Doug Noxon was born in 1929, and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean war. After discharge, he took up competitive weight-lifting and managed to attain several state records for his weight class in Illinois. Subsequently, he took up the study of Judo, then Kempo, in the Chicago area, earning a Brown Belt in both arts.

Upon meeting Sensei James Chapman, a student of Master Don Nagle, he began his studies in Isshin-Ryu. After obtaining his dan grade, he moved to Detroit and combined forces with Sensei Ken Pittaway around 1963. Together they founded the first Isshin-Ryu dojo in Michigan, the Academy of Martial Arts. Shortly thereafter, they opened a second dojo in Inkster, Michigan, about 10 miles west of Detroit. The Inkster site became Sensei Noxon's home dojo. His top student was Willie Adams.