AKATO Black Belts

AKATO ADVISOR: Allen R. Steen was the first black belt of Grandmaster Rhee on American soil. Mr. Steen is known as the “Father of Texas Blood and Guts Karate” and could also be called the "Grandfather of the AKATO,” since he was Mr. Yates' original teacher. He is a former International Karate Champion (he beat both Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris in a single evening in 1966) and a trainer of many national champions. Grandmaster Steen was one of the first martial arts business entrepreneurs building a chain of schools across the Southwest in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As Mr. Yates’s teacher he is a valued advisor to the AKATO.

Keith D. Yates, our founder and president, is an internationally known author and teacher. See about Keith D. Yates.

DAN MEMBERS

The following list of CURRENT (paid-up) AKATO member Black Belts is in alphabetical order. Their current rank is in parentheses. If you are a currently paid-up AKATO member and your name is not listed here please contact us.

Jon Alster (8) Mr. Alster started his training in high school in Virginia. Moving to Texas to attend SMU, Mr. Alster started training with Keith Yates in 1980. He has trained with many AKATO instructors including Bryan Robbins and Mike Proctor. Mr. Alster taught at his own school in California for many years before coming back to Texas in 2018.

Rudy Amor (1)

Rick Arnold (9) Owns Arnold’s Martial Arts in Sherman, Texas, which is one of the most recognized schools in the state. He is a past tournament champion and the head of Martial Artists Making a Difference. www.arnoldsma.com

Aaron Barnett (7) Mr. Barnett assists with many classes in the Metroplex

Judy Barnett (2)

Mike Bonstaff (9) Mr. Bonstaff owns and teaches at the Bonstaff Academy of Tae Kwon Do in the New Orleans area.

Tom Booker (4) Mr. Booker owns Broadway Family Karate in Knoxville, Tennesse. www.broadwayfamilykarate.com

Alex Brandt (5)

Liane Buckley (3)

Kevin Buckley (3)

Jackson Buckley (1)

Jeffery Chu (1)

Daniel Cohen (2)

Kelly Cox (9) Grandmaster Cox is the founder of Marudo Karate-Do and teaches that system at his Richardson, Texas dojo. He began martial arts in 1973 under Master Hido Park, earning dan rank in 1979, in Moo Duk Kwan. During the 1980s, he served as an instructor with the American Tae Kwon Do Association. After affiliating with the AKATO in 1992, he has become one of our most sought-after instructors. He has earned a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Kobudo and was awarded his Master Instructor Certification in 2000. He is a retired school teacher.

Kylie Downing (1)

Cliff Dillehay (8) Grandmaster Dillehay for years taught Kenpo Karate at the UT Southwestern Medical School. He has won numerous competitions across the Southwest and is one of the most respected instructors of Kenpo in the country.

Nick Edwards (2)

John Egan (3)

Duane Ethington (10) After stint in Army Security Agency and a brief singing career with brother Hap, Mr. Ethington took up Tae Kwon Do at Allen Steen's TKI back in 1967. He is a member of the Living Legends of Sport Karate and the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Mr. Ethington also has penned many articles as well as written screen plays and has authored several books.

Chris Folmar (7) is owner and head instructor at his school in Keller, Texas. www.americandefensivearts.com

Jolie Gargiulo (5)

Caroline Goodspeed (9) Grandmaster Goodspeed teaches classes at several locations in the Dallas area. She began her training in 1979, under Keith Yates at the Richardson Y to spend time with her daughter who was taking lessons. A certified instructor with the American Council of Martial Artists, she is now senior instructor at the Y. She is the highest ranking woman in Nam Seo Kwan and is highly sought after as an instructor in women’s self-defense.

Julie Royal-Grotefend (2)

Maya Grotefend (1)

Alan Hammill (5)

Meg Hinkley (1)

Paul Hinkley (5)

Sanette Hunter (4)

Niaal Holder (3))

Ceasar Johnson (5) Mr. Johnson, a former US Army Drill Sergeant, has taught across North Texas. He won the 2010 AKATO Instructor of the Year Award.

Tony Kaufman (5) Mr. Kaufman is well-respected in the AKATO for his knowledge of Bunkai and pressure point combat.

Fadi Khoury (2)

Michael Lawler (1)

Jeremy Lesdema (2)

Sophie Little (1)

Tim Looney (9) Grandmaster Looney started his training in the 1960s under James Toney and Keith Yates and is now a senior instructor at the Richardson YMCA.

Christopher Ly (1)

Mark Lynn (8) Mr. Lynn teaches at his Hidden Sword Martial Arts in Roanoke, Texas. www.hiddensword.com

Buddy Matthews (8) Dr. Matthews made his black belt originally under Roy Kurban. He has trained with the AKATO since the 1970s.

