 20s, I do admit to getting discouraged. Losing is hard, especially when everyone knew who my father was and what he accomplished. And at the time, my sister was blazing in her career, as well."