 Amidst his years of studying, Lundgren honed his karate skills by training hard in the dojo for five years, attaining the rank of 2nd dan black belt in Kyokushin in 1978. He captained the Swedish Kyokushin karate team, and was a formidable challenger at the 1979 World Open Tournament (arranged by the Kyokushin Karate Organization) when he was only a green belt. He won the European championships in 1980 and 1981, and a heavyweight tournament in Australia in 1982. Dolph continued training kyokushin karate after leaving his tournament career, when his new career allowed, and eventually graded to 3rd dan in July 1998, in the Shinkyokushin organization of Kyokushin karate. The formal grading took place in Stockholms kyokushin karate Gym, in Stockholm, Sweden. Lundgren is often seen on Shinkyokushin tournament events, doing karate exhibitions during breaks.
