Doug Perry began his fighting career in 1946 as an amateur boxer in Charlotte, N.C. at age of nine. During his boxing career he participated in 147 bouts in the Golden Glove, AAU, and the marine corps. He won state, regional and national titles and officially retired from the ring in 1959 following the trials for the 1960 Olympics. At the age of 14, he had the distinction of fighting a four-round exhibition match against bantamweight champion of the world, Willie Pep.

Doug started his martial arts training in September 1956 at Parris Island. Since that time has had the opportunity to train under Hanshi Tatsuo Shimabuku in Ishshinryu Karate-Do at the old Agena dojo in Okinawa. He studied with Kyoshi Bill Hayes of Shobayashi Ryu, one of Hanshi Eizo Shimabukuro's senior students. This karate relationship and special friendship has lasted for over 30 years. While again stationed in Okinawa, Doug had the additional honor of interacting with Sensei Kanei Uechi of Uechi-ryu and Sensei Takemyoshi of an Old Okinawan Family System.

During the period 1974-75, again in Okinawa, he studied with Kyoshi Jiro Shiroma, a senior student of Hanshi Shugoro Nakazato. Since that time, he has been a student of Hanshi Nakazato. In 1997, Doug received the rank of Hachidan from Hanshi Nakazato and was appointed to represent the Shorinryu Shorinkan Kyokai in North America. Doug presently operates a small dojo in Hendersonville, N.C..