Richard Merlin (7) teaches in Plano, Texas.

Tim Meeks (2) Mr. Meeks teaches at the Old Settler’s center in McKinney, TX.

Thomas Merhout (7) Mr. Merhout holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever promoted to black belt by Keith Yates. He holds a black belt in weapons and is also a medal winning Judo champion.

Ysabel Merhout (6) Mrs. Merhout teaches at Hands On Karate in Garland and also at the Plano YMCA. In addition she teaches tai chi classes.

Tedd Mitchell (5) Dr. Mitchell is the Chancellor of the Texas Tech University system and holds black belt rank in several martial arts.

Dave Moore (7) teaches in Plano, Texas.

Don Mullins (4)

John Patterson (4) Mr. Patterson recently retired from teaching at the YMCA.

Sam Perez (9) Grandmaster Perez owns Denison Family Karate in Denison, Texas. He was a top champion on the competition scene for a number of years. He also holds a black belt in Kobudo. www.denisonfamilykarate.com

Drake Pledger (5)

Ethan Pledger (1)

Tom Pledger (1)

Birch Powers (3)

Michael Proctor (10) Proctor Sensei is the martial arts "pro" at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, a position he accepted after several years in law-enforcement. He also teaches Karate, Kobudo and Tai Chi at Presbyterian Hospital and several other Dallas locations. Mr. Proctor has been practicing the martial arts since childhood and is the founder of Renbudo Karate-Do. He heads the AKATO division overseeing martial arts with Japanese roots.

Kathy Rhine (5)

Lyman Roark (6) A certified official in Olympic-Style Taekwondo, Mr. Roark teaches at Alpha Self Defense Academy in Dallas and at the McKinney Rec Center.

Elizabeth Rogan (3) Mrs. Rogan trained under Mr. Yates and Mr. Proctor. She holds nationally recognized certifications in personal training and industry-standard exercise formats. Her field of focus is mind and body practice which combines body movement, mental focus, and controlled breathing to improve strength, balance, flexibility, and overall health.

Alexis Romero (3)

Suzanna Savoie (3) Senior instructor at her Mesquite Tae Kwon Do club.

Alan Schreiber (9)

Steve Servin (2)

Elizabeth Shumake (1)

Kim Shumake (1)

Caleb Skipper (5)

Daniel Skipper (2)

Lance Spradlin (1)

Layne Spradlin (1)

Alisha Starnes (5)

Stephen Starnes (9) Grandmaster Starnes is owner and head instructor at North Texas Karate Academy in Bridgeport. He began his training in 1985, at the age of 7. He received his black belt at 12 and taught throughout his teenage years. He teaches Christian homeschool kids with the Koinos (karate) Homeschool Fellowship. www.northtexaskarateacademy.com

Adam Strom (5)

Dick Strom (10) Grandmaster Strom owns Strom's Black Belt Academy and Family Fitness in Seguin, Texas. He started his martial career in Chicago and has been a member of the AKATO for several years. He is the founder of Jung Tong Moo Sul Tae Kwon Do. www.stromsbba.com

Bridget Terrell (3)

Ken Terrill (2)

Tony Tempesta (8) Grandmaster Tempesta has studied the martial arts all over the world, including his native Italy. He speaks four languages fluently.

Tom Thompson (10) Beginning his training in 1970 under Allen Steen, Dr. Thompson is the founder of the Ki Il Do Kwan style of Tae Kwon Do. He owned his own chain of schools called Alpha Self Defense Academy located in his Alpha Fitness Centers. He has also authored numerous books. www.91kick.com

Dan Trimmell (3)

James Trimmell (3)

Teressa Trimmell (1)

Ginny Tyler (5) Mrs. Tyler began her training with Keith Yates, and received her black belt in 1999.  She also trained with traditional Okinawan and Shotokan instructors in Virginia, and Texas. She teaches for the First Class North Texas Homeschool Co-op, and is the founder of DMD Tae Kwon Do. She is the author of several books (check her out on Amazon). www.dmdtaekwondo.com

Trinity Tyler (1)

Tommy Vaughan (6)

Colin Wee (7) Owner and instructor at Joong Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do in Western Australia. Mr Wee has been trained primarily by Sensei Bryan Robbins and Sensei Michael Proctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the martial arts and was previously a national representative and coach in Archery. He is also an author. www.joongdokwan.com

Michael Williams (3)

Bob Woerner (9) Grandmaster Woerner started training under James Toney and Keith Yates in 1969. He taught at several Dallas area health clubs over the years.

Rodney Yates (1)