American Karate Black Belt Association (AKBBA)

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logocaption = The AKBBA shield
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name = American Karate Black Belt Association
aka = Chin Sook Hage Kwan
style = Karate, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Kung Fu, Kick Boxing
area = flagicon|USA United States
founder = Allen Steen
notable_pract = J. Pat Burleson, Skipper Mullins, Demetrius Havanas
website = http://www.akbba.com

The American Karate Black Belt Association (AKBBA)'s fundamental purpose is to unify and promote brotherhood between practitioners of all martial arts while maintaining a high level of proficency and professionalism.

The AKBBA-CSHK's goal is to promote "goodwill, respect, assistance, and cooperation among ALL martial artists and humans" (whether AKBBA-CSHK Members or not).

Origin

The AKBBA was originally founded in 1964 as the Southwest Karate Black Belt Association by U.S. and Texas Karate Pioneer, Allen R. Steen.

It was, initially, composed of Black Belts from Allen Steen's Texas Karate Institute and other top Black Belt competitors and promoters.

The SKBBA was a virtual "Who's Who" of the top karate competitors in the United States. Association Black Belts literally dominated the top 10 nationally ranked tournament competitors in the 1960s and 1970's. Among its membership were such karate pioneers and greats as: J. Pat Burleson who won many National titles in the 60's and promoted the famous rough-and-tough Texas State Karate Championships; Skipper Mullins, 5-time World Champ; Demetrius Havanas (deceased); Jim Butin; Walt Bone (deceased); Ronnie Cox (deceased); Dennis Cox; Raymond McCallum; Ed Daniel; Roy Kurban; James Toney; Richard Jenkins; Chuck Loven; Dr. Ted Gambordella; George Minshew; Fred Wren; Tim Vought; Jim Harkins (deceased); James Stevens; Dennis Gotcher; Billy Simmons; Joe Boyd; Arnold (Zip) White; Andy White; Royce Young; Billy Watson; Pam Watson; Phyllis Evetts; Marian Erickson; Jenice Miller (deceased); Jim Miller(deceased);Kerry Najolia; Kevin Maher; Jack Lococo; David Arthur; Dan Daughtery; Steve Armstrong (deceased); Al Dacascos; Malia Dacascos; Rick Vaughn; Mickey Fisher; Keith Yates; Jack White; Larry Caster; David Archer; Bob Potter; Steve Selby; Tim Kirby; Larry Ritchie; David Moon (Moon Dai Won) and Sam Allred a New Mexico Karate Pioneer who promoted the famous Central North American Karate Championships; and many others. Literally, too many, with too many awards and credits to mention in this small space.

Karate, in Texas, developed a reputation of being hard and tough. Throughout the entire country, the Allen Steen brand of Tae Kwon Do, Chung Do Kwan, was known as "Texas Blood and Guts Karate." Such was the reputation of the Black Belts of the Association, that an article in Black Belt Magazine once commented, "anyone in a tournament facing someone wearing the red and black Southwest Association emblem, knows he's in for a very tough fight."

The Association grew so large, nationally (with over 10,000 members), that it was really no longer just a "Southwest" association, but an American association. So, in 1972, the name was changed to: the American Karate Black Belt Association. And, the former red and black shield of the SWKBBA was changed to the (now familiar) red, white, and blue AKBBA shield and grew to encompass not only Chung Do Kwan, but other styles of Tae Kwon Do, Karate and Kung Fu.

The High Dan Board

The AKBBA-CSHK High Dan Board is composed of eleven mature and successful Master Black Belts with multiple state to national champions in kata, point & full contact fighting. In addition to physical prowess, each High Dan member is a successful school owner & manager in their own right.

They joined together and enlisted the aide of the Voting Board of Affiliates (those AKBBA-CSHK Affiliates ranked 3rd Dan or higher and running their own schools) to set and oversee the rules and standards for belt promotion and general protocol association wide.

Chin Sook Hage Kwan

Steen explained it was his intention that any of the Black Belts of his or other founders lineage maintain use of the Association since he had hoped it would continue, even long after him. For this reason Steen had never incorporated the Association and never sold the American Karate Black Belt Association, use of its emblem, the name or rights to exclusive use of the name to anyone.

In early March 1986, the name "Chin Sook Hage Kwan" was appended to the name AKBBA to differentiate between the two remaining AKBBA groups; the now world wide Martial Arts organization of SWKBBA/AKBBA, and the Walt Mason's Dallas based AKBBA .

The name "Chin Sook Hage Kwan" was derived from another name that the original SWKBBA/AKBBA group had discussed, "Texas Kwon Do." Since the name "Texas" originally came an Indian word "Tejas" meaning: friendly. Texas Kwon Do became Chin Sook Hage Kwan(Korean translation of "friendly school") This name met with enthusiastic and complete approval and Bouton's AKBBA organizational division became known as the American Karate Black Belt Association - Chin Sook Hage Kwan (Texas or Friendly School).

This new incarnation of the AKBBA developed their own high dan board, composed of six SWKBBA/AKBBA "old timers", James Toney, 10th Dan;
Keith D. Yates, 10th Dan; Royce Young, 10th Dan; Richard Jenkins, 9th Dan; Charles Bouton, 9th Dan and Tim Vought, 9th Dan and two "second generation" up and coming martial artists, Steve Selby, 8th Dan; and Robert Smith, 8th Dan. Added to the board in April of 2000 were two well experienced Masters Thomas P. Muncy, Jr, 10th Dan; and Rick Moneymaker, 9th Dan. In February of 2003, Dr. David Grago, 10th Dan was elected to the High Dan Board to represent the new dantai affiliate the International Chinese Boxing Association World-Wide.

There are currently six Dantai Affiliates, or Organizations which affiliate with the AKBBA-CSHK. Each has designated representatives serving on the High Dan Board. The six current Dantai Affliates are: Kokusai Dai Ni Gojuryu Karate Kyokai, Dragon Society International, Shorin Aikibudo Association, The American Karate and Tae Kwon Do Organization, the International Modern Arnis Federation and the International Chinese Boxing Association World-Wide.

Conclusion

The first generation of Allen Steen's original SWKBBA/AKBBA students are past the half century mark in age now, or have passed on to an eternal Dan, to be recreated only through the memories of those who knew them and tell their tales. However, the "Texas Blood and Guts" American Tae Kwon Do style lives on and continues to embody the physical and mental strength of all dedicated martial artists.

High Dan Board Members

High Dan Board Member:
* [http://www.akbba.com/txmahof/txmahof.html/ James Toney]
* [http://www.a-kato.org/ Keith D. Yates]
* [http://www.texinskarate.com/school/ryoung.html/ Royce Young]
* [http://www.akbba.com/aklub.html/ Richard Jenkins]
* [http://www.akbbausa.com/akbba/index.htm/ Charles Bouton]
* [http://www.a-kato.org/inside1.html/ Tim Vought]
* [http://www.dallaskarateacademy.com/ Steve Selby]
* [http://www.akbba.com/hdb.html/ Robert Smith]
* [http://www.usadojo.com/biographies/thomas-muncy.htm/ Thomas P. Muncy]
* [http://www.usadojo.com/biographies/rick-moneymaker.htm/ Rick Moneymaker]
* [http://www.wwicba.com/MARES.pdf/ David Grago]

External links

* [http://www.akbba.com/ American Karate Black Belt Association homepage]